The manager in the smart suit approached our table at the Palm Court. I thought he was going ask how our afternoon tea was progressing. Then I realized he had something in his hands: two child-size Mary Janes.
"I'm sorry," he began, addressing my 5-year-old daughter. "But have you seen Eloise?"
The premise, that the Plaza Hotel's famous enfant terrible had left her shoes behind as she "skibbled" around the property, delighted my daughter, who was thoroughly enjoying her Eloise tea (while actually only eating the pastries) as well as her grandmother, who was thoroughly enjoying her matriarch-takes-tea-at-the-Plaza role.
For a certain subset of locals and visitors, tea at the Plaza's venerable Palm Court is one of the city's luxury splurges. Open for tea between 12:30 and 4 p.m., the restaurant in the center of the Plaza is classic old-school New York, and diners are treated to comfortable chairs, classical revival architecture and discreet people-watching between the fronds — there are four actual palm trees.
During the holidays the Plaza, not surprisingly, becomes rawther more fancy. The New Yorker Holiday Tea, for example, has seasonal nods such as a chocolate-and-cherry Bailey's cream buche de noel, and the Eloise Holiday Tea includes a gingerbread red-velvet cake (along with tea sandwiches and scones, all overseen by celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian).
Like anything in the luxury sphere, especially in New York, the experience comes at a price: $95 per person for the New Yorker Holiday tea and $50 per child for the Eloise version. But if you've gone this far and are over the threshold of the Palm Court, the Champagne Tea is the indulgence to purchase.
For those who are booking a room along with a meal, the hotel, which is managed by Fairmont, has refurbished its collection of Legacy Suites. And then there's the Eloise Suite, done up by fashion designer Betsey Johnson. Eloise tea is included in that rate, and parents/nannies can book the adjoining suite next door and receive complimentary Champagne for their troubles.
Despite Eloise's observation that she is "apt to be on any floor at any time," guests can most reliably find the young hellion's footprint at her shop at the rear of the Todd English Food Hall.
The best thing about Eloise, in this writer's opinion, is that her books (by Kay Thompson) are fun for both kids and grown-ups. In fact, the next time I'm feeling flush, I'll reserve a seat for my daughter and me at the Rawther Fancy Eloise Tea with Santa, offered Wednesdays and Fridays in December.
Oooooo, I just love the Plaza.