High tea

My wife and I are going to high tea later this week prior to Spamalot (contradiction, eh?), but I'm wondering what may be the best selection in and around the loop and Michigan Ave. We've been considering The Drake. She's been there and thinks it's fine. She may be right, but I'm willing to seek other opinions. I'm ashamed to say I've not had high tea in my own city - only when I'm out-of-town do I enjoy this afternoon delight.

I'm just hoping a giant foot doesn't smoosh us while enjoying crumpets.

Suggestions?

Did you just see my post on the Peninsula?

Everything is really top notch there EXCEPT for the fact that the brew an awfully weak pot of tea.

The Drake is first-come/first serve, which can be a hassle. I also remember the stuff as not quite as good as the Penisula, but it was a few years ago when I took the family.

I've wanted to try the Ritz, but it seems forever booked.

Rob

A friend of mine wants to do high tea and sent me this list to entice. I know a few others in the suburbs, which I will post later.

Aion 2135 W Division, Chicago, IL At this teahouse and antique shop, the $9 high tea includes a pot of premium tea of your choice, banana walnut scones, tea sandwiches and more.

Drake Hotel 140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL This world-famous hotel offers daily high tea in the upper lobby, with accompaniments like finger sandwiches, scones, fruit bread, and French pastries ($21.50).

Peninsula Chicago Hotel 108 E Superior, Chicago, IL Lounge to the sounds of live music in this luxe Mag Mile hotel for afternoon tea in the Lobby restaurant, including nibbles and coffee or a pot of tea ($23; add a glass of champagne $30, $45 for Dom Perignon).

Ritz-Carlton Chicago 160 E Pearson St, Chicago, IL High tea is served seven days a week at the hotel's Greenhouse restaurant, where for $21 you'll get finger sandwiches, mini pastries, scone and your choice of two dozen hot or iced teas.

Russian Tea Time 77 E Adams St, Chicago, IL Vodka shots are de rigueur at this Eastern European favorite, but you can also enjoy a full tea service including raisin scone, finger sandwiches, and a pot of tea ($19).

Pierrot Gourmet 108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL Casual wine bar/cafe in the posh Peninsula Hotel tempts business diners and Gold Coast folks with a French-inspired menu.

Bourgeois Pig738 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL Quiet DePaul coffeehouse draws students with tasty sandwiches and intimate ambience.

Cafe Bernard 2100 N Halsted, Chicago, IL Get cozy with someone special at this relaxed, romantic French spot in Lincoln Park.

Vital Information wrote:Everything is really top notch there EXCEPT for the fact that the brew an awfully weak pot of tea.

VI,

I did read your review, and as I recall, others echoed your concern about the low quality tea at High Tea places. Here's a thought: why not BYOT. The key attractions at High Tea, as I understand this odd phenomenon, are the tiny sandwiches, cakes, etc., and the service. So why not just bring your own high end Todd & Holland tea, self-bagged, and let the servers add warm water? If you bring a green or oolong, the tepid temps will be just right.

Hammond

You gave such a complete rundown of high tea places! The Drake is great but really busy this time of year...I was at the Peninsula a few weeks ago and loved it. The atmosphere is very relaxed and classy but make a reservation because it's packed with wedding showers, baby showers, holiday teas and more this time of year...Russian Tea Time is a great place to go too because if I remember correctly you get to drink out of the pretty glasses and the treats are pretty good.
I highly recommend Aion! I was there a few weeks ago with some girlfriends and it was so cozy and the food was fantastic...they were out of the special baklava though and I really wanted to try it.
Any other tea shop recommendations? I'm thinking of opening a tea shop in Chicago in the next few years and am always scouting out more places to try before then...

Try also the Four Seasons, which serves a very elegant tea, and the Atwood Cafe on State Street (I have not been there for tea, but it's a lovely room and close to the theater).

A very nice tea shop opened in Evanston a short while back on Davis Street, just east of Ridge, about three doors west of Gigio's Pizza. Sorry, I have forgotten the name. I usually loose all brain retention power when I'm within smelling range of a slice of Gigio's.

I also know of a fine tea shop that serves yummy sweets, soups and sandwiches on Division between Western and Damen. I visited about a year ago and again, I forget the name. No excuse for this one.

Argo Tea is in the 900 block of Sheffield, but I've not visited. I hear good things.

hattyn wrote:the proper term is afternoon tea.Just curious to the history of the terminology.Has anyone else heard this?TIA..

Yes, it's actually afternoon tea.

http://www.englisht-parlort.com/rxincup.asp

I tried Atwood a couple years ago and really enjoyed their tea service. The menu changes seasonally. Also, the location is perfect. I've tried Russian Tea Time a few times and don't care for it. Service is poor and the scones are as hard as rocks.

