today's word :: julius meinl

It's pronounced MY'nl. Started in 1862, they make Starbucks look like a baby, and yet I had never heard of Julius Meinl until this weekend.

As I said B decided to audit a Saturday class held at Gleacher. It seems that this past weekend the Executive Program was in session. It also seems that they get their coffee from Julius Meinl. They are also kind enough to leave what is left over out for the other MBA students who happen to be there. Thus, B snagged a couple of Earl Grey tea bags.

The tea bags were bright yellow and had the Julius Meinl logo, so of course they stuck out on our dining room table. I had meant to try them on Sunday night, but forgot about them so had to wait until last night to try them. Must say, I was pretty impressed.

B did a bit more research and emailed me an article about the establishment. At almost exactly the same time a friend sent another email firming up our lunch date for today. In it she suggested we go to - you guessed it - Julius Meinl. How could I not try it?

So I hopped on the Brown Line and headed over to Southport. A short walk later, and it was like arriving in Austria. Okay, maybe that is a stretch. The space was bigger than it looked. Lots of tables and booths. Mozart in the background.

We both ordered iced tea which arrived on individual silver platters each complete with an iced tea spoon, packet of sugar, lemon wedge, and a smaller glass of water (still not sure of the significance of the glass of water). Oh, and as promised a square of dark chocolate.

For lunch I had the turkey and avocado sandwich. It was quite tasty. Served with a lightly dressed bed of seasonal greens. My friend tried another sandwich which also came with greens. She said it was good, but not as good as the turkey and avocado which she had had before.

The service was attentive without being intrusive. We felt like we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted. We almost had dessert, but were both pretty full from our lunch. Next time. I really want to go back for their formal tea. From the photos it looked heavenly.

Really, I didn't want to leave. But work called, so back on the El I went.


currently reading :: THE BOOK OF RALPH