I have posted about afternoon tea quite a bit. Before I moved to Florida, I have never been to afternoon tea, now it’s one of my favorite things. I have had the opportunity to experience it at the Ritz, Four Seasons, and Cake Bake. Now I finally tried the tea offering at the Ette Hotel.
Slightly off the beaten path in Kissimmee, the Ette is a small, wellness focused hotel. It is artistic and highly curated the moment you walk in the door. Featuring a small shop (with Mind Games fragrances – one of my favorite lines), bright colors, a book room, and art at every turn, it is a feast for the eyes.
The restaurant Salt and Cellar is open all day and where tea is held. The bar is expansive and gorgeous, though the restaurant itself is rather small. At tea it was lovely with lots of natural light and bright colors, and on a cooler day, the patio looks incredible (complete with a very hip duck), but for dinner, I would worry that it would feel very crowded. It still is probably worth a try since the menu sounds great and all the feedback I have heard is incredible.
Also, tea was quite good. They serve Mariage Feres tea in black, green, blue, and herbal varieties. We tried four, and they were all excellent. I will point out that my expectation during afternoon tea is that loose leaf tea should be served, however, only two of the four were loose leaf. The waitress said they use what they are sent. This was really the only disappointment of the experience.
Scones and savory food were served first. The scones came with clotted cream as well as fig and berry jams. I don’t love scones, but the jams were both outstanding. The sandwiches were chicken salad, egg salad, cucumber, and smoked salmon. Both the egg salad and chicken salad were incredible. It always blows my mind that I’m not a big fan of chicken, but I am often blown away by chicken salad at tea.
Because I am allergic to chocolate, my desserts were different from those typically served, but I am not at all sad. I tried traditional mochi for the first time, and I am still thinking about it. Packed with strawberry flavor and chewy on the outside, the center was filled with vanilla ice cream. I cannot wait to have mochi again. The lemon meringue tart and berry cheesecake were two of my other favorites, but the desserts were all swoon worthy.
I highly recommend the tea experience at the Ette with the incredibly food and atmosphere to match. Sometimes a detour from the typical path is well worth the experience.
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