Outside of downtown: I don't like Argo (it's not a place for serious tea drinkers). They add hot water to concentrated pots of brewed teas that have been sitting around for who knows how long. Also they have blended tea beverages (e.g. Matte Lattes) that are tasty but overpriced.

I like the Urban Tea Lounge on Montrose, close to the lake. The owners are really friendly and knowledgeable.

ChgoMike wrote:A very nice tea shop opened in Evanston a short while back on Davis Street, just east of Ridge, about three doors west of Gigio's Pizza. Sorry, I have forgotten the name. I usually loose all brain retention power when I'm within smelling range of a slice of Gigio's.

Argo Tea is in the 900 block of Sheffield, but I've not visited. I hear good things.

Are you thinking of Dream About Tea at 1011 Davis in Ev?

And, I know Argo is at 958 W. Armitage; have they opened a second location in the 900 block of Sheffield? (Is there even such a thing as the 900 block of Sheffield?)

Not a tea drinker, but I know a few ...

(edited for spelling & clarity)

I like the tea at the Four Seasons (though I haven't been in a few years) because I thought the tea was quite good, in addition to all the little goodies. But mostly I liked it because they have really comfy overstuffed chairs and sofas to sit in, at least in some places, which can be SO relaxing. I think you can make reservations there, and if you do, ask for a couch.

Cannot recall where I heard this.But I do recall hearing there is no such thing as high tea.That the term high tea comes from the phrase "It's high time we had tea."And that the proper term is afternoon tea.Just curious to the history of the terminology.Has anyone else heard this?TIA..
_________________
Cherchez la femme

Actually, there is such a thing as "high tea", it just isn't what is commonly and mistakenly referred by by Americans as "high tea." The hoity-toity teas served at the Drake etc. in Chicago and Brown's etc. in the UK is afternoon tea. High tea is a more substantial working class meal.

David Hammond wrote:

Vital Information wrote:Everything is really top notch there EXCEPT for the fact that the brew an awfully weak pot of tea.

VI,

I did read your review, and as I recall, others echoed your concern about the low quality tea at High Tea places. Here's a thought: why not BYOT. The key attractions at High Tea, as I understand this odd phenomenon, are the tiny sandwiches, cakes, etc., and the service. So why not just bring your own high end Todd & Holland tea, self-bagged, and let the servers add warm water? If you bring a green or oolong, the tepid temps will be just right.

Hammond

Darn!

Incidentally, I was at Blackbird for lunch yesterday, and justjoan ordered a pot of Earl Grey which, yes, turned out to be insipid...really the low point of the meal.

Why cannot even the best places figure out how to make a pot of tea. It's almost as easy as boiling water.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Incidentally, I was at Blackbird for lunch yesterday, and justjoan ordered a pot of Earl Grey which, yes, turned out to be insipid...really the low point of the meal.

Why cannot even the best places figure out how to make a pot of tea. It's almost as easy as boiling water.

Hammond

Many insist on letting you add the water to the tea, which for many teas means the water never gets hot enough, as I'm sure you know.

I also suspect tea is generally the job of the bar or wait staff. I think if the kitchen were forced to do it, they might do a better job.

-ed

MAG is spot on according to this link on the History of Tea:

During the second half of the Victorian Period, known as the Industrial Revolution, working families would return home tired and exhausted. The table would be set with any manner of meats, bread, butter, pickles, cheese and of course tea. None of the dainty finger sandwiches, scones and pastries of afternoon tea would have been on the menu. Because it was eaten at a high, dining table rather than the low tea tables, it was termed "high" tea.

This article is rather interesting because it specifies the three types of teas and typical offerings:

There are three basic types of Afternoon, or Low Tea:

Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream
Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets
Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

In England, the traditional time for tea was four or five o'clock and no one stayed after seven o'clock. Most tea rooms today serve tea from three to five o'clock. The menu has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets

When I was in Australia and New Zealand, the car always parked for afternoon tea. Loved that clotted cream with raspberry jam. Love just about anything with raspberry jam ...

Cathy2 wrote:MAG is spot on according to this link on the History of Tea:

Now I know nobody reads my posts (or links)....

Hammond, on restaurants and tea... I think often the problem is that they DON'T boil the water!

BB

I had indeed read your post and link. The emphasis in your post was about the use of afternoon tea, though your link did reference high tea. My link I thought was a bit more comprehensive, though together they complimented each other.

There are some here, I include myself, who read everything. We may not remember everything, though at some point it was indeed read!

