Sunday Brunch at The Loeb Boathouse

The Loeb Boathouse Central Park

East 72nd Street and Park Drive North, New York, NY

+1 212 517 2233

Holiday season just started in New York. Our school was over and we decided to have not only tranquil also long Sunday brunch at The Loeb Boathouse. The Restaurant locates by lake in the Central Park, and in my opinion it is one of the best places in New York for a tranquil brunch.

On Saturday and Sunday they have extended brunch hours that is served 9 am to 4 pm. Although it was very crowded and they didn't accept reservations we didn't wait so long on line.

Pumpkin bread and butter came first while we were looking at to the menu which were going well together and very delicious. The Loeb Boathouse has a brief brunch menu. It contains nice mix of breakfast classics and brunch specialties that have unique touches.

They didn't serve a special tea or cafe menu. So, we had tea and cafe classics; Of course Earl Grey Tea and Cappuccino.

Since we went there at 2 pm, we were between breakfast and lunch. Our choices were Maple Waffles and Challah French Toast. Our friend Emre decided to have a lunch and he chose Griggtown Farm Chicken, which was a delicious organic chicken and it was the winner of the day.

Both Maple Waffles and Challah French Toast were served with fresh fruits. They were well-prepared and American style. French toast especially were different from other French toasts that I tasted before because it was made of  Challah bread which is a special Jewish braided bread. Also, beside the fruits it had bananas with Gran Marnier cognac liqueur.

Griggtown Farm Chicken 

The Loeb Boathouse has a great location. Since it is in the Central Park, many activities can be done after a tasteful brunch such as renting a boat at the lake, trekking, shopping or visiting museums.

Just a small reminder, The Loeb Boathouse is a seasonal restaurant. For this reason, it is generally open April to November. We are lucky to go there in late December thanks to the mild weathers in recent days.

Alice's Tea Cup: Chapter I

Alice's Tea Cup:

Chapter I

102 West 73rd St. New York, NY, 10023

+1 212 799 3006

Alice's Tea Cup is one of the sweetest place in NYC. It is a small bakery store, restaurant and tea house. Alice's Tea Cup has 3 branches; two in Upper East and one in Upper West side. They will be on our blog either in the future.

 Let's turn back to Chapter I.  Alice's Tea Cup: Chapter I, welcomes guests with a small bakery and a store.  Delicious cakes, cookies, scones, cupcakes and numerous teas.... Everything looks very fresh and delicious. Store has vast array of items.  It is great place to look some gifts for friends, family and of course for children. Decoration is whimsical. Everything reminds the Alice in Wonderland story.

They prefer to use wood furnishing, which makes place warm and homy. Touch of decorated pots and plates makes place warmer.

We went to Alice's Tea Cup in a Saturday morning in order to have a brunch. We tasted Smoked salmon & scones, Alice's Curious French Toast and Crepe. All dishes are not only grandiose but also satisfying. The most impressive thing is the tea menu. It consists of 15 pages of wide range of teas. It is really difficult to choose. We tried Anna's Earl Grey and Alice's Tea. 

Alice's Tea Cup is absolutely the best place for children too. It is the perfect place to take your children or guests to have breakfast, lunch or a tea. Also, Alice's Tea Cup provides sweet party rooms for memorable parties.

http://www.alicesteacup.com/

Dinner at Barbetta Restaurant

BARBETTA

321 West 46th street, New York, NY, 10036

+1 212 246 9171

Barbetta is the oldest Italian restaurant in New York City, which was founded in 1906. This 107 year old historic place is owned by Maioglio Family. Today, Laura Maioglio who is the daughter of Sebastian Maioglio, founder of Barbetta, has taken over her family business since 1964.

Barbetta is one of the few restaurants that serve Piemonte (the Piedmont) style cuisine in New York. In the menu there are typical Piemonte dishes such as Fonduta, Carne Cruda, Bagna Cauda and Bue al Barolo. White Truffes from Piemonte is also served in autumn or winter time. The most remarkable thing is that, each dish is noted the year in which it was first served at Barbetta. Other impressive thing is Barbetta's awarded wine list, which consists of thousands of labels. 

