Attention all hungry Anglophiles, do I have a little place for you. Well, it is not a "new" discovery, as Tea & Sympathy, located in the west Village has been serving up the English classic dishes for twenty-five years. The restaurant is charming and cozy, holding no more than twenty and has a distinct "another time" feel to it. Tea & Sympathy the type of establishment that you could imagine the Bronte sisters lunching at and enjoying.
I have a strong affection for English food, especially on an overcast moody "Weathering Heights" type day, and Tea & Sympathy satisfies fully my cravings. The menu is impressive, with traditional dishes such as; Welsh Rarebit, Bangers n' Mash, Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Tweed & Kettle Pie. I started with a wonderful Stilton Walnut Salad, and for the entree Steak & Guiness Pie, the crust beautifully golden, and opening the crust aroma intoxicating - the beef tender and full savory taste. For dessert I strongly recommend the Sticky Toffee pudding with custard on the side.
The restaurant is highly atmospheric, as the walls are adorned with a wide assortment of "Englishness," from tea pots, to photos of the Royal Family, paintings of Queen Elizabeth, plates of Charles and Dianna, William and Kate, New Yorker cartoons about the English. In today's restaurant world of one restaurant trying to be more trendy than the next, it is reassuring that a place like Tea & Sympathy still is flourishing, and probably still will be in another twenty-five years. Please note that there is a Tea & Sympathy store next door selling English gifts, teas, canned goods, crisps.
108 Greenwich Avenue (212) 989 - 9735
Interesting fact about England - English people consume more tea per capita than anybody else in the world. They consume 22 times more than America.