Regards,

teamap.com is good...slowly making my way through the list there..
ChicagoMike - tea shop on Division is called Aion...so good...can't wait to go back!
Argo Tea is ok but there's no where to sit!

BumbleBee wrote:Hammond, on restaurants and tea... I think often the problem is that they DON'T boil the water!

BB,

I just got pack from an enjoyable lunch of Big Mickeys with SteveZ, and we stopped by Todd&Holland afterwards. I mentioned our conversation to one of the clerks there, who voiced her opinion that most restaurants do not, in fact, boil their water for tea: they just draw some very warm water out of the spigots of urns. To compound the problem, they don't scald the pot. The result, for black teas in particular, is very unsatisfactory.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:

BumbleBee wrote:Hammond, on restaurants and tea... I think often the problem is that they DON'T boil the water!

BB,

I just got pack from an enjoyable lunch of Big Mickeys with SteveZ, and we stopped by Todd&Holland afterwards. I mentioned our conversation to one of the clerks there, who voiced her opinion that most restaurants do not, in fact, boil their water for tea: they just draw some very warm water out of the spigots of urns. To compound the problem, they don't scald the pot. The result, for black teas in particular, is very unsatisfactory.

Hammond

yikes, that's absurd. next time you go to high tea, bring your own tea, electric kettle, and pot,a nd brew it yourself. maybe that's the best solution.

It's true; you can always tell it's not boiled when you see little bubbles/foam floating in your cup.

My mom, who was raised in British colonial Hong Kong, has always been extremely picky about her tea. She refuses to order tea in restaurants and she brings her own tea bags and hot pot when she's travels. When I was younger, I was always so embarrassed when she'd argue with waiters that her tea water wasn't boiled and make a big fuss over it. Now it turns out that I've picked up quite a few of her habits!

BumbleBee wrote:It's true; you can always tell it's not boiled when you see little bubbles/foam floating in your cup.

BB,

I can understand why, from an operational standpoint, most restaurants don't boil their tea (that doesn't mean it's acceptable, just that I understand why they may not have space or time to boil a kettle of water).

My conclusion is that in restaurants it's probably best to order only green or white tea (or perhaps oolong), which are suitable for lower temps.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:My conclusion is that in restaurants it's probably best to order only green or white tea (or perhaps oolong), which are suitable for lower temps.

Hammond

That's a great suggestion.

Chill is open Mon.-Th. Noon-Midnight,Fri.-Sat.Noon-2am and IIRC Sun. Noon-Midnight.We were there too earky to go in.They are in the strip mall at the SE corner of Dempster and Ferris and I think that is Morton Grove.

I doubt if Chill serves normal brewed tea.

Bubble tea is a generic term for a cold drink with tapioca pearls in it. The drink is often a tea milkshake, sometimes with fruit.

So you won't find high tea there.

-ed

I'm actually planning on attending a Tea Conference in Vegas this March so I'm sure I'll have all sorts of great postings when I get back.
I got Todd & Holland teas for a holiday gift and they are SO good...I highly recommend their Ruby Tuesday Roobius.
I also post on Teamail which is great...lots of tea enthusiasts...

FoodGirl Robyn wrote:I got Todd & Holland teas for a holiday gift and they are SO good...I highly recommend their Ruby Tuesday Roobius.

FGR,

Funny you should mention rooibos. It was the first tea (tisane, actually) that I bought from T&H, and at the time, it was a little too much for me. Last night, after almost a year of drinking their excellent teas, I tried it again and liked it a lot more than the first time. It always struck me as a tea that would be good iced, with lemon; the red liquor is gorgeous and would look fine in a tall glass with ice.

Hammond

It would be good iced! Very fruity...I made the mistake of just putting the loose tea in a stainer and not in a t-sac...quite a mess...the tea is so fine I ended up drinking the leaves which wasn't very good.

Speaking of iced tea...went to Wishbone the other day and had their sweetened ice tea which is pretty good for Southerners looking for sweet tea.

Yesterday, I finally was in a position to visit Hydrangea, the only place I am aware on the North Shore which specialized in afternoon teas. I came back home to double check the address and their hours to learn their phone is disconnected and apparently they have left the business.

Hydrangea
1105 Central Avenue
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-251-7088

Is there another place on the North Shore providing afternoon tea?

I don't think they serve afternoon tea, however, Dream About Tea in Evanston is a fine place if you're a tea buff. I think I may have mentioned it before, but at that time I didn't know of the website.

http://www.dreamabouttea.com/

Worth a visit and in close proximity to yummy joints like Bennison's and Gigio's.

I had previously started this thread and I chose the Atwood Cafe for my afternoon tea experience and it was lovely.