“Just a spoonful of sugar...”

This past weekend took me back to my old stomping grounds – the city of bright lights and big dreams – none other than New York City. I was invited to attend two events at the New York Wine and Food Festival and boy was I PUMPED (you might recall the "sweet" time I had at the SWEET party last year). As I sat on the Fung Wah Chinatown Bus (which was really not as scary or dangerous as Wikipedia made it out to be) enroute to the City, I could barley contain my excitement when I thought of the fun food filled weekend that was ahead.

The first event I attend on Saturday was Tea Seduction, which was billed as an aphrodisiac afternoon tea party served with foods that stimulate the senses and arouse the appetite. Looks like a sexy afternoon in store for me!

As I entered the Library of the uber- posh Soho House, I was greeted to neatly set tables with beautiful place-settings.


The event was hosted by long time lover of all things tea Tracy Stern, author of the book Tea Party and proud owner of SALONTEA shop in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The first course in our three-course tea party was a ginger scone and strawberries, paired with SALONTEA’s Earl Grey Tea. (Ignore the bite mark in the scone - I took a bite of the scone before I took my picture...oops!)

The next course was a salmon and crème fraiche sandwich and an egg salad sandwich, paired with Tracy’s Chocolate Chai Tea. Mmmmmm!!! The slightly sweet hint of chocolate flavor in the chai tea was a great complement to the delicate but savory finger sandwiches.

During the event, we were treated to a tea themed burlesque show by Grace Gotham – creativity at its best for sure, but definitely for adults (especially when Grace stripped down to her pasties)!

The last and final course was my favorite - dessert! The mini blueberry cheesecake, blueberry soup shot (which was filled with actual blueberries), and decadent Chai Chocolate Truffle was the perfect way to top off the mini afternoon meal!

All and all, a classy and chic beginning to my Wine and Food Festival experience. Stay tuned for my recap of Sunday’s 100-mile Brunch at the New York Fire Museum (coming up soon)!

100% of the net proceeds from New York Wine and Food Festival ticket sales support the Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength, organizations that help eradicate hunger in NYC. For more information about these charities and/or to help support these wonderful causes, please visit their websites.