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"I’m excited that local favorite Sambalatte will soon debut its second downtown location, taking over a bright corner site at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and hoping to begin pouring by the end of the month. The fourth Sambalatte outlet to practice the “art of sipping,” the interior—designed by Novus Architecture—leans modern and sophisticated to match the Smith Center, with a curved marble counter and a tile mosaic map charting the globe’s coffee resources. Original plans anticipated room for 48 guests inside and 36 more on the patio, serving seven days a week. The specialty at this location will be the advertised “afternoon high tea” available during the Center’s Broadway Series events and other high-profile performances; the experience, which requires booking 24 hours in advance, will be accompanied by live music from jazz duets to classic guitar and will feature finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones served with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve, a delectable selection of afternoon teacakes and pastries, and 12 different types of loose-leaf tea." - Bradley Martin