Afternoon Tea at the Wisdom Tea House and Brunch at the Broadmoor

The amount of money I spent on afternoon tea and brunch this weekend amounts to what I usually spend on groceries for an entire week and a half.  Cost aside, both were amazing experiences so I have no regrets! 

The Wisdom Tea House is located in historic monument.  It is an adorable little tea room!  Guests get to select with cup they would like to use for tea.  I, of course, chose one that was made in England.  I selected the Dragon Well green tea, which had just the perfect amount of grassiness (wow, I'm surprised "grassiness" is an actual word!) 

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At my request, they served us a vegetarian menu.  On the top layer are three sandwiches: Irish cheddar and apricot jam (my favorite!), red pepper spread, and the traditional cucumber and cream cheese.  In the middle we have apple spice scones and cream scones served with maple butter, clotted cream, and strawberry jam.  The clotted cream, strawberry jam, and scones were nearly as good as the ones I had at the Dorchester in London. On the bottom is lemon custard.  Everything tasted so British to me, which of course made me happy!

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Completed afternoon tea were some spiced apples and cookies.  One of the cookies had a rose filling which was a bit too floral-tasting for me.  The other was rosemary shortbread, which though of an unexpected flavor was great.  Overall, tea was a lovely experience and I would definitely come back!  After tea, we checked out Covered Treasures bookstore a few doors down.  I have no self-control in bookstores so I purchased Mrs. Queen Takes the Train .  I'm hoping to read it over spring break.

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This morning, I dined at the Broadmoor hotel for the  first time. It was so fancy!  The dining room was adorned with chandeliers and there was a live pianist.  I understand why it is considered one of the best brunches in the world; there was an overwhelming selection.  At first I just wandered around taking photos until I could decide where to start!

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Of course, I had to take a photo of each plate.  This one features smoked trout, a pickle, fresh berries, a raspberry Danish, a cheese blintze with berry sauce, a tropical smoothie, and bread pudding! 

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Plate number two has a waffle with ice cream and Broadmoor's famous Bananas Foster.  That and the bread pudding were my two favorite things.  There is also a sample of brie cheese with cranberry, carrot cake, and green tea.

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Lastly, I had lox with capers and onion, caprese salad, a sticky pecan roll, more bread pudding (it's English!), and a chocolate caramel peanut butter dessert.  Everything was amazing, but I was on such a sugar high!

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Have you ever been to tea or brunch?  Where are your favorite spots?