The Taj is fit for a Queen (aka Mother's Day)

By Queen, I mean, of course, MOM.

Although our reason for Afternoon Tea at the Taj recently were for a reason other than Mother's Day, I'm recommending this age-old custom to those of you looking for a Mother's Day outing.

Afternoon Tea has never been more elegant than at the French Room at the Taj in Boston. Located at the corner of Newbury St. and Arlington St,  the Taj overlooks the beautiful (and especially lush at this time of the year) Boston Public Garden.

Once seated, service is gracious and attentive with beautiful live music wafting through the elegant high and chandeliered ceiling.

The Taj Royal is $38 and comes with finger sandwiches, canapes, tarts, scones, dipped strawberries, with clotted cream and lemon curd.

The tea selection ranges from white, green, black, oolong, herbal and chai, so there's definitely one for everyone. Reservations are recommended and be sure to wear your most floral clothes. We sure did.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

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Product: Nutella Snack & Drink

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Boston: L'Espalier

Location:

774 Boylston Street  Boston, MA

L'Espalier is one of the restaurants participating in Boston Magazine's TASTE this year, and having dined there after shooting Zac Posen's show, I have to say it capped off the, already elegant, evening very well.

Here's a TASTE of one of the spectacular desserts. Talk about dinner and a show!

NYC: Baked by Melissa with Stilettos & Sequins

It sounds like I stopped by Baked by Melissa in NYC wearing stilettos and sequins, but rather I had Dhruvi, the queen of "Stilettos & Sequins" take me to the delightful cupcake shoppe.

After a trip to the Guggenheim, I met up with Dhruves at Qi (both beautifully decorated and delish, btw), followed by an exploration of the racks at Loehmann's, finally making our way to Baked by Melissa.

The bite-sized cupcakes are the perfect quantity of sweet and each is filled with the exact flavor of their names. Take "Peanut Butter and Jelly" for example, it tastes exactly like a PB&J sandwich, except maybe better. My favorite was the red velvet, but *ahem* I did try them all.....

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Miami: Fontainbleau Hotel: Hakkasan

Location:

4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach

http://www.hakkasan.com/miami/

You know when you're sunburned and so relaxed, that even though you want to get dressed up and go out, you really don't want to go too far?

That's when dining in one of the hotel's restaurants is the best idea, ever.

Hakkasan fit the bill. Although they were fully booked, they were gracious and got us a table after a short wait.

The dumplings were the highlight for sure. Incredibly moist, and with abundant flavor and texture, we held that as the standard. Alas the fish dish was not up to par. Am not a fan of bland steamed fish with sauce poured over it. The eggplant didn't have too much oomph and the fried rice was forgettable.

Redemption came in the form of chocolate (naturally) and won us over again. If you're staying at the Fontainbleau Hotel, I highly recommend dining there. If you're not, I wouldn't bother with the trek.

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