Back to Wonderland (Alice's Part II)

After discovering the fantasy-filled charm of Alice’s Tea Cup last week, I meant it when I said that I planned to return soon. Return I did, and I brought Lauren with me for our own little pre-holiday celebration last night, complete with tea, cake, and two sets of fairy wings.

For my second visit to the Alice in Wonderland-inspired tea shop, I was determined to experience the tea-party-like atmosphere of the dainty dining area, so Lauren and I made sure to arrive well before the 8 p.m. closing time. Seated at a table for two, we watched as a little girl out for tea and cookies with her mom was graced with a set of fairy wings and sprinkled with fairy dust by the waitress.

“That is adorable!” Lauren and I whispered to each other. “Look at the wings!”

“Would you two like wings as well?” our waitress asked, much to our surprise, as she handed us our menus.

We glanced at each other, then at the little girl who had just been turned to a fairy at the next table. Were we too old for fairy wings? Maybe, but somehow the fairytale setting made fairy wings seem somehow appropriate even for two 27-year-olds.

“OK!” we responded in unison.

Once our very imaginative waitress had humored us by bringing us each our very own set of wings (to borrow for our meal, although there are fairy wings for sale at Alice’s as well), she took our order. Each of Alice’s large selection of teas can be ordered in either a three- or a six-cup pot, for either $5 or $7, respectively. Lauren and I chose a three-cup pot of chamomile to go with our meals – a soup and salad combo for Lauren, with turkey chili and a warm pear and Belgian endive salad; and a soup and sandwich combo for me, with butternut squash soup and a smoked chicken breast sandwich with granny smith apples and herbed goat cheese.

All of the fare on Alice’s ample menu is light – an array of creative, slightly exotic salads and sandwiches, as well as several combination platters for “nibbling” or sharing, satisfy while still leaving room for Alice’s delicious desserts. And Lauren and I made sure we had plenty of room for dessert, as we had taken a peek at Alice’s enticing dessert menu before we had even glanced at the more savory selections.

In what was a very easy decision, we ordered a slice of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and a plate of Alice’s s’mores. The cake was rich and chocolate-y with smooth, sweet homemade buttercream icing that was festively decorated with Christmas holly. Meanwhile, the s’mores were not the toasted kind but rather stacks of graham cracker cookies sandwiched with marshmallow fluff and topped with chocolate mousse. Both were heavenly, and we savored every last bite.

All while wearing our loaner fairy wings, of course, which allowed us to believe that we really were in Wonderland on the UES.