TASTY TIDBITS: Alice's Tea Cup
Alice's Tea Cup opened in December of 2001 to a line around the corner. They were immediately embraced by the neighborhood as a shelter from the hustle and bustle of the city streets and as their popularity expanded, so did they by lengthening their hours and our menus and, ultimately, opening up two more locations (chapter ii at 64th off lexington and chapter iii at 81st between 2nd and 3rd aves). Whom You Know just loves the idea, execution and atmosphere of Alice's Tea Cup!
From 2001 to the present day, Alice's Tea Cup has grown from that one "little shop around the corner" that offered only afternoon tea, tea pots and loose tea to three bustling Manhattan locations, all offering breakfast, lunch, brunch, supper and, of course, afternoon tea along with shops that sell everything from tea ware to fairy wings! All locations host bridal and baby showers, birthday parties and even un-birthday parties. They design and make wedding and birthday cakes, cater parties, and their bakery offers five daily scone choices, incredible cakes, cupcakes, cookies, muffins and out of this world banana bread. In 2008, Alice's Tea Cup launched their gift site where shoppers can choose anything from loose tea to unique gift boxes. Most recently, they have begun to franchise.
In Alice's Tea Cup's seven years of business, they have been acknowledged by Mayor Bloomberg with a Women In Business Award; honored by Time Out New York readers who voted them as the best tea salon in New York; given a "Westy Award" by The Westside Spirit newspaper for being the restaurant that has added the most to the upper west side; noted through a Citysearch poll as Best Brunch in New York; lauded by the New York Post magazine this year as the best brunch spot to take your mother; and, most recently, chosen by online voters through Nickelodeon as the best kid-friendly establishment in the city in all three age categories that they were nominated in.
Alice's Tea Cup prides itself in the unique menus that they offer, beginning with the afternoon tea menu and ending with mar-tea-nis. Their philosophy is "tea turned on its ear!"
Peachy Deegan recently sipped tea with Haley Fox of Alice's Tea Cup!
Peachy Deegan: What motivated you to open Alice's Tea Cup?
Haley Fox: MY SISTER, LAUREN, AND I ALWAYS DAYDREAMED ABOUT OPENING A TEA SALON THAT WAS LESS-PINKY UP THAN GOING TO A HOTEL FOR TEA AND MORE WHIMSICAL AND FUN FOR ALL AGES. WE WOULD DAY DREAM ABOUT THE DECOR AND DECIDED THAT AFTERNOON TEA TURNED ON ITS EAR WAS OUR PLATFORM. WE CHOSE TO INCORPORATE ALICE'S ADVENTURE IN WONDERLAND WHEN WE REALIZED THAT WHAT WE WANTED WAS A DAILY MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY ENVIRONMENT. WE BOTH FOUND OURSELVES IN NEW YORK IN BETWEEN JOBS WHEN WE HAPPENED UPON THE 73RD STREET LOCATION. WITH A LOT OF NUDGING AND ADVICE FROM MY HUSBAND, A RESTAURATEUR AND OUR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, MICHAEL, IS JUST HAPPENED FROM THERE.
For those that have not visited each of the three restaurants, how do they differ if at all?
WELL, OUR CHAPTER I LOCATION, WHICH IS OUR "FLAGSHIP," I GUESS, IS MORE OF A 'DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE' EXPERIENCE AND FEEL TO IT. SOMEWHAT OF A COZY HIDEAWAY, IT IS SPACIOUS BUT INTIMATE WITH MIX-MATCHED FURNITURE AND THE LIKE. OUR CHAPTER II LOCATION, WHICH IS ON 64TH OFF LEXGINTON AVENUE, IS IN A TWO-STORY TOWNHOUSE AND BRINGS WITH IT THAT ENGLISH PARLOR FEELING: WELL-LIT AND BRIGHT UPSTAIRS WHILE SIMILAR TO CHAPTER I DOWNSTAIRS WHERE IT IS MORE OF A CAFE-LIKE AMBIANCE. THE SECOND-STORY IS LONG AND CONNECTED WITH A PARTY ROOM IN THE BACK WHICH IS VERY COLORFUL AND VICTORIAN GONE CRAZY! OUR CHAPTER III LOCATION, WHICH IS ON 81ST BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD AVENUES, IS MORE SWEET AND CUTE, ADORNED WITH A GIANT MURAL ON THE WALL ACROSS FROM THE MAIN SEATING. ONE LONG BANQUET FACING THE WALL PLUS OUTDOOR GARDEN, COVERED SEATING AND EVEN RAISED WINDOWED SEATING IS COMBINED TO OFFER A FEW DIFFERENT SEATING OPTIONS THERE. IT IS BRIGHT, QUAINT AND STILL COZY.