Laura Maioglio decorated glamorous interior of Barbetta. She used 18th century antiques and combined these pieces very well. Maioglio created calm and elegant atmosphere from the entrance hall through the main dining room. With special pieces that are used from her own collection, she created an Italian Palazzo at the center of the Times Square. Fine touch of Maioglio is seen entire townhouse and also each private party room.

Barbetta has also romantic and lovely garden.

At the restaurant, choosing wine among wide array of wines is harder than choosing dishes but waiters are very helpful and affable. As dinner we preferred to eat traditional Piemontese dishes such as Agnoletti and Risotto alla Piemontese with wild Porcini mushrooms. Gnocchetti ai formaggi Piemontesi was our another choice. Each dish is very special, delicious and very Italian. 

Before the end of our satisfactory dinner, we wanted to try a dessert. We choose dessert from the appetizing looking service trolley. Our choice was Creme Brulee and it was also very tasteful.

  Having a dinner at Barbetta was tasteful and eye-pleasing experience. Beside eating delicious Italian foods and tasting great vintage wines, being in a hundred years old antique atmosphere was delightful. 

http://www.barbettarestaurant.com/

Breakfast at " The Palm Court "

The Plaza Hotel, The Palm Court

Fifth Avenue at Central Park South, New York, NY, 10019

+1 212 546 5300

The Palm Court is one of the five food halls at The Plaza Hotel, which is the most charming one either. The Plaza Hotel is one of the historical hotels in New York that is over 100 years old.  The Hotel became the one of the hotspots in 1920s; it hosted remarkable business leaders, artists, socialites and movie stars throughout the history. It was the haunt of F.Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and their friends in 1920s. Also, F. Scott Fitzgerald's used The Plaza as a setting for his famous novel The Great Gatsby.

1900's "Beaux Art" style of architecture is seen at each section of the hotel. The Palm Court has pleasant, cheering and very fresh ambiance. Gigantic white marble columns, palms, calla lilies, sculptures, huge mirrors make place looks like a fantastic winter garden. Huge Art Nouveau style ceiling made of stained glass is another amazing part of The Palm Court, which makes place brighter. Once you get in, you wouldn't want this experience to end for a long time.

The Palm Court serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. A la Carte brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday as well. We prefer to have a breakfast, but afternoon tea at The Plaza is also delightful experience.

Fresh orange juice is served right away. Breakfast Menu has a wide variety of organic food selections. We decided to have American breakfast classics: Belgian Waffle and Buttermilk Pancakes. Belgian Waffle is served with fresh red fruits, sweet cream, strawberry compote and Vermont maple-pecans.

Buttermilk Pancakes is very fulfilling which consists of three layers. The Palm Court offers three types of pancakes: Plain, blueberry or nutella-banana with organic vermont maple syrup.

Our another choice was Market Vegetable Quiche. It was made of zucchini, mushrooms and spinach  served with escarole salad with shallot-lemon vinaigrette. It is a bit buttery, however absolutely satisfying and delicious. Market Vegetable Quiche is the winner of our breakfast.

Having breakfast at The Palm Court is great for a calm beginning to Sunday or Saturday. Hotel is located in a prime location. Therefore, it is easy to take a trip in Central Park or to shop at Fifth Avenue. We strongly recommend having a breakfast or afternoon tea at The Palm Court for not only vacationist but also New Yorkers. 

" Lady Mendl's Tea Salon "

Lady Mendl's Tea Salon

56 Irving Place, New York, NY, 10003

+1 212 533 4600

+1 800 685 1447

Elsie de Wolfe aka Lady Mendl was an American actress and interior designer. She became the outstanding figure in New York, Paris, and London society. Her name is given to a Tea Salon at the Inn at Irving Place which is the historical townhouse located in heart of Gramercy Park. The Inn at Irving Place is a dramatic place, victorian style furnishings create an elegant atmosphere. Afternoon tea is served twice a day in weekdays and three times on weekends. Tea service lasts approximately two hours in a very tranquil and peaceful environment. 

Tea service consists of delightful five courses with a great variety of fine teas that clearly explained in the menu. Our tea choices were Lord Mendl, Lady Mendl, Russian Caravan and White Peony which is the only white tea. White Poeny and Lady Mendl are sweet and have flowerlike taste. Both Lord Mendl and Russian Caravan have smoky tastes, and less sweet than the others.  

