I Heart Rainy Days

Sun go away, just for a few days. Bring on the rain...it just feels so much cozier. Where will you find me?

Perhaps at my favorite Irish pub, PJ Finnegan's, in Westwood, New Jersey.

Of course, I'd be having my favorite Irish beverage: Magners cider, $5.

And feasting on some veg pub grub: a portobello mushroom burger with roasted red peppers on focaccia bread, with a mesclun salad, $8.95.

I will definitely have the kettle on. A good "cuppa" does wonders for the soul.


Whenever rainy weather strikes, it always feels like a good "Tea and Sympathy day" - one of my favorite haunts in New York City. I used to work nearby, and would eat like a queen. Visits here now are less frequent, but just as cherished.

Cream tea: a pot of tea, my choice, their Rosie Lee (half English Breakfast, half Earl Grey) with scones, clotted cream and strawberry preserves, $10.75.


I think Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet!) would approve. My parents introduced me to the campy Keeping Up Appearances, a witty British comedy from 1990-1995, which reruns on public television regularly. I've admittedly seen every one of her crazy candlelight supper antics, and when viewing the sad state of television today often think, they don't make them like this anymore.

Maybe I'll be making a pot of soup, listening to some Celtic music, like WFUV's A Thousand Welcomes archives, watching a DVD from the library, or reading a thrifted or library book under a blanket. Almost certainly, I will hope for a nap, and if home, be indulging in one.

All these things make me wish for the rain to linger just a bit longer.

Cheers to the Season

It's winter! Let's celebrate the winter solstice over a piping hot pot of tea.


How does Alice's Tea Cup sound?

A pot of organic ginger orange peach tea, $6. Lavender Earl Grey was a close runner up. Soy milk is available here. I adore drinking tea out of a charming cup. This one almost rivals Hyacinth Bucket's Royal Doulton with the hand painted periwinkles!

A hummus sandwich served with greens, $8. You can do half a sandwich and soup for $13. That night's vegan variety, black bean.

Vegan scones! Other vegan varieties included vegetable and blueberry oatmeal, $3 each.

Just mind their nice dishes, you don't want to be as jittery as poor Elizabeth.


Visit Alice's Tea Cup, 102 W 73rd St. (between Amsterdam Ave. and Columbus Ave.), New York City. Nearby: Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History, and the New York Historical Society. Traveling in NYC? HopStop gets you around town.

Happy Winter!

Rejuvenating the Spirit at Tea & Sympathy

I love many British things...the comedies (from classic campy fare like Keeping up Appearances and Mr. Bean to more modern shows like Coupling); a good 'cuppa' tea; I even like rainy weather. And of course one of my favorite restaurants in New York City, Tea & Sympathy. I feel like not only has my stomach been nourished after a meal here, but so has my soul.

Tables are tiny (as is the restaurant), but it adds to the charm.

You always get a charming, often kitschy, tea pot. I've gotten everything including Alice in Wonderland, teddy bears, cats, and Queen Elizabeth adorning the pots. On this visit, I opted for always delicious blackberry tea, while my friend went for fragrant vanilla mint. $4.50 a pot.

Broccoli soup, $6.95 for a bowl. They always have a non-dairy, vegetarian soup of the day. Interesting varieties I've tried include spinach as well as celery.

Fresh beet and onion salad on mixed greens, $8.50. The perfect accompaniment to my soup.

My friend had the lentil casserole, $11.95. So hearty on a cold winter's night.

When I go into Carry On Tea & Sympathy, the shop next store, I always feel like Hermoine Granger, waiting for Harry and Ron to meet me to get some treats after passing our latest exam at Hogwarts. You'll find all tea-related things here, as well as British foods for your pantry.


Tea & Sympathy, 108 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY.

Poor Richard Bucket stands up to Hyacinth on the classic, Keeping Up Appearances.


One of Steve's famous rants on Coupling.