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YOUR CUP OF TEA — ALICE’S TOOBy T.E. Sonne
Inside, the painted walls are illustrations of Alice’s wondrous adventures, with the addition of modern textual twists: “Off with your cell phone, or off with your head.” Everything smells very inviting. A hostess wearing fairy wings flits past, in front of some charming tea paraphernalia for sale. “I may not be your favorite person,” she apologizes. “There’s an hour wait.” Beyond the vestibule of this neighborhood favorite, I see multi-tiered trays of sweets on wooden tables and hear the happy burble of contented people amidst the laughter of a children’s birthday party.
On my last day in New York, I meet my father-in-law, Norman, for my lunch reservations at Alice’s Tea Cup 2 Chapter II on the Upper East Side (156 East 64th Street). It was worth the wait. Below shelves of tempting sweets with an “Eat Me” admonishment reminiscent of the Wonderland tale, we dine on the Croque Monsieur — a savory sandwich combination of black forest ham and gruyere cheese.
Before I dig into my pumpkin scone, another “favorite of regulars," I expend a couple of calories going up stairs to see a “very tall” room. Long arched windows face the street, and large butterflies hang from curved ceilings. It's a whimsically elegant setting, with lots of ladies doing lunch – and looking like they are having fun.
Fortified with my own in-flight meal and a cross-continental chocolate fix for my trip back to California, I wonder whether even Lewis Carroll's imagination allowed him to envision food from a teashop-tribute to his Alice enhancing a 600 mile-an-hour trip at 40,000 feet. “Curiouser and curiouser!”
The girl’s supportive parents, Ray and Jean-of-the-chocolate-cake, and Haley’s husband, Michael Eisenberg, Alices’ manager, are all helping the family business expand. Soon reading Alice’s tea leaves will be a trilogy: Alice’s Tea Cup Three, plans to be open for early 2007 and will be at 220 east 81st street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. There’s a take-out list of over one hundred teas for home brewing from African Dew to Yerba Mate with Bai Hao White Tip Champagne Ohlong (“Finest ohlong from Taiwan with a peachy aroma and medicinal qualities) and Inspiration (“Peppermint with rosehips and rose petals) in between. Even if you aren’t going to be in New York soon, Wonderland is still within your grasp. Reach for it at www.alicesteacup.com PHOTO CREDITS: All taken by T.E. Sonne, except #5 of Lauren & Haley provided by Alice’s. |
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TM
After
enjoying the promenade of Columbus Avenue on Manhattan's Upper West Side one
Sunday morning, I rounded the corner on 73rd Street and saw the steps leading
down to “Alice’s Tea Cup.” The portal arouses curiosity like the rabbit hole in
Lewis Carol’s imaginative Alice in Wonderland.
I remember when Alice’s Tea Cup was just an idea. I am glad
to see the reality as popular as the last time I popped in, but I decide to save
myself for the sequel, Alice’s Tea Cup 2, a place I haven’t tried yet.
I ask to sample one of the favorite teas and am rewarded
with my own teapot of Rooibos Bourbon, which is billed as caffeine-free tea
that’s a “red bush herb, flavored with herb vanilla essence. Very high in
anti-oxidants.” I love its soothing flavor (unlike other health teas I've had
that are about as tempting as medicine).
When
I return, Norman reminds me that my immediate future holds nothing but airplane
food. I quickly ask our fairy -winged waitress to pack up another sandwich
and the rightfully popular sweet listed as “Jean’s-not-yet-but-soon-to-be-famous
mocha chocolate chip cake”. If only I could take the teapot.
The
Alice's Tea Cup shops and restaurants are the creations of the Fox sisters,
Lauren and Haley. As children of successful parents in the movie, theater, and
literary realms, "the girls" grew up inhaling the culture of Manhattan. Today,
their exhalations are tasty, fun additions to one of the world’s greatest
cities.