One of our most memorable recent visits to New York City occurred on Dec. 28 of last year – a matinee of “Hamilton” and an early dinner at The Russian Tea Room. Alas, it was one of our last visits to the city before the pandemic hit.
In such moments, we think of the closing words of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses”:
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
The Russian Tea Room returns Sept. 30. It will be offering its full lunch menu 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, afternoon tea noon to 4:30 p.m. daily, brunch 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and dinner 4:45 to 10:30 p.m. daily.
The restaurant will still offer its pre- and post-theater menus from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. and 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. respectively, because someday Broadway will return and because we are, after all, “one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
For reservations (recommended) and more, visit russiantearoomnyc.com.