Breakfast, Dining Out, Quick Post, Upper East Side, Various LocationsKerry Alaric CheeseboroAlice's Tea Cup, benedict, Breakfast, chain, chicken, cup, Dining Out, doll, eggs, hash, herbed, hollandaise, poached, potato, potatoes, rosemary, scones, tea, Upper East Side- ues, Various LocationsComment

Wonderful Wonderland

Breakfast, Dining Out, Quick Post, Upper East Side, Various LocationsKerry Alaric CheeseboroAlice's Tea Cup, benedict, Breakfast, chain, chicken, cup, Dining Out, doll, eggs, hash, herbed, hollandaise, poached, potato, potatoes, rosemary, scones, tea, Upper East Side- ues, Various LocationsComment

ALICE'S TEA CUP (Chapter II) | 156 East 64th St. (bet. Lexington & 3rd Aves.) | 212.535.2424 | www.alicesteacup.com | | | |
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SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW how frustrated I've been trying to find quality breakfast dishes at reasonable prices, being that most of the Upper East Side is about $12 cheese omelets. I have been curious for quite some time about a pretty, seemingly nookish restaurant a few blocks from my apartment called Alice's Tea Cup. Turns out, this 81st Street location represents the third Manhattan installment of the popular eatery.

Turns out, they also serve breakfasts not readily available at every other diner nor not something I cab readily and conveniently cook up myself, which came in quite handy while I was traipsing around on Lexington Avenue around the 60s, eventually turning on 64th Street were the cute and tony Alice's Tea Cup II sits. Inside, the space's decor is a visual cornucopia of Alice In Wonderland-inspired pictures, images, and bric-a-bracs, many even nestled right under some of the tables glass top.

Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup

I had already read the breakfast menu online and new exactly what I was going to order: the scones Benedict with rosemary hollandaise sauce and potato chicken hash. The presentation was as pretty as little Alice herself and was quite tasty to boost. I had a choice of scones to select from as my base, and I without a second thought went with the ham and cheese scone, which was split in half and lightly toasted to warm heaven, keeping the insides being slightly moist while the edges maintained proper crumbling without completely drying out. The bits of ham and cheese flecked throughout offered welcomely familiar hints of comfort, adding layers of flavor with the cheese's bits of creaminess and sharpness and the ham's grounded porkiness and extra saltiness.

The poached eggs' yolks ran nicely smooth and silky, accented by the heightened aromatics of the rosemary in the hollandaise, likewise pleasantly oozy. Chicken and potatoes were cubed to equal large bites, adding a rustic heartiness to the playful egg dish.

Scones Benedict with Rosemary Hollandaise, Alice's Tea Cup

Scones Benedict with Rosemary Hollandaise, Alice's Tea Cup

Scones Benedict with Rosemary Hollandaise, Alice's Tea Cup

Scones Benedict with Rosemary Hollandaise, Alice's Tea Cup

Scones Benedict with Rosemary Hollandaise, Alice's Tea Cup

I cleaned my plate, fully aware that I would be having lunch with a friend in another two hours, but had no regrets except having taken so long to try out Alice's Tea Cup. From the colorful and playful setting to the curiously successful breakfast to the sweetly charming service, I couldn't help but leave with a huge Cheshire cat grin.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Alice's Tea Cup Chapter II on Urbanspoon

ALICE'S TEA CUP (Chapter II) | 156 East 64th St. (bet. Lexington & 3rd Aves.) | 212.535.2424 | www.alicesteacup.com | | | |