Where: Coral Gables, Florida Style: Spanish colonial Tea Selection: 16 loose leaf teas Teatimes: Wednesday to Sunday, 1 to 3 Reservations: Reservations required Contact:Reserve here Cost: $95 Royal Tea; $72 Afternoon Tea; $42 Child Destination Tea Tips: You may choose to self-park or valet for $25 at the Lower Lobby entrance. If you enter at the Lower Lobby, take the elevator up one floor to the main lobby for afternoon tea.
Destination Tea Notes: If the lobby of The Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables were any indicator, we knew this afternoon tea would be excellent. We couldn’t have guessed the experience would be further heightened by resident harpist Katherine Honey, and our sweet waiter Nestor, who paused his diligent service to serenade another guest with “Tanti Auguri a Te” (happy birthday, in Italian). From striking first impression to the last sweet bite, this afternoon tea is one we highly recommend for any Miami visitors (it’s a 30-minute drive from South Beach), because The Biltmore is focusing on getting every detail right. Room Service Manager Sid Halde stopped by to ask for our thoughts, and graciously heard our feedback, which was almost entirely glowing. The only aspect keeping The Biltmore from a perfect score on Destination Tea’s Afternoon Tea Scorecard is that they elect to keep tea leaves in the pots (more on this later). We were awed by the majestic architectural design and soft harp music setting the scene, and that was before we learned that the man who developed Coral Gables also built this hotel, an elementary school, thousands of homes, a public swimming lagoon and more before he passed away at the age of 55. Coral Gables turned one hundred this year, and when The Biltmore has its centennial next year, we say an afternoon tea here would be the perfect way to celebrate this historic hotel.
Afternoon tea is served in the gorgeous lobby of The Biltmore.
Fittingly dramatic for afternoon tea
French doors and paned windows invite natural light into this elegant space.
The talented Katherine Honey takes song requests! The Biltmore’s resident harpist played beautifully, and we were especially moved at her rendition of “Ave Maria.” We felt we were enjoying a private concert during our afternoon tea (which is why we gave this slightly-over-$65-tea a full two points for “Good Value”).
Tea Selection
A nicely varied list of teas with descriptions
Villeroy & Boch’s beautiful Amazonia rainforest pattern features hummingbirds, butterflies and orchids. We note this is actually a coffee cup with saucer.
Halfway through our afternoon tea, Nestor kindly reinfuses our tea leaves, pouring from this carafe of hot water. The trouble with this method is that not all teas need the same temperature water, so while our first pots of tea may have oversteeped, the second herbal and black brews were weaker while the second green brews went bitter. Our preference is for all teas to be properly steeped and decanted in the kitchen, then brought to the table ready to enjoy.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Afternoon tea amidst marble columns and live harp music
One sweet and one savory scone have the perfect crumb,
and are accompanied by lemon curd, Devonshire cream (true clotted cream) and jam.
Five perfectly sized delectable gourmet savories were light in the bread department, which we appreciate: smoked salmon with blini and dill creme fraiche; rosemary pate a choux with pickled grapes, apple, braised chicken and candied pecans; beet canapé with goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and toasted pumpernickel; cucumber with scallion mousse, french radish, tomato jam and borage; and truffled deviled egg with caviar and chives.
We like that this course is dubbed, “Sweet Indulgences”: petit vanilla bean cake, cream puff, orange madeleine with dark chocolate, chocolate raspberry crunch petit cake and blueberry tart with pastry cream.
Definitely where to go if you need a reason to dress your finest
This setting begs for someone to pose for a dramatic portrait. Perhaps a floor-length gown or swirling long skirt is called for?
Remember to look up for the full effect, including hand-painted frescos and barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Take a moment to watch the hotel finches pop in and out of their nests.
The menu items are so different from any place I’ve been. They sound like they would be tantalizing to taste! Great review. I too am surprised they did not understand how to make tea. I love harp music! Thank you. 💖
Thank you for reading Janice! The savories were especially yummy. We find it is a very common practice to leave the tea leaves steeping in the pots when they are brought out to the table. We prefer a method that results in the perfect brew, especially when quality tea leaves are being used.
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The menu items are so different from any place I’ve been. They sound like they would be tantalizing to taste! Great review. I too am surprised they did not understand how to make tea. I love harp music! Thank you. 💖
Thank you for reading Janice! The savories were especially yummy. We find it is a very common practice to leave the tea leaves steeping in the pots when they are brought out to the table. We prefer a method that results in the perfect brew, especially when quality tea leaves are being used.