Madeline’s Tea at the Carlyle Hotel Review

The Caryle Hotel

Madeline’s Tea at the Carlyle Hotel Review originally ran in January 2010.

Last weekend, my daughter and I attended the Madeline’s Tea at the Carlyle hotel as the guests of Mom in the City. The Madeline’s Tea takes place in the famous Bemelman’s Bar. The bar is named for the author and creator of the Madeline children’s book series, Ludwig Bemelman. The author stayed in the Carlyle Hotel for 18 months and in exchange for the room and board, he painted the murals depicting famous New York City monuments. Bemelman’s Bar is decorated to appeal to the Madeline’s Tea crowd, replete with balloons, oodles of Madeline books on top of the grand piano, and Madeline-embroidered napkins. The setting is small enough that everyone has a great seat to see the featured entertainment, Tina deVaron. Tina is phenomenal in getting the children engaged and singing. Once she gets started, all the kids want to gather around the piano to sing along with her and dance to their hearts content. I liked the show because it was so interactive and spontaneous, The guests are able to requests songs which really adds to the playfulness of the show. The day we went, there were lots of requests for Lion King, Mary Poppins, the Little Mermaid and Hannah Montana (to the delight of my daughter and my chagrin.) Although, there was one request for Lady GaGa which was funny and Tina was flummoxed by such an adult request from a three year old. Given this was the Christmas holidays, there were lots of Christmas songs that really got the crowd moving and grooving.

My daughter with Singer Tina deVaron

Singing Songs with Tina deVaron

The breakfast buffet was excellent and catered to every one’s favorites. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, waffles, cereal, yogurt, fruit and of course, lots of cupcakes. The service was just right. There was plenty of wait staff to provide coffee for the parents and milk/juice for the kids. They even sang along with Tina. While the Madeline Tea might seem pricey, I think it is worth it to take your child and the reason is the entertainment truly makes the tea. I love high tea and I think as mother’s we want to introduce our daughters (and sons) to the concept of dressing up and sitting at a high tea but seriously, at the end of the day without the entertainment and the ambiance of the Bemelman’s, it’s just a brunch.

My daughter is the ultimate gage of whether the day was a success. I asked three questions.

What did you like best about the Madeline Tea? “I loved the music, the food and the cupcakes.”

Would you want to go back? “Yes.”

Why? “Because it was fun.”

Will she have a pleasant memory from her childhood and always remember the Carlyle Hotel as the place she had Madeline Tea? Yes and that’s all you can ask. Will we go back? Yes, as I do think the Tina deVaron makes the tea something special and memorable and it is a nice treat for your child.

Finally, just two comments. One is for the Carlyle Hotel, I am not sure why the bar is open to guests at 11:30 am but it’s a little weird to have guests drinking at the bar while the show is still in progress. Two, this is just me but I would not bring a child under four to the show. My daughter is 6 and she will remember the show. A three year old will have fun but I am not so sure they will remember it.

Price: $40 Flat, $20 for children under three
Location: 35 E. 76th Street @ Madison Avenue
Seatings: Every Saturday, 10:00 am and 12:30 pm
Reservations Required: (212) 744-1600
Website: The Carlyle Hotel

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Tags: Childrens Activities, Dining, featured, Hotels, Restaurants

Category: Dining, Events, Events/Travel/Performances/Dining, Single Mom Daily Life