 Lady Mendl's Amuse Bouche, which is a scrumptious potato quiche, is served as starter. Various tea sandwiches are served as a second course. Desserts starts with third course. First desserts are plain and cranberry scones which are very delicious. They served with clotted cream and raspberry. 

Lady Mendl's Signature Cake came after the scones. This appetizing cake is made from thin crepes. Very thin crepes put over an over, and delicious vanilla custard added between each layers. Tea service finalize with assorted cookies with Chocolate Covered Strawberries. This is the time to sip champagnes. Of course it can also be chosen at beginning of the tea time.

Lady Mendl's Tea Salon is an impressive place with it's historical and romantic ambiance. Although courses mainly consist of desserts, in general, everything is exceptional.

Le "Relais de l'Entrecote"

Les Relais de l'Entrecote

15, rue Marbeuf, Paris, France

+33 1 49 52 07 17

Les Relais de l'Entrecote,  is always part of our trips. l'Entrecote founded in Paris, however today it locates not only in Paris but also in different locations with different names: L'Entrecote, Le Relais de Venice and Le Relais de l'Entrecote. The reason is that l'Entrecote is a family business owned by Gineste de Saurs family. Paul Gineste de Saur's son and daughters run the business in different locations. Still, under the different names each one continues the same formula. Restaurant ambiances, dishes, even the waitresses are belong to this formula. Beside the classic look of a French brasserie, the only difference is the paintings. Mural paintings of Venice are seen in Les Relais de Venice in New York, there are twentieth century posters and advertising found the Relais de L'Entrecote in Paris.On the other hand, l'Entrecote has stripes and plaids on the walls.

"How do you want your steak, medium or well done?" is the only question which sweet server dressed in black uniforms, asks. Yes, the only question is that however, French wines  (Paris and Geneva locations have wines from the family's own vineyard) and desserts can be chosen from the menu.

Starter is green salad with walnuts, and the main course is famous steak-frites, which is the Entrecote Steak "Porte Maillot" with its signature sauce. Delicious is not right world to describe the sauce. Sauce is famous because of its magical taste. It is almost impossible to identify ingredients. However, this flavor indubitably enamors itself.

Restaurant does not accept reservations. For this reason we always wait in line. It is better to arrive restaurants 20 or 30 minutes before it opens. The good thing is the line moves pretty fast and it is certainly worth it at the end.

Tea Time at Jardin d'Hiver

Hotel de Crillon, Jardin d'Hiver 

10, Place de la Concorde 75008, Paris, France

+33 (0)1 44 71 15 00

After a tiring trip in Paris, having a break at Jardin d'Hiver in Hotel Crillon -located at Concorde Square- is the best. Hotel Crillon is a enchanting place and Jardin d'Hiver is the charming part of the Hotel. Jardin d'Hiver means Winter Garden. Velvet salon sets, crystal chandeliers, ornamented high ceiling, impressive marble side tables make this place far beyond expectations. Jardin d'Hiver has a glamorous courtyard as well as inside. Since we have been there in a freezing day, we couldn't sit outside. That is a good reason to go there again at our next trip to Paris. 

Jardin d'Hiver has a tranquil atmosphere.  It is a place that you can have a tea, coffee or a small meal. We preferred to go at 5 pm after a busy day in order to relax at teatime. Jardin d'Hiver offers many types of teas, which are not only classics but also special teas with special names with clear descriptions. Our tea choices were Marie Antoinette and Duc de Crillon (Duke of Crillon). Marie Antoniette is black China tea and it has a fine caramel and vanilla aromas. The other one, Duc de Crillon is a blended black tea. It has different types of aromas that are almost impossible to solve if they were not described at the menu.

While we were looking at the menu, a service trolley full of petit desserts took our attention. Then we decided to try these appetizing desserts. They delightfully and sweetly accompanied our teas.

Jardin d'Hiver is the best place to not only relax but to escape from weary and bustle day in Paris. Unfortunately, Hotel Crillon has been closed since March 31, 2013 because of a major renovation. It is expected to reopen on 2015. We are looking forward to reopening of Hotel Crillon, and expecting to revisit that one of the world's oldest luxury hotels again.