Off the wall suggestion if you’re not completely committed to tea. Bierbeisl in the Spring St arcade. I’ve settled in there during the afternoons and early evenings talking with friends. You can order a small plate of food, they have house made baked desserts. See if their list of non alcoholic beverages appeal to you
http://www.bierbeisl-imbiss.com/menu/#other-beverages
Bonus is it’s next to Uli’s, you can wander there to have a gelato, settle in and talk some more.
Ah, yes, the portobello fries! We had them, and they were quite good. The pasta dish (whatever it was) was the item that was PARTICULARLY disappointing (as in, tasted like it was from Souplantation; I like many thing from Souplantation, but NOT the pasta).
Perch opens up at 4pm.
448 South Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90013
Can’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon….
Maybe at the Biltmore?
http://www.millenniumhotels.com/usa/millenniumbiltmorelosangeles/dining/rendezvous-court.html
I think GCM is an excellent idea - coffee at G&B and a stroll through the market is a great way to spend an afternoon. And if it’s nice you can sit outside by horse thief with whatever you get elsewhere.
Bierbeisl or Guisados and other things in the Spring St. Arcade is a great idea too, and if you want a drink (but definitely no food) Clifton’s is a fun/weird place to sit and chat and explore a bit.
There’s a ton of stuff in the arts district, too, if that’s appealing - Blacktop/Blue Bottle/Stumptown for coffee, Bread Lounge, Little Bear, Arts District Brewing, etc.
I believe Drago Centro also has a nice outdoor patio and a decent happy hour.
@heidi, I went to American Tea Room for the first time this morning to take advantage of their sale this weekend. Loose leaf teas are 20% off, and tea accessories are 50% off. Normally, I buy loose leaf, but I managed to score some major bargains on jasmine pearl green tea (normally $24.71 for two ounces) and masala chai black tea sachets - $15 per bag, each containing 50 sachets.
The atmosphere is akin to an upscale third-wave coffee shop - very industrial chic. There’s a cluster of tightly packed tables inside and a patio with a verdant plant wall, which makes sitting near the bustling traffic of Santa Fe and Violet more appealing.
There is a small menu with shakshuka, hand pies, salads, sandwiches, and panna cotta. Their baked goods are from Valerie Confections. I ended up ordering the iced matcha latte and Okinawan Life Tea (a jasmine tea-based drink), which were both very lightly sweetened, allowing the earthy teas to shine. I didn’t try any of the food, but there was a wide variety of tea of exceptional quality.
Is it me or do the Arts District coffee places make it as uncomfortable as possible to actually drink your beverage there. Seating really seems like an afterthought.
Not a tea person myself, but that was a very nicely written, concise comment. A pleasure to read. Thank you!
ha, yeah i think there’s some rule about trendiness being inversely proportional to comfort. someone more talented than I could probably make a graph.
I have found Blue Bottle (FKA Handsome) to be a totally decent place to sit, and Blacktop has one or two decent spots if you can get them. Stumptown has a lot of sort of awkward open space inside but the little tables and chairs out front are totally tolerable. But yes, on the whole there are a lot of more comfortable coffee shops with coffee that is just as good outside of that little bubble.
Thanks so much, @ebethsdad. You made my day! Ha, I kinda wish I wasn’t such a tea fanatic. I overindulged on the caffeine and am worried about the inevitable insomnia that’s going to ensue! 
Thanks everyone for the ideas - I appreciate the input greatly! The time is definitely limiting and her high end taste, style and experiences makes this even more challenging. I am still pondering…any ideas in areas not too far away (like a half hour drive time or so) would also be greatly appreciated.
Thanks @MaladyNelson for this great review and the pictures. I was pondering going to the sale myself today as I was halfway downtown but didn’t end up going. I’ve given their tea sets as gifts - including to the visitor this thread is about. Since we share the same opinion on afternoon tea from the other thread, is this a nice enough place (I would be going to the Peninsula if the timing was right)? I know that they are totally different aesthetics/experiences, but nice/high end can take different forms (in my opinion).
Many thanks!
Heidi
@MaladyNelson terrific write up has probably answered your question already, but yeah it’s definitely not a high tea kind of setup.
Thank you for your kind words, @heidi and @ipsedixit. I would definitely recommend American Tea Room for a high-end experience, but with a few caveats. The parking was a bit tricky, and I had to circle around the area three or four times to find a parking space on the street, but this could be due to the popularity of the sale. The tables inside seemed cramped, but this again was due to extra tables being used for sale items. The patio with the vertical garden seemed to be the nicest space, but the neighborhood is quite industrial, and there’s quite a bit of traffic on that stretch of Santa Fe. However, a visit to American Tea Room would be a nice complement to a bit of shopping at Poketo and/or Apolis - sort of the same urban, well-curated aesthetic.
I’m not sure if the afternoon tea at American Tea Room would seem to be too austere. That said, I’ve never been disappointed by the baked goods from Valerie Confections - their supplier. You might be better off with their tea and a salad or sandwiches. Here’s a link to their menu: http://americantearoom.com/pages/cafe-menu
Good luck with your search. Cheers!
@heidi, how about a lunch/snack at Otium? They won’t have the great selection of tea that American Tea Room has, but their coffee and tea are of very good quality. Although I haven’t had a meal at Otium, I thought that Otium On The Go’s persimmon cake was very sophisticated and moreish.
Well if you are staying up late I must reassert that was really good writing. I hope you notice several others have affirmed this, praise from ispsedixit is to be valued, and I hope you will post more.
You are far too kind, @ebethsdad! 
I truly appreciate your encouragement. Here’s to many happy meals in 2016. Cheers!
My recommendation would be Verve.
Perch.
