What: Afternoon Tea at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Where: 600 Stockton Street at California Street in the heart of Nob Hill
When: Year-round. This thing-to-do is offered daily with a choice of Traditional, Royal, Premier, and Vegetarian Tea, served Monday through Thursday 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Friday 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Call 415.773.6198 for reservations or make your request online.
A Tradition Continues: Afternoon Tea dates back to the 19th century. According to The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea, the year was 1840 and it was Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who first made the afternoon request for "tea, bread, butter and cakes". It was 1865 when the first tea shop in London was opened. And it is today, 165 years after Anna made her request, that the tradition continues in London and around the world, including San Francisco, where the city's Ritz-Carlton hotel hosts the historic respite daily with a selection of: Traditional Tea, Royal Tea, Premier Tea, and Vegetarian Tea.
Along with your "perfectly blended pot of find tea from Taylor's of Harrogate (the official tea of the British Parliament)", Traditional Afternoon Tea ($36) also includes such bite-size delights as finger sandwiches, a freshly baked scone with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and preserves, English tea cakes, and of course, shortbread. Premier Tea ($41) includes everything Traditional, plus a Mumm "Cuvee Napa" champagne cocktail, and Royal Tea ($49) includes a Reims cocktail, chocolate mignardises and fresh strawberries with vanilla cream. Vegetarian Tea ($36 and a thoughtful option) includes savory sweets and veggie treats, such as eggplant pesto on rye and tomato and mozzarella on foccacia.
And, did we mention where you'll be served your tea? That’d be The Lobby Lounge of the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco - an elegant room appropriately decorated in Victorian style, with crystal chandeliers and original 18th and 19th century portraits. To complete the effect, a jazz-to-classics harpist is present to entertain guests and the view of the The Garden Courtyard and San Francisco skyline helps complete the experience, as the view keeps you rooted in today while you enjoy a wonderful tradition more than 165 years old.
It's just like Jane Austen wrote.
* Photo reprinted with permission of The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.
Along with your "perfectly blended pot of find tea from Taylor's of Harrogate (the official tea of the British Parliament)", Traditional Afternoon Tea ($36) also includes such bite-size delights as finger sandwiches, a freshly baked scone with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and preserves, English tea cakes, and of course, shortbread. Premier Tea ($41) includes everything Traditional, plus a Mumm "Cuvee Napa" champagne cocktail, and Royal Tea ($49) includes a Reims cocktail, chocolate mignardises and fresh strawberries with vanilla cream. Vegetarian Tea ($36 and a thoughtful option) includes savory sweets and veggie treats, such as eggplant pesto on rye and tomato and mozzarella on foccacia.
And, did we mention where you'll be served your tea? That’d be The Lobby Lounge of the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco - an elegant room appropriately decorated in Victorian style, with crystal chandeliers and original 18th and 19th century portraits. To complete the effect, a jazz-to-classics harpist is present to entertain guests and the view of the The Garden Courtyard and San Francisco skyline helps complete the experience, as the view keeps you rooted in today while you enjoy a wonderful tradition more than 165 years old.
It's just like Jane Austen wrote.
* Photo reprinted with permission of The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco.
