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Saturday was our afternoon tea at TASCHEN in the Joule Hotel downtown. I've been excited about this for weeks! I love afternoon tea, whether European style or Asian style. The concept, the food, the way everything is presented. It's so classy yet quaint and delicious! :)
I first heard of Tea at TASCHEN several months ago. It just started this year. I saw many pictures on Instagram accounts I follow and it absolutely looked amazing. I looked up the info and they only offer it once a week... Fridays at 2:30PM. And they only have 16 seats, so you definitely have to reserve ahead of time. Early afternoon on a Friday may be a problem for most people since we have to work. But I was psyched when they opened up a Saturday tea time for the holidays (November and December). Also at 2:30PM. I immediately called and got a reservation for 2 on 12/20. I dragged my fiance along with me. haha. He wasn't too keen on the price and had never done afternoon tea so he didn't understand my excitement.
Tea at TASCHEN - The Joule Hotel
1530 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 748-1300 (x4363)
www.thejouledallas.com/tea-at-taschen.htm
Price: $$$$+
Just some brief info on the tea service...
Tea at TASCHEN is $59 per person, inclusive of taxes, gratuity and valet. During the tea, guests receive 10% off purchases in TASCHEN Library. The library is very intimate. A small room surrounded by interesting books and mosaics. Brightly lit, modern yet cozy. As we walked in, we were given glasses of champagne, the tables were beautifully displayed with colorful china, 24 ct. gold flatware, and a mini tower of delectable treats. The menu is seasonal, so it'll change in a few weeks.
There was a large communal table that was still empty when we arrived. So that gave me time to take like a million pictures. hehe. I loved the cup and saucer for the tea. And there was a shortbread cookie placed on top of it. We waited around for something to happen. My fiance wanted to dig into the food, but no one else had started yet. Plus there was no tea... so we tried to be patient. We were both hungry! haha.
Finally the large group arrived. And the manager came in to welcome everyone and explain how the tea service is going to work. He talked about the TASCHEN library, the rescued mosaics on the walls, the different food items on the display tower and the teas we will be trying. The champagne was all you can drink. Kinda wasted on me since I don't drink champagne, but I actually managed to down a full glass! The champagne they served was Gruet Sauvage.
The 3 teas featured were...
Nile Delta Chamomile (Egypt)
Coconut Assam (India)
Both of these were from Kai Organic Tea.
2001 Vintage Oak Barrel Aged Pu-Erh (China)
Now this part was different than other afternoon teas I've done before. Usually you just select the type of tea you want, and they bring you a personal pot of it to refill at your leisure. But here, they had a waitress serve the tea, and you try all 3 flavors. I would've preferred my own pot so I can refill my cup on my own. And neither of us were fans of the Chamomile so I had to wait awhile before they started serving the Assam. The Chamomile was quite bitter, not mild like I'm usually used to. And I don't really like it in general, but he did, and he didn't like this one. He added some honey to it and it seemed to help a little.
The Coconut Assam was interesting. Quite mild, not really sweet, but had a little nuttiness. The manager said this was his personal favorite, and the crowd pleaser, when he made his introductions. I thought it paired extremely well with the shortbread cookie.
The Pu-Erh was the one we both wanted to try the most. My parents and I actually drink a lot of it at home. It's a very dark tea. It has a very unique smell and taste. I want to say it's a little like licking a tree bark, but in a good way. haha. I guess it's just a bit more herbal/woody tasting. And the flavor of this particular one was actually milder than what I drink at home. The dark color just gives the impression that the flavor is going to be pretty strong. We both liked this the best.
Also, during the transition of different teas, a guy comes around with a jar and pours any remaining tea from our cups into it. I wondered why they don't give us new cups... It didn't bother either of us, but I would think hardcore tea connoisseurs would say the previous flavor is contaminating the next? Eh... we're not experts. haha. It was just something I noticed.
On to the food! Everything looked so quaint and delicate. I love miniature/finger foods. Always so tasty looking.
