Unless you are (or have) a 5-year-old, toasting a stuffed bear and two dolls is no way to do tea.

Act your age at the most elegant and ladylike afternoon activity in the Twin Cities: Tea time at the Ivy Hotel.

Starting this Friday afternoon, the marble-filled lobby will host an afternoon tea, seven days a week. It's the perfect elegant twist on your business tête-à-tête or an excuse to sneak out of work an hour early for a pre-happy hour snack.

Leave it to the Ivy to put an elegant twist on a traditional tea. Loose leaf teas are by Harney & Sons. We recommend the mild and naturally decaffeinated rooibos chai with milk and honey.

The light fare of bite-sized sandwiches and coronets is crafted by Porter & Frye's new executive chef Joan Ida. A delicious sampling of beautifully presented nibbles (which will change frequently) included smoked chicken salad with maple syrup and pecans on a crispy waffle, a red beet coronet filled with whipped goat cheese fondant, a black currant and citrus scone and a seven-layer white chocolate cranberry cake. Feel free to use your fingers with these flavorful snacks.

Now that's what we'd call a tea party.

Afternoon tea at Hotel Ivy, daily 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., $15 per person or $22 per person with champagne or sherry, 201 S. 11th St., Mpls., 612-746-4600, thehotelivy.com.

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