What are the most popular menu items?
BY FAR, OUR PUMPKPIN SCONE IS THE BEST SELLING ITEM WE HAVE. OUR MAD HATTER TEA SERVICE IS THE MOST-ORDERED ITEM OFF THE MENU, OFFERING TWO SANDWICHES CUT INTO THIRDS, TWO SCONES, ASSORTED COOKIES, CAKE OR LEMON TART AND A POT OF TEA. NEXT WOULD BE OUR LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA SMOKED CHICKEN SANDWICH WHICH HAS GRANNY SMITH APPLES AND HERBED GOAT CHEESE. FOR BRUNCH, OUR MOST POPULAR ITEM IS OUR FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING, HANDS DOWN, THOUGH OUR CREPES ARE BIG SELLERS AS WELL! FOR BREAKFAST, OUR BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL PANCAKES OR OUR ALICE'S BIGGER BREAKFAST (THINK AFTERNOON TEA BUT WITH BREAKFAST OPTIONS) WOULD BE OUR MOST POPULAR ITEMS.
What have you been the most surprised by in the course of doing business?
I'M ALWAYS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY HOW PEOPLE GET WHAT WE ARE DOING. PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY COMPLIMENTING US ON OFFERING SOMETHING UNIQUE AND FUN WITH A COMFORTABLE ATTITUDE. RATHER THAN BE BOTHERED BY SOME OF OUR MISMATCHED ITEMS OR CRACKED TEA CUPS (THEY ARE FROM ESTATE SALES, ETC, SO IT HAPPENS), THEY SEEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER AND WORKS. ON THE DOWNSIDE, I AM CONSTANTLY SURPRISED BY HOW A PERSEPCTIVE EMPLOYEE CHANGES FROM INTERVIEW TO THEIR SECOND MONTH WORKING WITH US. ON THE WHOLE, WE HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE WITH OUR STAFFING BUT, AT TIMES, PEOPLE DO REPRESENT THEMSELVES JUST TO GET THE JOB AND THEN CHANGE ONCE THEY HAVE IT. THAT'S DISAPPOINTING.
Has Eloise ever swung by for a change of pace from the Plaza? What do she and Alice converse about?
LOL - BUT WE HAVE HAD OUR SHARE OF ELOISE-WANNABES! THEY DON'T USUALLY CONVERSE, THEY SCREAM... LOL
What is your favorite kind of tea and does this change by season?
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE IS ALWAYS THE SAME: MAURITIUS (DARK, STRONG WITH A HINT OF VANILLA). MY SISTER, LAUREN'S, IS ST. MARK'S, AN ENGLISH BREAKFAST-LIKE TEA THAT IS A BIT STRONGER AND MORE FULL-BODIED. MOST OF THE STAFF DRINKS PRIMARILY ROOIBOS-BASED TEAS AND SO DO MY KIDS. IN THE SUMMERTIME, SOME OF OUR GREEN TEAS LIKE ENERGITEA OR OUR TISANES LIKE SUNSET ARE AMAZING ICED!
Hayley Fox can be contacted at: HALEY@ALICESTEACUP.COM
For more information:
http://www.alicesteacup.com/
