Celebrating Pride & Prejudice's 200th with Tea

My Jane Austen book club toasted the 200th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice with afternoon tea at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge.  This restaurant in Harvard Square serves afternoon tea on the weekends that's a bit modern and whimsical.  More photos and comments follow the jump.

The only stand with the coveted Bacon-Wrapped Date filled with Cinnamon Butter on the top tier.  It was meant as a replacement when the kitchen ran out of blue cheese crackers. There's also a scone and a mini quiche on the top tier.

The entrance

The restaurant front

Our menu, with the dishes renamed to commemorate Pride & Prejudice

Our dining room. The amounts of pink and purple can look shocking in photos, but looks prettier in person.

The view from upstairs

Another stand filled with savories and sweets for our large party

All tea was served in metal pots. They were labeled as “Gray,” “English,” and “Rose” to distinguish the pots of Earl Grey, English breakfast, and rose tea.  I prefer china.

Eclairs, filled with pastry cream. The pastry cream squeezed out unexpectedly onto the table for some people, but it was delicious.

Lemon tarts with blueberries

These blue cheese crackers were so good! A bit softer than I expected, somewhere between a cracker and biscuit.

Shades of Pemberley egg salad on profiterole; Mr. Darcy’s chicken salad on house-made brioche; Mr. Bingley’s four or five thousand a year smoked salmon with caper cream cheese on pumpernickel; and Caroline Bingley’s mini gruyere cheese quiche. Not pictured is the Lizzy's "It's not ragout" Smithfield ham salad on James Beard chive biscuit.

Mary’s mini turtle; Charlotte’s classic eclair; Longbourn date nut bread with citrus spread; Mr. Bennet’s chocolate financier; Mr. Wickham’s tiny cupcake of the day; and Lydia’s lemon tartlets with seasonal fruit