A fun, fantasy-filled experience for all.
Taste of Santa Monica
Presented by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
Written by Barbara Bishop, Mirror columnist and Santa Monica Chamber member.
It was a lovely, sunny afternoon. I was wearing a robin-egg blue gown, trimmed with lovely lace from England, with a matching, wide brim hat. Gazing into his mesmerizing eyes, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. We were having High Tea on the veranda at my favorite hotel, the Georgian.
I blinked. I was back in 2018, sitting on the veranda, having High Tea at the Georgian on a sunny afternoon. But I was wearing a tunic and a pair of slacks, looking into the eyes of my friends, Susan, Dienna and Laurel.
This is the perfect place to have High Tea. The Georgian’s lovely veranda beckons to another time; and is quite romantic. Overlooking Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue, it’s also fun with a bunch of your BFFs.
The High Tea is amazing. Once seated, we were offered a glass of champagne. It was a perfect suggestion, considering we celebrating the impending arrival of Dienna’s baby. (she did not imbibe.) We toasted to good friends and new lives. Memorable times!
After sipping our champagne, we were asked to select our tea from a one-of-a-kind creation; the hotel’s Tea Infusion Tower. One of the more memorable teas was called “Pocketful of Sunshine,” made of house-infused chamomile gin, aperol, yellow chartreuse, and lemon. Lovely.
Other teas in the collection included breakfast, darjeeling, earl grey, caramel, the nor des mille collines chai, quatre fruits rouges, vert gunpowder, vert menthe touareg, vert jasmine, menthe poivree, nuit d’ ete and chamomile. I am so grateful I am not talking about these teas; the only ones that I could pronounce properly would probably be breakfast, darjeeling and chamomile. Ooh-la-la!
And that’s just the beginning. We had the Promenade Tea, which included the premium tea, a glass of Mumm’s Champagne, and a full menu of amuse, including finger sandwiches, petite pastries and scones. My favorites were the grilled shrimp, avocado egg salad and the caprese layer. The lemon meringue, opera cake and the pecan shortbread cookies were my favorite sweets. And the scones – served with house-made preserves, lemon curd and Devonshire cream – were divine.
What a refined, yet fun experience! Everyone should experience the custom, especially at a place where Bugsey Moran and his gang hung out, back in the day. I wonder what his favorite tea was?
