Located at 40 Isham Road in West Hartford CT, right near Blue Back Square, I found the best teahouse. With one other location in China, there's a huge emphasis on tradition at The Green Teahouse. Decor reflects this, and they also accept reservations for private Chinese tea ceremonies. There's educational cards across the shop explaining the types and flavor notes of each tea, along with a multitude of teas to sample. The teahouse emphasizes the health benefits of each and does a great job of explaining caffeine content and allergen information as well. Check out some photos below and stop in soon for samples and great tea. 

I recently stumbled upon the new shop on Evergreen Walk in South Windsor CT- TASTE by Spellbound. The shop features cakes, cupcakes, truffles, pastries, and cookies, among other lovely little things. Apparently, the first shop is in Avon CT, and they also sell baked goods online and ship nationwide. 

The shop features hyper-femme decor and feels very magical. I tried a salted caramel chocolate chip bar, and loved it. My friend had a chocolate cupcake and demolished it in seconds, so I'm assuming it was ok. 

The shop was adorable and I can't wait to stop in again soon. I loved how our treats were served on little glass dishes, and I'm a sucker for anywhere that feels like there was thought put in the ambiance- TASTE by Spellbound definitely has that vibe. Stop in for treats at either location, I'm sure you'll love it. 

The Smith (55 3rd Ave, East Village) was my big dinner stop last time I was in New York City. It is located in the East Village and my friends and I all agreed that we prefer this scene to Midtown, it is much more relaxed and alternative. We made reservations on One Table, which was a great online tool for booking reservations. The interior was very warm with tiled floors, subway tiles on the walls, wood ceilings and dark metal accents. Our waitress was super sweet, and their drink menu had something for everyone. At our table along we had beer, prosecco and Knob Creek neat.
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We started by sharing an entrée of ricotta gnocchi with truffle cream, and they were perfect, crispy on the outside, and light, which is a novelty with gnocchi. Normally they feel like a lead weight in your stomach, but these gnocchi with the truffle cream was amazing. My friends got the chicken pot pie, hot potato chips with blue cheese fondue and gruyere and potato flatbread. They were very content with their choices, which were all sufficiently cheesy. I got the roasted Atlantic cod with toasted almond cauliflower mousse, shiitake mushrooms, grilled scallions, and lobster yuzu broth. I found it to be very salty, but that might have been influenced by the dry Prosecco. Regardless I loved it and we all left very satisfied, and in agreement that the gnocchi was our favorite dish of the night.