SAVORY
Goat Cheese Brioche (pumpkin butter, sage, salted pepita brittle). Y'all know I'm not a fan of goat cheese but I had to try a little anyways. It was quite goat-y... but I liked everything else. The pumpkin butter was a pretty orange and slightly sweet with the savory goat cheese. I loved the pepita brittle with that extra crunch. I just scraped most of the goat cheese off and gave to my fiance.
Lobster Mousse Napoleon (celery, spiced tapioca, soy caviar). This was interesting. There was a piece of lobster on the top and it was cooked perfectly. The soy caviar was done with molecular gastronomy. They did explain that they wanted to take classic afternoon tea foods and put a twist on it. The white puff on top was actually dehydrated tapioca balls and then fried! Cool!
Ham Mousse Eclair (parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, bonfire salt). Totally cute and yummy. It was like a ham and cheese sandwich but fancier! The bottom was an eclair half, then ham mousse, topped with parmesan tuille, mustard caviar, and 2 little donut balls. It had a lot of flavor in that little bite. The mustard was a great addition to the other flavors.
Deviled Egg Sandwich (tomato chutney, tomato meringue). This was our favorite. It was fantastic! Pretty AND delicious. I love a good deviled egg and I loved the presentation of it. How did they manage to cut out little perfect squares of egg white is beyond me. And the neat little piping of egg yolk on top. YUMM-O!
I had a friend that went a few weeks before me and she said that they were able to get more of the items they liked best. So we went in thinking that we can get refills on whatever we wanted...which cause my fiance to eat everything faster. haha. But half way thru, we were starting to think that wasn't the case. We asked the waitress that served the tea, if the food was one per person or if we can get more, and she said it was whatever is displayed for us. :( Uh-oh. haha. We were both a little disappointed. But later, when the manager came over, I asked him again. He explained that if the kitchen made extras or if they had some cancellations, then usually they are able to bring out more by request but it isn't always the case. He then asked us which ones we liked the best, we said the deviled eggs and ham mousse, and he winked and said they might have some more in the back. Yay! He later came out with 2 more deviled eggs and a ham mousse. He was fantastic btw, not just because he gave us more food. :P Very friendly, warm, and introduced the food/experience well.
SWEET
Huckleberry Buckle. This was already on the tower when we arrived. It was one of my favorite items. Kind of like a scone, moister than a biscuit but drier than a muffin. The frosting on top was a perfect ratio to the pastry. It paired SO WELL with all the teas.
The last 3 desserts came out at the end. (From left to right)
Manjori Ancho Tart. It's a dark chocolate tart. I think he said 65% dark or something? It's very dense and rich, and had a spicy kick. It was too dark for my fiance so I got to eat half of his! :)
Vanilla Yogurt Sandwich (with lavender). I think they said this was made with their house-made croissant dough. The cream is infused with lavender. I'm allergic to the smell of lavender so I was hesitant to eat this. I tried a teeny bit of the cream and didn't taste anything other than yogurt. He told me not to eat it... and it wasn't worth eating. He wasn't a fan.
Passion Berry. This was so good!! A heavy contender to the Huckleberry Buckle. I love passion fruit and it pairs so well to the marshmallow and cocoa nibs. The passion fruit was sweet, refreshing, and a little tangy. It was nice to end the meal with that bite.
Before we were finished, they gave every person 2 macarons to go. We got a chocolate and I'm not sure what the other flavor is. The chocolate wasn't that great... kinda chewy, but the other one is airy and nice, as it should be.
It was a great time. The whole event lasted about 2 hours. It was nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. And my fiance enjoyed himself. Some things were different than I expected but overall I really liked it. The service was great, presentation was classy, the setting was intimate and the food was yummy. The price included tax and tip and valet already so I thought it was very reasonable. Generally afternoon teas are not cheap. I recommend this for a girl's day out, or if you just enjoy afternoon tea. They only have one service each day so you don't feel rushed at all, and you get your fill. We were both quite full after it all. And there's no dress code, but I noticed that most people were at least in nice casual attire.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This place has been bookmarked on my Yelp for awhile now. Even though we were super full from dinner, we still had to go. How often are we in Houston? And it was only like an 8 minute drive from dinner. They have rotating flavors for each season and some of them are super unique. I really had my eye set on the hazelnut miso.
