There’s nothing like seeing the spectacular Gilded Age houses of Newport in all their festive holiday finery, glittering with gold and sparkling with silver.
Throughout each house, ornately decorated Christmas trees, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral arrangements complement the décor of each room. As always, the 15-foot poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers – made up of 150 poinsettia plants – provides a perfect holiday photo opportunity.
And located on the back lawn of Marble House and perched above the historic Cliff Walk, The Chinese Tea House provides an unmatched setting for a three-course Holiday Brunch curated by Stoneacre Brasserie. Featuring seasonal ingredients and artisan purveyors, the brunch makes the perfect pairing to the tour of one of Newport’s most famous “summer cottages.”
“We couldn’t be happier with this opportunity to work with the Preservation Society [of Newport County],” said Chris Bender, co-owner and operator of Newport restaurants Stoneacre Garden and Stoneacre Brasserie and the Chart House Inn. The hospitality group was founded by Bender and David Crowell, lifelong best friends and Newport locals. Bender is especially fond of the elegant afternoon tea served at the Tea House.
“It is the best kind of snacking and dining there is and we wish we had discovered it earlier,” Bender said.
[caption id="attachment_424874" align="alignright" width="363"]
READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Special brunches at the historic Chinese Tea House on the grounds of Marble House are part of the holiday events at the Newport Mansions in December. COURTESY THE PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF NEWPORT COUNTY[/caption]
He says that time is an ingredient in the tea service. “We have to be mindful that it is a mansion tour of specific” length, so elegance must be presented efficiently, he said.
Bender describes the Holiday Brunch menu this way: guests are first served a three-tiered tea tower that is placed in the center of the table. On it are an array of pastries, sweets and savories, starting with Stoneacre’s famous buttermilk biscuits and traditional English scones, updated with cranberries and oranges. Both are served with a seasonal jam and traditional Devonshire cream. On the second level are tea sandwiches with the usual savory fillings of smoked salmon and cream cheese. There are also deviled eggs. Handmade macarons and other sweets round out the tower. There are entrée selections such as smoked pork belly with polenta and quiche, as well as the Stoneacre mainstay, a kale salad with crisped local maitake mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.
At The Breakers, Stoneacre serves up refreshments befitting a holiday stroll for the annual Sparkling Lights at The Breakers event. The display – open from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday until Dec. 23 and every night between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1 – has become in its third year one of the leading seasonal attractions in the area. A half-mile of illumination wraps around the entire mansion, including a 50-foot tunnel that has become a “must-take” photo opportunity.
The back terrace has warming stations and adult beverages, holiday sweets and treats, including s’mores kits to cook over a fire pit. The Breakers Welcome Center also has refreshments, including snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. Stoneacre is handling all the refreshments this year.
The Music Room at The Breakers – prominently showcased in season one of the HBO series “The Gilded Age” – will feature a vignette of mannequins dressed in elegant Gilded Age fashions.
Holiday Brunch at The Chinese Tea House will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17 -18, and Monday through Saturday from Dec. 26-31. All properties are closed on Christmas Day and will close at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury” is broadcast locally on WADK 101.1 FM and 1540 AM and on radio throughout New England. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
