Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant is within the Chateau du Sureau (translation: Estate of Elderberries). The Chateau is a five-star hotel with a European theme, located in Oakhurst, at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The restaurant is dedicated to the famous French Chef Auguste Escoffier, and is the only restaurant in the Central Valley with a four-star Forbes rating. The menu is basically French, and featured ingredients are from Central Valley farms. A Dress Code is in place: business casual is fine though jacket and tie preferred.
Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant serves dinner (fixed price) but now and then holds a High Tea (also fixed price). They also have an annual Elderberry Harvest Dinner, and an Elderberry House Cooking School.
We attended High Tea. A 'High Tea' is one that was traditionally served at the table for the upper classes. Small plates were served in courses. For a regular Afternoon Tea, persons sat in comfortable chairs and drank tea. Erna's High Tea consists of three tiers. The first tier (or course) is "Panier de Pâtisserie" ('basket of breads'). The second tier is Canapes & Tea Sandwiches. The third tier is Treats and Sweets. Each tier comes with its own tea, and you have a wide selection to choose from. The wait staff are happy to recommend the best teas with each tier. Champagne is complimentary.
https://chateausureau.com/ernas-elderberry-house-restaurant/
The High Tea menu is available here:
https://chateausureau.com/event/high-tea-ernas/
Be ready for spontaneous changes, usually based on the availability of fresh local ingredients. When we went to High Tea, during the second course, the top tier needed filling out, so the Chef spontaneously whipped up some curried chicken salad and spooned into fresh endive slices.
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| Front entrance of Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant |
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| Dining Room Entrance |
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| High Tea setting with Royal Albert fine china |
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| One of the dining rooms |
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| Strawberry Jam, Lemon Curd, and Peach Jam |
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| Sweet Butter |
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| Champagne (complimentary) |
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| Salt |
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| Sugar Bowl and Cream Pitcher |
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| First Tea Pot |
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| Brown Sugar and White Sugar Cubes |
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| First Tea (Organic Passion Plum) |
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| First Tier (breads, with some fruit and granite) |
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| Pine Tree Granites with Citrus Cloud |
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| Toasted Almond Granola with a Golden Raspberry |
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| Croissant |
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| Vanilla Scone |
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| Spring Berry Muffin |
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| Second Tea (Darjeeling, with cream and sugar) |
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| Second Tier (Canapes and Tea Sandwiches, including other delights such as crab cakes and figs stuffed with blue cheese and candied almonds) |
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| House Cured Ham, Mustard, Shallot, and Pretzel |
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| Egg Canape topped with Caviar and Chive |
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| Curried Chicken Salad in Endive |
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| Crab Cake with Avocado and Frisee |
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| Brie Crostini with Bell Pepper Jam and Basil |
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| Carrot Mousse with Spring Seed Medley |
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| Smoked Trout with Five Seed Bread and Dill Creme |
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| Blue Cheese Stuffed Mission Fig and Candied Almond |
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| Inside the Fig |
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| Third Tea (Apricot) |
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| Third Tier (Treats and Sweets) |
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| Cranberry Bark and Pate de Fruit |
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| Manjari Chocolate Ganache |
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| Spiced Banana Cake with mini 'Toffee Tower' |
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| Chocolate Cookie, Pate de Fruit, and Chocolate Bark |
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| Flourless Chocolate Tort |
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| Sugar Cookie and Pate de Fruit |
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| Vanilla Creme Brulee (gently tap the caramelized sugar top layer with your spoon to dig into the vanilla creme beneath) |
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| Toasted Almond Granola Sample (given as a takeaway) |
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| Outdoor seating in back |
High Tea is $68 per person (fixed price). For two, the total was $146.54 (with tax).
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