Cloud 10 Creamery
5216 Morningside Dr.
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 434-6129
http://www.cloud10creamery.com/
Price: $
Unfortunately they did not have the hazelnut miso, or half of the seasonal list actually... booo. But since we're here. Still gotta try something. It's a cute place. Bright walls/decor, fun.
My fiance's sister got the Mascarpone-Blueberry Tart (almond shell, mascarpone cream, blueberry compote, pink peppercorn) $5.25~?
Very interesting looking. Although it was premade and prepackaged. It was kind of like a shortbread cookie with cream and compote inside. It was frozen so quite hard to bite through. I wonder if it would be better if it was thawed out a little. Cool looking, but eh.
I got a Small Scoop in Waffle Cone (2 flavors: nutella marshmallow and passion fruit with white chocolate). $3.85 + cone $1.35~
The small scoop comes with 2 flavors. Both of my choices were really great. I particularly loved the passion fruit. It was really refreshing yet still creamy. Still bummed they didn't have the flavors I initially wanted to try, but it was still good. Not the cheapest place though. I guess next time I will call ahead to see what flavors are available before going.
We also tried the Marzipan ice cream, which had an almond flavor. Delicious. We got a pint to take back to his parents. $10 a pint! OMG! In Dallas we can get a quart...
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I recently did a one day trip to San Francisco. The main reason for the trip was a miles run. (If you don't know what that is, you probably don't care to know or understand why people do this. But if you are on the same boat as me... you know what I'm talking about!! :P) Anyhoo, I'm trying to make Platinum status on AA for next year. But for me, if I'm spending the time and money to do this, I better enjoy it!! So I made plans with my cousins who live close to SF to meet up for brunch. :) A 4 hour food tour of SF is basically what I did. hehe.
I was upgraded on my flight there so I got a really good breakfast in first class! Egg souffle with potatoes, sausage, fruit, and a warm biscuit. I was trying to hold out until brunch with my cousins but the food was too yummy. XP
I landed SFO at 10AM and my cousins picked me up and headed straight for the Mission area. Apparently it's a younger, hipster area with lots of food places. And I basically stayed in that area for the whole day.
The Vestry at the Chapel
777 Valencia St,
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 551-7306
http://www.thechapelsf.com/vestry-restaurant/
Price: $$
We had reservations at 11:30, but got there at 11AM. They seated us immediately. It didn't start getting a little more crowded until 11:30. The decor was rustic. The tables were really small but makes it a more intimate setting I guess. It was a little dark for my preference for brunch but there was sunlight coming through the windows.
Duck Confit Hash (banana squash, apples, potatoes, sage and poached egg) $13~
This was my order. I was pretty excited. Until they served it. haha. It was very small. :( I guess I'm used to Texas portions! But this gave me the opportunity to eat more of other people's food. haha. The hash was meh. I needed more depth in flavor. The duck wasn't super tender. The egg was overcooked since the yolk had hardened a bit inside. But all in all it was by no means bad... Not worth the price though.
Corn Bread Benedict (bacon, poached eggs, chipotle hollandaise) $15~
I guess they tend to lean on the smaller side on portions. Other than the bacon there wasn't a side to the dish. But it was pretty good. The chipotle hollandaise made the dish. It was delicious. Still pricey for the portion though.
King Cake French Toast (bananas foster syrup) $12~
This was my favorite of the day. The french toast was awesome. Never had french toast with king cake before! The texture was great. It had a nice crust but the inside was soft and warm. The mound of caramelized bananas was a great addition. I ate half of an order myself. haha.
