Maxine Schackman

Review of The Russian Tea Room

We were excited to go to afternoon tea on Sunday a...

We were excited to go to afternoon tea on Sunday after seeing "Anastasia" on Broadway. The dining room took our breath away. Absolutely beautiful and authentic. But I was disappointed to get a pot of hot water with a tea bag in it. For $60 per person I was expecting a bit more. The finger sandwiches were tasty and satisfying but the pastry tray which is usually the piece de resistance at an afternoon tea was amazingly lackluster. We could not even bring ourselves to eat the two small cupcakes which were stale and unappetizing. A quick trip to the local bodega could have resulted in something more gourmet. We were surprised that there were so few people there, but after we realized that this was a tourist scam it made more sense. Our wait staff seemed very shy and uninformative. It would have been nice for them to explain that Russian tea is often drunk from glasses with the sugar cube held between the teeth and sipped through. Or that the provided cherries could be used to sweeten the tea. A great opportunity for a cultural experience was wasted. So disappointed.