My dear friend Blanca is moving away from Chicago next month, so we’ve been doing some Chicago bucket list things. Earlier this week I took her to the Chicago Art Institute for the Matisse exhibit, and afterwards we treated ourselves to the afternoon tea service at Chicago’s Russian Tea Time.

Russian Tea Time opened in Chicago over 30 years ago! The owner, Klara Muchnik, was born in Ukraine and lived in Uzbekistan for a while before coming to the U.S. in 1990. I had been to Russian Tea Time before, for dinner and vodka flights (which I can recommend), but this was my first time getting the afternoon tea experience. It was delightful! The tea was extraordinary, and the tea sandwiches and pastries were more than enough for two of us. The only thing I didn’t try was the cucumber sandwich (I am not a cucumber fan), but everything else was delicious. The egg salad sandwich was surprisingly a favorite for both of us! It was light and delicately savory. The strawberry mousse was outstanding too.

A fun fact I discovered while writing this: there is a website dedicated to maintaining a directory of afternoon tea services in the United States! It’s called Destination Tea, so if you want to find a lovely little tea service near you, that’s a great place to start.

Upcoming Things:

Thursday, April 16 at. 6:00pm, I’ll be at Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston, signing books! There will also be a minibar there by NaKorn kitchen so you know the drinks will be excellent. More tour dates can be found here.

Shameless Self Promotion:

Now that Let’s Make Cocktails! is out, you can purchase it from me directly if you like! Any books purchased from my shop will get signed and doodled in. :) I also have some new prints in my shop, some of which are cocktail-themed!

What I’m Into Lately:

Folks. Friends. Pals. Comrades. I got the final part of my advance payment for Let’s Make Cocktails! on publication, and to celebrate, I went and purchased myself a fancy new Switch 2, for the sole purpose of playing Pokopia. I have zero regrets.

What Toki’s Into Lately:

A street sweeper drove by, and it made a sound that Toki did not appreciate, so the Young Prince took up residence beneath the coffee table. Please forward his correspondence accordingly.