Afternoon Tea at Fauchon (CLOSED)

My grandmother never leaves the house without lipstick and heels. Being quite the social creature, she thrives on her excursions, but the harsh weather has made it difficult for her to go out. Last week, the thermostat finally reached 50 degrees, so I decided to pamper her with an afternoon tea. I just needed to find a sufficiently elegant venue for such a lady.

I found the perfect solution in Fauchon, the condiment nirvana that houses a charming tearoom. With its comfortable chairs and attentive waiters, Fauchon is an oasis of civility.

The extensive tea menu is organized into such categories as Ceylon, Assam, Darjeeling, Chinese, Japanese, flavored and herbal. Although I was intrigued by the geranium and ylang-ylang, I settled on a fragrant Earl Grey with flowers. I never knew that a cup of tea could be so flavorful! My grandmother opted for French-pressed coffee with a flask of warmed cream.

We ordered an afternoon tea for two. (There is also an a la carte menu, which includes light meals such as salads, quiches, and soups.) Our trays overflowed with five different tea sandwiches (I liked the cucumber watercress and the crabmeat), small crackers topped with either foie gras or smoked salmon belly, and sweets galore: raspberry linzer cookies, hazelnut sables, moelleux in flavors of pignoli, hazelnut, and pecan, small orange and chocolate eclairs, slices of fruitcake, petits fours, the famous almond-flour macarons, and finally, chocolates! Chocolates with the Fauchon emblem in gold, chocolates with a layer of crunchy rock sugar.

After a satisfied final sip of coffee, my delighted grandmother purchased an entire box of pistachio, apple, and chocolate-raspberry macarons to take home! (I think she will be venturing out very soon to replenish her supply.)

Fauchon: 442 Park Ave., (212) 308-5919. (There is also a much smaller location at 1000 Madison Ave.)