Afternoon Tea at The Townsend Hotel

This is exactly how one should celebrate a birthday...Afternoon Tea at The Townsend Hotel.  My tea-loving friend Kathleen is a kindred spirit and I knew that this would be the perfect spot to celebrate.  We would have hot tea, delicious food and plenty of time to talk.  

The Townsend is a luxury hotel in Birmingham, Michigan and the lobby is beautifully decorated and arranged into small sitting areas, perfect for intimate tea parties.  When I arrived, I noticed a group of women hosting a bridal shower near the fireplace. "Tea, sweets, ribbon and friends, do a happy bride make."

Kathleen and I sat together on a loveseat and our tea service was set out in front of us on our own coffee table.  I chose Earl Gray tea and Kathleen decided on a decaffeinated Raspberry Tea.  We began our little party with Orange Cranberry scones served with mascarpone cheese and housemade lemon curd. The Townsend's lemon curd is some of the best I've tried and I ate every last drop. Yum yum yum.

The tea sandwiches were little works of art, each prettier than the last.  We were served (clockwise from bottom left) Shrimp Canape, Asparagus with Boursin Mousse topped with a hard-boiled Quail Egg, Smoked Salmon, Pesto Bruschetta with Marinated Tomatoes and Mascarpone, Smoked Chicken Salad and Cucumber and Watercress. 

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I carried one of my cigar box purses to our tea and it was fun to hear so many people compliment it.  I love when someone says "I just have to ask you about your purse." I gave out many cards that day and explained that my purses were available in my Etsy store (an online marketplace for artists). This picture (above) looks like a magazine spread, don't you think? I love it! 

The staff was so very kind and since it was a quiet afternoon, we had fun chatting now and then with them about how much we were enjoying ourselves, how Kathleen and I became friends and how we were feeling a revival in interest surrounding Afternoon Tea. After this beautiful afternoon, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather take my mom than to Tea at The Townsend.

Our dessert plates each arrived with a lit candle, in honor of our birthdays. We enjoyed a tiny Key Lime Tart, a Raspberry Cheesecake Pyramid, Chocolate Mousse in a Chocolate Teacup and a Passion Fruit Mousse Dome. It was perfect.

It was such a fun afternoon, perfect for two old freinds. Kathleen...what else can we celebrate?