Palm Court at The Plaza

For Alisa's birthday we did tea at the Plaza ($100 a pop -- a $60 version was available, but we lived large). On the first plate, you receive (clockwise from the yellow circular thing on top): caviar atop scrambled eggs on rye, lobster salad with asparagus, smoked salmon and horseradish cream on pumpernickel, roasted lamb with butternut squash, eggplant goat cheese and nicoise olive tartlet, black truffle and olive oil, prosciutto finger sandwich and in the middle, cucumber and mint on white bread. Along with it comes a pot of loose leaf tea. We each chose green, which was great. Then came scones with devonshire cream, madeleines, and a mini desert three-level tray with everything from eclairs with candied rose petals to mini chocolate cakes with edible gold on top. Well worth the price of admission, if you factor in being able to sit in a lovely room at the nicest hotel in the world (arguably). I can't complain about the gaggle of fannypack toting tourists who stood just beyond the hostess table snapping digital pictures of the dining room where we sat. Those around us who do this sort of thing commonly and can easily afford it seemed disgusted. I just thought it was nice to be on the other side for a change. Alisa called it one of her best experiences in NYC and I, as I often naturally do, have to agree.