It’s the season of sunflowers—Vincent van Gogh’s, specifically. In New York, the Peninsula’s Gotham Lounge has become a living canvas to prove it. In tandem with the New York Botanical Garden’s “Van Gogh’s Flowers” exhibition, the lounge is offering its own take on the blooms that inspired the Dutch painter—in edible form, of course.
“Van Gogh’s Flowers” turns the botanical garden into a three-dimensional testament to the artist’s floral obsessions and inspirations, with monumental sunflowers and floral recreations of his paintings, as well as evening drone shows (aptly called “Starry Nights”). Once visitors are ready to rest their feet and enjoy an afternoon drink, the Gotham Lounge is available to add another sense—taste—to this symphony of sight and smell.
The tea service unfolds like a garden in full bloom: honey and chocolate sunflowers, blueberry and almond sponge Lavenders, and vanilla custard cherry blossoms. Each sweet treat is served with a chocolate paintbrush as a nod to Van Gogh’s artistic tools, with sunflower seed foie gras on brioche and truffle dusted “potted plants” with lemon-scented porcini soil to follow.
Reservations are open through June 28, and each dining experience comes with a complimentary ticket to the New York Botanical Garden exhibition. To elevate the afternoon, guests can also raise a toast with Peninsula Private Label Champagne and sip curated floral teas that draw on the aromatic spirit of the artist’s oeuvre.
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