Foodstuff: Tea for two

I was recently invited to Hotel Jerome to enjoy their wintertime “Après Tea” experience, and WHAT an experience it was.

This super-special high tea takes place in the hotel’s reimagined Garden Room, the atrium-style area between their Prospect restaurant and the Jerome ballroom. The shades of green on the walls and luxurious wingback chairs paired perfectly for this afternoon indulgence, and tea for two was served after a chilly morning ski enjoying the return of snow (finally!).

Served Friday through Sunday from 12-4 p.m., guests can sip hand-selected TEALEAVES blends, as well as upgrade to add tea-infused mocktails, cocktails, or a glass of champagne. I opted for the upgrade, naturally, and champagne arrived in two stunning Waterford crystal coupe glasses, adding a sense of ceremony to the occasion.

Tea selection wasn’t lacking in ceremony either, as the 12 types of tea on offer were presented loose leaf in small glass vials, all in a white lacquered box, and organized by caffeine level. We were invited to smell each; we chose the Jasmine Pearl, a white tea described as “floral, aromatic, and elegant,” and the black Imperial Ting Tung Oolong with “floral notes of golden orchid.” The server returned with two perfectly portioned, piping hot pots of steeping leaves, and our first sips melted away the sub-16-degree day.

And this was all before the food arrived! As our appetites appeared, so did six different savory and six sweet bites, one per person, placed artfully on a stunning three-tiered tray of black and gold, with gold flatware to match. As my mother’s daughter, I am a sucker for extra fancy gold flatware.

Savory samples were chicken salad with apple, cranberry, and walnut on a petite croissant; beef tartare with burnt onion aïoli and pickled kohlrabi on a perfectly crisped and sturdy rye toast; a pimento tea sandwich with cucumber, cream cheese, and crispy onion; a teensy mushroom tart with comté cheese and sherried shallots; an open-faced smoked trout topped with the tiniest watercress and tomato slices I have ever seen; and a scone with toasted fennel seed and a side of very thick clotted cream.

Sweet treats included a chestnut macaron with honey and black truffle; a cranberry eclair with vanilla crème fraiche and salted pistachio crumble; an extremely rich black forest tart with spiced cherries and dark chocolate ganache; a caramelized hazelnut mille feuille with praline-vanilla ganache; a perfectly puckery lemon meringue tart; and a huckleberry scone with a side of berry jam.

Caviar options, which we eyeballed but did not go for, elevate the experience even further.

Admittedly, the terrific tea and excellent eats have as decadent a price tag as the goodies on offer, starting at $95 per person and going up with any additions of a mocktail, cocktail, or champagne. That said, if you can save your post-holiday pennies, I think this is a fun, cozy splurge for the dog days of winter. It could make a perfect Valentine’s Day reservation or a unique activity to treat any three-day weekend visitors. Our afternoon wrapped up around 3 p.m. and was so filling, we didn’t even need to eat dinner (so we saved money that way, at least). But, providing disclosure as your friendly resident food writer, my full stomach didn’t stop me from a later evening sampling of the Sunday sauce at the new Mt. Rubirosa. A Sunday Funday, indeed.

For more information or reservations, go to exploretock.com/hotel-jerome and scroll down to the Après Tea listing.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley-based writer and marketing professional who now feels let down by the sub-par tea “experience” in her pajamas at home. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com.