tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664624611850988110.post3609307173873453284..comments2010-03-08T08:23:41.433-05:00T and Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07156670387229709710bostonteacup@gmail.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664624611850988110.post-55782033835009397212010-03-08T08:23:41.035-05:002010-03-08T08:23:41.035-05:00I arranged for a work group to go to the Bristol Lounge to celebrate the submission of a huge grant application, and we all LOVED it. It was a quiet weekday, and we sat near the fireplace, and although the atmosphere was more &quot;masculine&quot; than I&#39;d have liked, it was still a luxurious afternoon. I was seated next to a Brit, who kept commenting on how lovely it all was. The food was amazing, my Russian Caravan tea was delicious, and the service was excellent without being stuffy. We spent hours just relaxing and enjoying the experience. Two of us asked for extra hot water, and we were accommodated quickly and smoothly. Maybe that waiter learned his lesson from the previous writer&#39;s visit. I would definitely visit this place again.Pauline Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951453719170133462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664624611850988110.post-56877671172296802282008-05-03T08:34:00.000-04:002008-05-03T08:34:00.000-04:00I must COMPLETELY disagree= the Bristol Lounge is the ONLY place I will have tea in Boston. Best Food and Best Price. At Christmas time I had tea at the Park Plaza, and it was nothing special, food was terrible. I have also been a couple times when it was still the Ritz, and you had to choose from food or dessert, and not get both, and the ambiance was ridiculously gawdy and very expensive. Yes, it is hard to get a reservation at the Bristol Lounge, but it is totally worth it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664624611850988110.post-30656931982027997772007-11-04T13:45:00.000-05:002007-11-04T13:45:00.000-05:00I agree with this review. I had my first real tea experience in Boston here some four years ago, and it just wasn't worth the money. I'm glad I persevered and tried some other places (my favorites are also the former Ritz/Taj and L'Espalier).<BR/><BR/>Atmosphere is bad (as described the review). We arrived about 20 minutes before our reservation time, and we were greeted with almost disbelief. Admittedly, we were somewhat early, but it wasn't just dealt with (or they could simply have asked us to wait a couple minutes) -- instead, the reactions and attitude made us feel immediately like we had created some terrible inconvenience. Not a good way to start. (I should mention that we were near the beginning of tea service, so it wasn't like they didn't have available tables.)<BR/><BR/>It went downhill from there. Service was simply odd. The waiter tried, but he was frankly a bit of an idiot (at least so it seemed). I inquired about an unusual listing of a Russian caravan variant on the tea menu -- what is it like? He didn't really seem to know what to say, and ended up replying, "Well... it sort of tastes like Russia." Whatever that means.<BR/><BR/>The person I was with is a big fan of lots of clotted cream; when we asked our waiter about the possibility of a little extra, he said, "Oh yes, we have plenty." After we were well into our scones, we ran out of clotted cream. It was something that a good waiter would have noticed immediately and offered more (especially given that it had already been mentioned), but he never asked, and we forgot to ask during the few times we could flag him down after he served us the scones and pastries.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps the most bizarre thing to happen was when I asked for more hot water. He never asked whether we wanted more tea or hot water, and when I did request more hot water, he didn't take my pot to refill it or bring water in a proper container (the original water was pouring into our pots at the table by another server who used a traditional hot liquid serving pitcher). He could have even asked the guy who originally poured our water to come again. Instead, he carried boiling water all the way across the room to our table in a metal COLD water pitcher, steaming away and burning himself even while holding a towel. He was clearly uncomfortable holding it as he tried to pour, and he ended up spilling some on the table in the process. It goes down as one of the silliest wait staff choices I have ever seen. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps it was his first day or something, but we went on a weekend (usually the prime time for teas in Boston), and I would expect that they would have trained someone just a bit better before letting him serve tables at the Four Seasons.<BR/><BR/>The food was nice though not amazing (some things were quite good), but it's difficult to enjoy things when the overall experience is marred by poor (and frankly strange) service. That, combined with the weird "airport lounge" atmosphere as mentioned in the review, made this just a bad introduction to the Boston tea scene.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com