“A Parisienne Tea”

      An afternoon stroll along the Avenue des Champs Elysées on a perfumed Spring day would enthrall each of your senses. At the very heart of Paris, the tree-lined street houses the L’arc du Triomphe monument, the Louvre Museum, Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, and the Jardin des Tuilleries, the city’s beautifully tailored gardens. When you come upon the Avenue Montaigne, you are drawn down its manicured sidewalks by a seemingly inexplicable force. You pass the famous boutiques of Christian Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. But it is the red awnings dressing the front of the Hôtel Plaza Athénée that capture your imagination. 
      As you enter the front door, your curiosity is rewarded by the warm colour codes used by the Hotel: “Plaza reds”, terracotta wares, gold and bronzes. Surrounded by gleaming marble and sparkling crystal chandeliers, you realize you have arrived at a very special place. 
      Your senses peak as you follow the lyrical strains of a piano or harp to La Galerie des Gobelins, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée’s venue for Afternoon Tea. As you settle into velvet-covered seats, you notice the sumptuous rugs that reflect the patterns of the silk curtains and the ornate chandeliers winking at you from above. You feel a tingle course down your spine when the waiter approaches, knowing you are about to experience an incomparably sweet gastronomic adventure. 
      This epicurean occasion is only possible because of the talents of the sweetest seducer at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris. Award-Winning Pastry Chef, Christophe Michalak, has demonstrated his passion, drive and desire to surprise and re-invent the classics of the French pastry world and is the pioneer of countless tempting creations such as the Peach Leba Macaroon or the striking and championship-winning Oreade. 
      Your place is set, your tea is poured, and you are ready to begin the thrill of discovery. And you are not disappointed as a parade of French delicacies begin their arrival. 
      To entertain your cup of tea, you can choose the Iles Flottantes Contemporaines, a surprising caramel-coated “blanc en neige” and nougatine fragments floating on a light caramel beurre de sel cream-flavoured. Or you may wish to savor the Profiteroles Plaza, crustied puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, ginger and lime to be plunged in the hot chocolate nectar sprinkled with pieces of caramelized banana. 
      To satisfy the explorer in you, you may wish to order Tropézienne aux agrumes, a slight evolution for this classic of “Côte d’Azur” gastronomy. The perfumed citrus-brioche is filled with a luscious cream and a streusel adorned with pieces of lemon peel. 
      You are in good company for Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Athénée. The Hotel has hosted such famous guests as Grace Kelly, Rudolph Valentino, Maurice Chevalier, Gary Cooper and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. A Parisian landmark since 1911, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée has beckoned the world’s elite through its doors and will continue its tradition of excellence and refinement for decades to come. 

      A debt of gratitude goes to Laetitia Emile Zola-Place, Press Manager, and Isabelle Maurin, Director of Communications, for their generous assistance with the preparation of this newsletter.


Source: www.plaza-athenee-paris.com
Photos: © Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris