Our 3rd Spot:

Palace Hotel Garden Court

2 New Montgomery Street  San Francisco, CA 94105

http://www.sfpalace.com/afternoon-tea

You have to live it up once in a great while.  We all work hard, we all have stresses, and we all like to enjoy ourselves.  When I researched the tea houses to include in this tour + came across this one, I KNEW I had to experience it…and soon!  The snippet on their website made it sound so lavish!  Sure, this isn’t something you could do every weekend (well, maybe the wealthy can)-  but why can’t we be fancy this once!?

If you’ve never been to The Palace Hotel, it is simply breathtaking.  It was just so…GRAND!!  I felt so privileged to be walking down the beautiful carpeted hallways, knowing I had business walking down them!  We arrived at The Garden Court, and this is what we were welcomed with…

I wouldn’t be doing the place any honors if I attempted to explain just how exquisite our surroundings were.  Stunning, absolutely stunning.

The menu was very simple.  Nice selection of teas + three levels of tea service.  Of course, I chose the one that included the champagne!  Our server was very swift.  He immediately asked which pots of tea we would like, and shortly after here came the pots!  At our table, we enjoyed the Earl Grey (aromatic autumn Darjeeling with bergamont citrus), The Palace Blend (babaco fruit with pineapple, kiwi + plum), Morgentau (sencha, flower petals, mango + lemon), Mint & Fresh (mint + lemongrass), Pai Mu Tau Silver Typ (delicate white tea), and Red Fruit (elderberries, black + red currants with hibiscus).  The mint tea was amazing + the perfect choice for me!  What we thought was fascinating was this interesting tool that was part of our place setting.  It was later explained to us that this was used to sift the loose leaf tea that was steeping in our pots.  We all had fun trying em out!

         

We were served our tea sandwiches first.  Different from having the scones in the beginning.  But, we weren’t complaining!  Not only were the tea sandwiches gorgeous, they were full of flavor!  Flavors you may not be used to having together, but they just worked so well!  And I can’t say enough how much I appreciated the portion.  They were the perfect size to enjoy, without being stuffed.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any fancier, they serve caviar!!?!  This is their Smoked Salmon tea sandwich (cream cheese mousse + caviar).  Our table’s best pick.

What is a tea house without a cucumber finger sandwich?!  This is their Cucumber tea sandwich (avocado mousse + tomato).  The avocado flavors definitely makes this stand out from the rest.

Made simply, but surprise ending!  This is their Turkey tea sandwich (cream cheese + raspberry).  That tiny berry makes a huge punch in your last bite of this one!

This one was my favorite!  This is their Zucchini tea sandwich (roasted bell pepper mousse).  So refreshing!!

Good choice for the last sandwich.  This is their Ham & Pineapple tea sandwich (cream cheese mousse + sun dried tomato).  If you’re thinking this will resemble a pizza, you’re mistaken!

We were beyond thrilled when they brought out the tiers of sweets!  If they were as yummy as the sandwiches, we were in for a treat!  Hands down-  best part of the meal.  Everything was sooo GOOOOD!!  The scones were superb.  The table favorite was definitely the double decker mini cream puffs!  My favorite was the chocolate layer cake topped with GOLD!!  My friend from Samoa said her overall thoughts were: “oka oka se manaia!”

         

         

         

The service was delightful.  Will we come back?  Uh…YEAH!!  We’d totally skip the rest of the tour and just dine here every month!  Okay, maybe not.  😉  Check back for our next stop!