Where: West Hartford, Connecticut Style: Fine dining Tea Selection: 7 loose leaf teas by Bigelow’s Steep Cafe Teatimes: Tuesday to Thursday, 2 pm Reservations: 48-hour notice Contact: 860-937-2525 Cost:$75 MacKenzie-Child’s x Delamar Afternoon Tea; $50 Afternoon Tea Destination Tea Tip: To save money, you may request afternoon tea without the MacKenzie-Child’s teaset.
Destination Tea Notes: In partnership with New York ceramics designer MacKenzie-Childs, in 2024, Delamar hotels in Connecticut added a pricier afternoon tea option that features MacKenzie-Childs’ handcrafted Plum Check teasets, inspired by Delamar’s signature plum. Because we were a larger group, the organizer went to the trouble of borrowing extra Plum Check teapots and teacups from sister hotels, because the partnership requires that if one, then all guests at the same table must have the $75 MacKenzie-Childs afternoon tea. There are several aspects of this afternoon tea that can be improved, from the customer experience to the tea service, which we detail below. There were happy exclamations around the table at certain standout tasty creations in the scratchmade, French and farm-to-table inspired menu, and in fact this is a royal afternoon tea, starting with Artisan’s private label champagne. The staff was kind enough to notice that our group of nine was cramped at the two four-tops they had set for us, adding a third table before the tiered trays arrived (35 minutes after we did). Unless you are a MacKenzie-Childs fan, you may be more satisfied with this afternoon tea experience by foregoing the upcharge for the designer teaware, having your table set with generic white ceramics for the $50 per person.
The hotel’s restaurant Artisan, where afternoon tea is served, has an entrance directly off the parking lot.
Afternoon tea is hosted in Artisan’s dining room, featuring two-story ceilings, light pine flooring and Gustavian Swedish furniture.
Stockholm Artist Jonas Wickman’s handpainted fig mural adds color to the Scandinavian-influenced dining room decor.
We were surprised that they chose to seat our party of 9 at two four-tops, because we had just passed…
The Copper Room, which can seat up to 16 guests beneath its gold-leaf patina barreled ceiling. Perhaps this private dining room is only available for a rental fee.
Tea Selection
We began with a lovely glass of Artisan Brut NV, by Baron Albert in Charly sur Marne, Champagne.
While we appreciate the detailed tea descriptions, we were disappointed with the limited variety of unadventurous teas.
Each guest received their own four-cup teapot, but unfortunately our brews were weak, with one loose leaf sachet floating in each pot. We’d suggest at least two sachets (they are on the larger side) per pot, which can be removed before serving. We did enjoy the playful saucers and tiered trays with gold-trimmed edges reminiscent of a ruffled collar. Note that these ceramics are heavier than bone china, and a tip for the larger-than-life teacup is to fill it halfway, otherwise tea grows cold waiting to be drunk.
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
We would have appreciated a presentation of the tiered tray to learn of the specialty items made in-house at Artisan.
While the roasted beet with goat cheese and pesto tea sandwich was the table favorite, we would have liked thinner layers of cream cheese on the smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches. The slider bun was more bread than lobster salad and the tasty but overflowing free range egg salad with watercress was a bit messy.
Everyone enjoyed the homemade scones, wishing they were a bit larger.
Scone spreads included Vermont butter, homemade jam and chantilly cream.
French pastries for dessert included two macarons, caramel choux puff, lemon meringue tartlet and the outstanding chocolate entremet (made with layers of cake and ganache).
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