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It's High Time for High Tea

Crumpets and cocktails at The Drake hotel.

Thursday Dec 08, 2005.     By Jessica Herman

Travel + Tourism Feed

My sister fancies high tea. It's really more of a nostalgic pastime than anything, wistfulness for her college days when she and her dorm mates ventured out into the city to indulge in the ladylike tradition, pining for a time experienced only through the eyes of Jane Austen and the Brontes. When she comes into town, "Can we go for high tea?" is uttered as quickly as "I've missed you." So during her recent fly-by, I found myself escorting four tea tipplers to the Drake.

I've visited the Drake on a few other occasions, always around the holidays. Winter, in general, is a high time for high tea: Once your hands are chapped, your teeth are chattering and you've sunk next month's rent into holiday gifts, you're more prone to label pampering a necessity.

We headed up stairs around 3:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, looking sufficiently put-together in our jeans-and-sweater uniforms that bear little resemblance to the empire-waist gowns of our predecessors. Then again none of us expected to encounter a modern-day Mr. Darcy. Fortunately our wardrobe selection fit right in. While a handful of couples were regaled in black-tie affair attire, it was apparent that they waiting to attend one of the several weddings happening that evening: Over the course of two hours, we saw two brides and two sets of bridesmaids.

While it's steeped in age, wealth and tradition, the Drake's Palm Court hasn't aged a day. Every last inch is dusted, and jade green plant fronds breathe life into an environment that nearly suffocates itself in its pomp and circumstance. But instead of turning its nose at us, the Palm welcomed with a warm palette of ruby and gold and tables set with porcelain china.

Worry not if you decide to drop in unannounced; the hotel does not take reservations unless your party includes eight or more guests, and the room seats more than 100. The full kit and caboodle of tea and tasties costs $28.50 (plus $7 should you order a glass of champagne), at twice the length and half the cost of an hour-long massage. Do note that you may opt to have tea only at about $4 per person, should your companions be on a particularly tight budget.

After sinking into a couch and chairs around the low table, we toasted our reunion with flutes of champagne. We each got our pick of tea, served in an individual pot; choices ranged from the traditional Earl Grey to fruit and herb blends like Chamomile Citrus to "Well-Being" teas like Bombay Chai. The courses rolled in shortly thereafter, with one of every treat per person, preventing any schoolgirl bickering from breaking out.

If you're accustomed to strictly regimented eating hours, you may find tea time a tad jarring: The snack is more like a three-course meal served on three-tier silver platters, so consider having either a light lunch or a late dinner. We went from roast beef, ham and asparagus and egg salad finger sandwiches (sans crust, of course) to fruit bread and scones served with rich Devonshire cream.

The final dessert course didn't meet our high hopes for butter cream-frosted carrot cake and petit fours, and we left the silver platters half-full with the average selection of chocolate cake and pastries. Nonetheless, between the eating and the talking and the eating, we had hardly noticed the harpist plucking her instrument just behind us. We slunk back in our chairs, our bellies full with two pots of tea each.

Feeling drunk on girlishness, we decided to rake the movie times in the paper for the closest thing we could find to a Jennifer Aniston flick. Settling for the Cameron Diaz-heavy "In Her Shoes," we planned to head out for a pit stop at Foodlife during our down time before the movie; despite having filled up on butter-slathered scones, two of the girls 'fessed up to an inexplicable craving for French fries and diet Cokes. We spent our last minutes luxuriating in the powder room and braced ourselves to brave the wind and the real world, where the polished silver only comes out every few years.

Guidebook rating: If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in a Jane Austen novel, here's your chance. Even if you haven't but think you might enjoy the classy tradition of high tea, there's no better place than the Drake to give tea a try.

Stats: For a virtual tour of Palm Court and more info on high tea, which is served 1:30-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, check out the Thedrakehotel.com.