Destination Tea Reviews/Louisiana

Destination Tea: The Windsor Court Hotel

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Where:  New Orleans, Louisiana
Style:  tea salon
Tea Selection:  30+ loose leaf teas
Teatimes:  Friday to Sunday, 11 to 2; Themed Teas
Reservations:  48-hour notice suggested, more advance notice for large parties and/or weekend dates, which book up
Contact:  Reserve here, 504-596-4773
Cost:  $95 Themed Tea; $80 Afternoon Tea (includes cocktail or mocktail); $60 – $50 Child’s Afternoon Tea (all fees include tax and tip)
Destination Tea Tips:  Themed tea dates are listed on the OpenTable reservation page (link above). Guests are welcome to tour the hotel’s second-floor art collection, valued at over $10 million. Most of the artworks are of British origin with an emphasis on works that depict the Windsor Castle and life of British royalty, from the 17th to late 20 centuries.

Destination Tea Notes: Taking inspiration from his college days at Oxford University in England, New Orleans businessman James “Jimmy” Coleman Jr. developed The Windsor Court Hotel in anticipation of the city’s 1984 World’s Fair. The hotel is named after the British royal family – The House of Windsor – who themselves took the name from Windsor Castle, built in England by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, and home to 40 monarchs since then. In keeping with the anglophile theme, the luxury hotel was designed to treat guests like a king or queen. It begins with the quiet majesty of the brick-paved courtyard, whose tall garden walls seclude the hotel entrance from the surrounding bustle of the French Quarter. In the lobby, you are greeted by the hotel’s customary bouquet of 12 dozen roses, and Le Salon’s harpist playing softly. With luck, you may also find local boutique Bella Gifts to Geaux’s pop-up shop displaying their tea hats, fascinators, hand-poured candles, jewelry and artwork.

The servers must be especially diligent here, in part due to the practice of keeping teapots off the tables. Our server Paige was very kind and seemed to have an innate sense of when to check on us and when to leave us to our conversation. When choosing your included cocktail, we highly recommend you embrace the iconic milk punch famously served at the city’s jazz brunches, the perfect NOLA afternoon tea addition, given the original recipe came from Britain. Though we preferred the outstanding savories and sweets prepared at the Ritz, the menu at Le Salon was enjoyable, included real clotted cream, and the setting and total experience were more to our liking. We were sorry that our visit didn’t coincide with one of the hotel’s famed themed teas, which happen monthly, so that we could explore their themed recipes as well. Seems another visit may be in order!

Posing before the hotel’s renowned rose display
Le Salon – a beautiful and spacious tea salon in cream and sage
Loving the decorative iron bannisters
A mix of dining tables and coffee tables are set with Wedgwood Wild Strawberry china and fresh flowers.
The rear of Le Salon seats guests at low tables around the fireplace.

Tea Selection

The afternoon tea begins with a specialty cocktail, chardonnay, Champagne, sherry, mimosa, poinsettia or mocktail, making this a Royal Afternoon Tea.
mocktail at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
A mocktail flavored with lavender syrup.
bourbon milk punch at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Bourbon Milk Punch is not to be missed.
loving the cocktails at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Actually a tea cocktail, the recipe uses bourbon infused with vanilla chai, vanilla simple syrup, cinnamon and cream. Fabulous!
tea list at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Each guest is invited to choose their tea from a nicely varied and well described list of loose leaf teas, brewed in silver four-cup teapots, kept on a sideboard. As our readers know, we prefer leaves are removed after properly steeped, and teapots are left on the table so we can help ourselves.
Wedgwood wild strawberry china at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
We did appreciate how often Paige came by the table to keep cups full. Our first cup was not yet bitter from oversteeping and had a great, robust flavor.

Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets

savories at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
A generous six savories included Smoked Salmon, Lobster Roll, Cucumber, Truffle Egg Salad, Curry Chicken Salad and Smoked Turkey (which was a bit overfull for a dainty bite).
scones and sweets at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
The scone course is also generous, with two medium-sized scones per person (walnut and black currant).
scones at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
We like that these are clearly homemade, though the crumb is leaning towards muffin, a bit spongy for a scone.
real clotted cream at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
And we LOVE that real clotted cream (aka Devonshire cream) is served with lemon curd, raspberry preserves, and whipped cream for your scones.
dessert course at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Four desserts include chocolate-covered strawberries, an assortment of tarts, almond cakes and chocolate truffles.
tea hats by Belle Gifts to Geaux at afternoon tea at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Appreciating these larger-than-life tea hats and fascinators, by Belle Gifts to Geaux
statue of St. George in garden courtyard at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
Patron saint of England, St. George was a symbol of piety, chivalry and bravery, whose red cross is pictured on England’s flag.
garden courtyard at The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
The front courtyard features bursts of magenta amidst the greenery.

Destination Tea’s Afternoon Tea Scorecard

Destination Tea's Afternoon Tea Scorecard for The Windsor Court, Le Salon in New Orleans, LA
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Tea Voyageuse, discovering the world of afternoon tea, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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