The crème de la crème of high teas has returned to the Bay Area this spring. Through May, Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea is being served at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s American classic breakfast restaurant, Parallel 37.
The historic Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco is an urban oasis in the heart of the city, sitting right off of Nob Hill’s Stockton and California Streets in a 1909 Neoclassical landmark building between Union Square and Chinatown. Everything Parallel 37 serves focuses around the luxury lifestyles of the ever-traveling and always social clientele. This breakfast hot spot, offering Coastal California ingredients on a health-conscious menu, is a prime space for business meetings, family breakfasts and the ever-popular weekend brunch–or tea–with friends.
The limited-time Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea offers a presentation of seasonal and classic tea sandwiches, homemade sweets and your choice of a pot of premium tea. A menu of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and Champagne cocktails are also available and ready to be popped and poured. Adding to the list are brunch cocktails including a Bloody Mary and sparkling wine mimosas and a curated wine list.
With beautifully melodic harp chords being played live, servers will open your chair and place your napkin upon being seated, greeting you with the divine high tea menu. Waiting for you will be an array of classic tea sandwiches like the classic English cucumber sandwich with compressed cucumber, lemon, dill, mint and whipped cream cheese, and the Mary’s chicken salad sandwich with celery, golden raisin, apple, toasted almonds and butter lettuce on a mini croissant. Each are made fresh with hand-picked California produce and ingredients.
The smoked salmon sandwich is beautifully smooth with crispy capers, cream cheese, lemon and red onion on rye bread. The mini quiche is a crowd favorite with artichoke, tomatoes, feta, creme fraiche and chives, in a flaky mini tart shell.
Though many look forward to tea for the sipping options, Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea’s sweet side is divine and reason enough to visit. Presented and served on a three-tier tower, on hand-painted plates, the bite-sized desserts are some of the most rich and flavorful desserts in the city.
The sweet flavors of the banana dulce cake and the sharp tart flavor of the locally farmed mixed fruit tart with French vanilla cream on a shortbread crust are incredible, as is the blood orange mousse with vanilla sable.
One must end their dessert plate with the most grand treat of them all: the chocolate hazelnut with cream horn, caribe cremeux and candied hazelnut. The smooth and creamy consistency allows the richness of the caribe cremeux to linger on your taste buds. It’s the perfect way to cap off a beautiful tea time.
Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea is offered ever last Sunday of the month through May. Parallel 37 is open daily, from 7 to 11 a.m. For the special tea offering and schedule, seatings are available at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea is $135 per person.
For more information about Madame Clicquot Afternoon Tea at The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco, visit www.ritzcarlton.com.
600 Stockton St.
San Francisco, CA 94108