One of the best ways to break up the long winter in Chicago is treating yourself to a nice afternoon of tea and crumpets with the special ladies in your life. I whittled the list down to two of my favorite places. Both are amazing but quite different.
The Drake: an abundance of history (Princess Diana once stayed here!) and old world class. The room is large but cozy and lively with mothers, daughters, grandmothers and friends.
The Langham: it’s like walking into an art museum. The modern interior design is stunning and even the staff wears Chanel inspired suites. Very quiet and soft spoken, you will find anyone from business men, to ladies lunching.
The Drake: classic design with ornate silverware. I even adore the antique strainer that comes with it’s own holder to prevent drips and stains.
The Langham: delicate with clean lines. Don’t lift a finger because the tea is already strained.
The Drake: everything is served at once. Help yourself to whatever you like.
The Langham: plates are individually portioned and served into multiple courses.
The Drake: don’t be fooled by the usual suspect sandwich combinations. Hearty and quite tasty.
The Langham: pretty little things with lots of color. A lot of thought goes into the presentation.
The Drake: the classic swan cream puff gets me every time. Served along several other dessert bites, scones, biscuits and clotted cream.
The Langham: I personally went straight for the golden pistachio. Again, works of art and attention to detail.
The Drake: ask the manager to show you Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s initials carved into the bar inside The Cap Cod Room (another restaurant inside the hotel). He will most likely share lots of other fascinating bits of history and give you a private tour.
The Langham: a delightful amuse bouche is served shortly after you are seated. Tea is poured over little pods of flavor that disintegrate on your tongue. Such an experience!
*****
Nothing will make you feel more luxurious than having a spot of tea at one of these gorgeous hotels. It mixes things up from the routine brunch, lunch, cocktail and dinner outings. Tea is also long and leisurely, which leads to great conversations and perfect for catching up. I will sometimes order a glass of champagne too, which makes for quite the occasion.
So what about you? Have you been to tea? Where do you like to go? Have you tried The Drake or The Langham?
Cheers darlings!
This is such a lovely post! I have been to High Tea several times but never to Tiffin. I think I’ll have to change that!
-Katharine
Living’s as Easy as 312
Shamefully have never been for tea and always wanted to (my mom says I’ve been with her to the Drake but I was too young to remember so don’t count it). Awesome post though, I’m going to make it my mission to go this year. Was there a big price difference or were they relatively the same?
I went to tea several times growing up, but never as an adult! High tea is on my spring/summer bucket list, now I just have to decide which!