Shrimp "Po' Boy" (with spicy remoulad and mardi gras slaw) $12~ I didn't get the try the sandwich but my cousin said it was really good. I used the jalapenos with my hash tho, which gave it a nice kick.
Not the best brunch I've had. Not the worst either. I was underwhelmed. I guess I expected more from SF since it's a big foodie town. Oh wells. Gotta try another place on my next visit!
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Next, we headed over to Humphry Slocombe for some ice cream! This place was on my list to hit. They had some interesting flavors! They're most famous for their "Secret Breakfast", which is corn flake ice cream with bourbon.
Humphry Slocombe
2790 Harrison St,
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 550-6971
http://www.humphryslocombe.com/
Price: $
One Scoop (Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee) $3.75~ This was really good. The coffee flavor was bold! I almost got the same thing. But obviously I didn't cuz I want to try multiple flavors. haha.
One Scoop (Cinnamon Brittle on a cone) $3.75~ I got this. The crispy brittle in the creamy ice cream was great! The cinnamon made it a little spicy and it just warms you up! Even though it's ice cream. hahaha. The consistency of the ice cream is really rich. I enjoyed it a lot. However, the scoops are too small! I missed the Texas sizes there as well. hehe.
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Last but not least, everyone I talked to had told me to go to Tartine Bakery. We walked by before brunch and saw a line out the door. It was about the same amount of people in line when we made it back later that afternoon.
Tartine Bakery & Cafe
600 Guerrero St,
San Francisco, California 94110
(415) 487-2600
http://www.tartinebakery.com/
Price: $
The cafe is pretty small and seats are first come first serve. But we were able to snag a few seats while I waited in line. The line moved pretty quickly. I kinda felt pressured to have my order ready due to the long line, but I wanted to look at and have everything. haha. The display of pastries and desserts were soooo tempting. They had these massive croissants!
I got some stuff to eat there and also a bunch of stuff to take back to Dallas.
Lemon Cream Tart (4 inch) $6.50~ My cousins wanted one of these. I'm not usually a lemon fan but this was really good. The cream was silky and just enough tartness. The tart shell was thin and had a nice crunch to it.
Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian Cake (topped with shredded coconut) slice $5.50~
I wanted to try something different and this cake sounded awesome. However, there was no description and from the brief glances into the display case, I thought the coconut flakes were actually white chocolate flakes. (Since they didn't include 'coconut' in the name of the cake.) I hate shredded coconut so it was a little disappointing to find that on the frosting. One of my cousins doesn't like shredded coconut either so both of us were trying to scrape it off the frosting. haha. But, despite the coconut, it was awesome. We all loved it. It had just the right amount of tartness between the passion fruit and lime. It was very refreshing too. The passion fruit cream in the middle of the layers were fantastic. I really liked it even with a few shreds of coconut flakes.
These are what I took home:
Pumpkin Tea Cake (slice) $3.75~ Pretty yummy. I liked the pumpkin seeds on the top of the slices.
Morning Bun $3.95~ I popped these in the oven for like 5 minutes. It crisped up the outside and the inside was still soft and warm. It was like a croissant muffin. Or a "cruffin"? hahaha. I'm pretty sure this precedes the cronut creating in NYC. This was my favorite out of the bunch I took home. Not too sweet and I loved all the layers of pastry.
Chocolate Hazelnut Tart (4 inch) $6.50~ I was really excited about this. And it wasn't too bad. But I waited over 24 hours to eat it. I heated it up for a few seconds in the microwave which helped I think. But it was not as moist as I would've liked. The tart shell is the same as the lemon cream tart, which I still enjoyed. It was good with tea, but I think if I had it when it first came out of the oven, it would be a totally different experience.
Gougere (popover with gruyere and black pepper) $3.75~ This was highly recommended on yelp so I got one to try. I love popovers. I popped this in the oven as well, so the shell got really crispy. But the inside was still soft. You can definitely taste the gruyere and black pepper. The inside was hollow and airy. I liked it a lot.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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