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Tea for you
Find solace in a timeless tradition

BY NINA WILLDORF

AS A BITING chill cuts through the air, and as we reel through our days trying to find slivers of warm solace, an old-school tradition is gaining steam: afternoon tea. Whether it’s a business meeting or a multi-generational sit-down, a respite from shopping or a solo afternoon treat, a spot of tea can hit just that. "It’s a relaxing ritual and a nice way to gather with friends," says Susan Westmoreland, the food director at Good Housekeeping magazine and editor of The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (Hearst). She occasionally tries out some of her recipes, like cucumber sandwiches with chutney mayonnaise, on her neighbors. "Once in a while on a Saturday, I’ll just do it," Westmoreland explains. "It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but we all feel like we’re having a treat."

The subject of afternoon tea immediately summons thoughts of the Ritz-Carlton. At the Ritz’s new location on Boston Common, the ceremony takes on a sleek, modern twist, with the treats arriving on dim sum carts rather than traditional three-tiered trays. Seated before the lobby fireplace on a recent afternoon, four ladies completed their day with a selection of delicate geometric sandwiches, tea that flowed like cashmere, and desserts that looked as decadent and precarious as the ladies’ hats. A full and filling ceremony of three sandwiches, a pot of your choice of tea, and three mini desserts — all accompanied by live classical guitar — costs $24 per person.

Around the corner at the Four Seasons, folks duck in from an afternoon of raiding neighboring stores for a more traditional ceremony in the approachably elegant Bristol Lounge. "My feet are numb," said a sweater-set-clad thirtysomething woman with a sigh as she plopped onto a plush couch with two friends. They perused the traditional afternoon-tea menu of surprisingly filling mini sandwiches (ranging from cilantro-cured salmon to chicken salad with apricot), tea breads, dense chocolate cakes, and mini tarts while listening to the barely audible twinkling piano. The full tea service is $22.50.

For folks looking for tea somewhere between low-budget do-it-yourself and the pricier service described, there’s a hidden alcove in the Museum of Fine Arts where, Tuesdays through Fridays from 2:30 to 4 p.m., the Ladies Committee breaks out a silver-plated tea service from the late 19th century and pairs it with recipes from the committee’s book Boston Tea Parties (MFA Publications). "We just raised our price from four dollars," says the demure Harriet Patteson, chair of the afternoon tea (accompanying sandwiches and cakes cost a mere $5). Orchids on each table, Oriental rugs, and a live pianist add ambiance to the little room, which sits at the bottom of the building’s grand staircase. And though on a recent Wednesday afternoon only ladies were in attendance, Patteson protests that they also see the occasional student, and even the odd man or two: "We have one gentleman who comes every week."

Other spots for tea include Qingping Gallery and Teahouse, a unique Chinese tea house that was recently transplanted from Newbury Street to the South End. Qingping serves up steeped leaves all day and most of the night. Eclectic folks gather to enjoy the tea — which ranges in price from $3 to $7 — underneath politically heady art while engaging in sparking conversation about globalization and the like. And Newbury Street’s elegant Indian restaurant Saffron salutes its country’s days in the British Empire with a daily "Tea Time" from 3 to 5 p.m. daily. Ten dollars buys you a cup of tea and dessert, such as the Masala Tea Parfait served with sesame croquants and ginger-lemon chutney.

Honestly, in what other snazzy settings can you feel so well-mannered eating with your fingers?

The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons, 200 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 338-4400.

The Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, (617) 267-9300.

Qingping Gallery and Teahouse, 231 Shawmut Avenue, South End, Boston, (617) 482-9988.

Ritz-Carlton Boston Common, 10 Avery Street, Boston, (617) 574-7100.

Saffron, 279A Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 536-9766.

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Issue Date: November 8 - 15, 2001

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