A:
As far as we know, only three hotels in Las Vegas serve traditional English-style afternoon tea, with the whole ritual of warmed teapots and dainty crustless sandwiches, and of those only one venue is located within a resort-casino. Here are the options:
- Verandah, Four Seasons: Afternoon tea is served Monday-Thursday with seating times between 3 and 4 pm. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. The price is $30 per person or $38 with a glass of champagne, and the menu includes 11 types of tea; tea sandwiches, including house smoked salmon, cucumber and mint cream cheese, egg salad, and provolone and arugula; scones served with traditional Devonshire cream, strawberry jam, and lemon curd; plus fruit cake and assorted pastries. We haven't tried it ourselves but have read excellent reports from those who have regarding the food quality and presentation, service, and location. Outside seating on the patio is available, weather permitting.
- Firenze Lobby Lounge, Ritz-Carlton (Lake Las Vegas): This distant relative of the London Ritz (where afternoon tea is nothing short of an institution and must be booked at least six weeks in advance) offers this quintessentially English repast with a distinctly Italian twist. It's served Thursday-Sunday from 1 to 4 pm and, like the Four Seasons, must be booked at least one day prior. The menu includes a choice of four types of finger sandwich, including smoked salmon, traditional egg salad, lobster salad, or prosciutto and fig, plus two types of scone served with lemon curd, mascarpone, or hazelnut and chocolate spread, and pastries and biscotti. The price is $30 per person for regular afternoon tea, $36 with champagne, or $38 with Numi tea – hand-sewn organic tea leaves that "blossom" into exotic flowers when steeped in boiling water.
- Petrossian Lounge, Bellagio: Afternoon tea is served here between 2 and 4 pm daily, with reservations recommended three to four days in advance. At $35 per person or an additional $10 for champagne, it's the most expensive version of this institution in Las Vegas. Seven types of tea sandwiches are served, plus the obligatory scones and pastries, and the lounge features a live pianist. Again, we haven't yet tried this out for ourselves, but we’ve read reports that the location of this lounge, located just off the main lobby area, can result in it being somewhat noisy, even though the tea is served toward the back of the venue. We heard a lot of background noise when we called to check on prices and times.
Update 23 January 2007
LATEST: The Not Just Antiques Mart mall in the downtown Arts District has opened a Tea Room Gallery serving traditional English High Tea, from 11 am-3 pm daily. The spread is $19.95 per person and included a freshly brewed pot of tea, home baked scones served with preserves and clotted cream, assorted tea sandwiches, and pastries.
For information and reservations (required for groups of 8 or more) call 702/384-4922
12/12/2006 NEW UPDATE: Spago, the Wolfgang Puck brasserie inside the Forum Shops at Caesars, has recently revamped both its look and its menu. The interior now features dark walnut floors and creamy leather booths and chairs, while the beverage menu has been expanded to include hand-crafted teas by the Art of Tea. We haven't sampled them yet, but apparently the six varieties of tea are presented in a chocolate-brown wooden box and are brought to the table to create "an interactive tea experience for the guests," whatever that may mean.
11/07/2006: Afternoon Tea and Brunch at the Rampart is a seasonal phenomenon which has just been reinstated for this fall. Afternoon Tea is available every Sunday from 10 am-2 pm, featuring a selection of tea sandwiches, pastries, homemade scones, sparkling wine, and Numi organic teas for $29 per person. Sunday Brunch is also available for $39 per person, including a selection of fruit juices, Bloody Mary, Fresh Fruit Martini, Mimosa, Bellini, or Champagne, plus a choice of one savory entrée, in addition to the Afternoon Tea menu offerings.
04/28/2006 Thanks to the reader who wrote in with the following tip: "If those ladies who are looking for afternoon tea mind going way off the Strip, the Carmel Room at the Rampart Casino has afternoon tea every Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 1-3 pm. Reservations needed."
We called the Rampart to confirm and they informed us that for $29 you can have the standard afternoon tea with scones, cream, berries, pastries, and cucumber, chicken, vegetable, and ham sandwiches or, for an additional $8, you can have the champagne version, which also includes lobster sandwiches.
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