"Lady Mendl’s (56 Irving Pl.; tea service $65), in Gramercy Park, is named for a socialite and a pioneering interior decorator who once lived in the neighborhood. The resplendent salon, tucked inside an 1834 Georgian brownstone, is easy to miss, but once found this little jewel box reveals treasures. The five-course afternoon tea commences with a pumpkin-apple soup, with crème fraîche, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pepitas, in a Moroccan tea glass. The finger sandwiches range from classic (egg salad, smoked salmon, cucumber and butter) to daringly unconventional, including a crostini topped with butternut-squash purée, Boursin cheese, arugula, and balsamic glaze. After miniature scones and twenty-one-layer vanilla-cream crêpe cake come pistachio macarons and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Each course is paired with one of six black, green, or herbal teas. A spokesperson said that the proprietress, soon to be ninety, is 'comically wealthy and prefers to not have her name in print.'" - David Kortava
