A Very Happy Thanksgiving at Erna's Elderberry House

Ross and I enjoyed the most amazing Thanksgiving Dinner this year at Erna’s Elderberry House in Oakhurst California. We had dined there previously and were absolutely blown away by the experience and of course were hoping for a repeat!  We were not disappointed!!

Everything about this meal was a pleasure, from the phone call to make the reservation, the follow-up call, the welcome at the front door to the personalized menu. Even though the three dining rooms were fairly full each member of the staff that we interacted with treated us as though they had waited for our visit all their lives! Nothing perfunctory here!

After we were settled in our places in the colorful and eclectic dining room we were presented with a treat not listed on the menu…Chef Gunnar Thompson’s version of a classic Austrian Liptauer. This tangy cheese sauce was thinner than we’ve experienced but redolent of anchovies and capers. It was the perfect start to the meal along with the slivers of baguette.

The Amuse Bouche was a gloriously presented Smoked Salmon terrine with a trio of garni including caviar and a golden beet tartare. Most exquisite!

The wine pairing was a delightful 2006 Domaine Carneros Brut from Carneros, Napa which was yeasty and nutty and a perfect complement to the Salmon.

Following that was a slice of Pan Roasted Speckled Trout with a colorful and amazingly tasty  ‘hash’ of Bacon, sweet potato and turnip. The trout was crisp on the outside and moist inside with an unforgettable flavor! Again, a lovely presentation.

We were surprised to see that the wine pairing with the trout was a 2007 Emeritus Pinot Noir from the Russian River but the match was made in heaven. The Pinot Noir was light with some fruit and had just the right amount of body to complement to course!

The Lobster Bisque which followed was garnished with roasted pumpkinseed pesto and  possibly the tangiest grilled oyster mushrooms we’ve ever tasted. It was almost as if they had been grilled in lime or lemon juice.  The bisque itself was creamy and tangy and more than one of our neighboring diners was overheard wishing that they could lick their bowl!

A classic Alsatian Gewürztraminer accompanied the Bisque. This Trimbach Cuvee Des Seigneurs de Ribeapierre was very full-bodied for a white wine and had the traditional notes of lychee and apricot. Though it was not as fruit-forward as ‘New World’ Gewürztraminers it was a most pleasant match for the very tangy Bisque.

The main course was next and while everything was tasty it was the only where the presentation was less than stellar. Perhaps it was because of the volume of the food which was overwhelming!  The plate included: succulent slices of roast free-range turkey both dark and white, dressed in a cipollini onion gravy, potato-chive puree, spinach braised with beech mushrooms and an amazing cranberry-clementine sauce. The turkey was as moist and flavorful as any I’ve ever had, though there was an herb in the infusion that we just couldn’t place.

That’s not all!  There was also Pan seared loin of venison with an elderberry-cinnamon jus (Erna raises her own elderberries) , haricots vert and a winter squash bread pudding which seemed somehow bland next to everything else. The venison was seared on the outside and tender and rare on the inside the flavor was exquisite.

This course was paired with Margerum M5 2007  an amazingly full-bodied blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre from the Santa Ynez valley. This breathtaking wine had notes of raspberries, blackberries and licorice which was such a pleasant experience I felt compelled to request a second glass. Our ever so pleasant host realized how fond we were of this selection and presented a third glass without us having to ask!

Following the main course was a lovely presentation of field lettuces, Fuyu Persimmons and toasted hazelnuts in a tangy spiced cider vinaigrette garnished with crisp honey wafers.  This palate-cleanser was very refreshing, the wafers were redolent of the honey the only quibble was the hazelnuts were all but impossible to find!

The wine with the desert course was a Torrontes, Tardio a late harvest version of the popular Argentine white grape from Mendoza, Argentina. Not as fruit-forward as some late harvests but with a full bodied sweetness with notes of Apricot and honey…delightful!

The desserts were all but overwhelming: A tasty bourbon-pumpkin pie garnished with Maple Ice Cream and a Honey Cornmeal pound cake garnished with caramelized pears and a breathtaking Riesling cream.

With the Torrontes and a good dark roast coffee this was the perfect finish to a wonderful dining experience.

In the interest of full disclosure, Erna’s is not for the feint of wallet! Unless you’re heir to a major fortune or a lottery winner it’s the kind of place you’ll want to save for a very special occasion!  The prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving was $105 per person. With 5 paired wines it become $173 plus tax. There are more reasonable priced selections on less special occasions.

Expensive? yes....but we've already made reservations for Christmas!!

Erna’s Elderberry House 48688 Victoria Lane, Oakhurst CA 559-683-6800

www.elderberryhouse.com 

Also posted on www.foodnuts.com 

Merry Christmas! Happy Boxing Day!!

Here's hoping all our readers had a wonderful Christmas, we sure did!

After a leisurely sleep-in (we let Marg sleep in even later!) we enjoyed coffee then Mimosas made Orange-Tangerine juice with Piper Sonoma Brut and watched "A Christmas Story" on TV ("You'll shoot your eye out!!")

After opening our packages we got ourselves organized and headed up to the Foothills area to Oakhurst and this fabulous Inn that we had made reservations at for Christmas Dinner. Here's a URL if you want to have a peek. http://www.elderberryhouse.com/

Everyone we talked with said that Erna's Elderberry House was just fabulous but we really had no idea.

After a lovely sunny drive north from Fresno we arrived in Oakhurst and found Erna's. Well, nothing could have prepared us for our welcome there.

This exquisite jewel of an inn and restaurant welcomed us as though they had waited their whole life for us to arrive.

When we were seated we were presented with a personalized hand decorated menu. "A Very Merry Christmas to The Schneider Party"....a first!

It was a prix fixe six course menu with a couple of extras thrown in..beautiful lamb sausages and homemade sauerkraut with a beautiful honey fig mustard and amazing home made bread; A sturgeon fillet wrapped in Serrano ham with a Kale risotto with saffron and parsley sabayons; this was followed by the most surprising dish, an oxtail ravioli in beef and mushroom consomme....sounds kinda plain but it was NOT!

This was followed by the main course which was a perfectly roasted goose with Brioche, apple and sausage stuffing, accompanied by orange-cranberry chutney, braised leeks, savoy cabbage and the most amazing roasted sweet potatoes we ever tasted!

The next course was an amazing salad of mixed lettuces, persimmons, pomegranates and pine nuts with a pomegranate/mint vinaigrette and topped with a froth of rose water.

Dessert was a trio: Poppy seed almond cake, pear and dried plum tarte tatin, and elderberry ice cream.

The wines were all perfect. There were five and ranged from a lovely German Brut Rose Champagne, a German white we had never heard of, A beautiful California Pinot Noir and a Cab Sav. BUT the crowning glory was the wine served with dessert. It was my all time fave dessert wine Quady Elysium.

This was most fortuitous as Marg and I had driven up to Madera on Christmas Eve to check out Quady first hand. of course we had to sample the wares and brought a few bottles back. Now, to be fair Marg isn't a really serious wino, she rarely visits Okanagan wineries though she has been known to enjoy a glass or two. BUT she really likes the sweet dessert wines produced by Quady. We each bought several bottles and I have to report that the bottle of Elysium that we bought is already gone as I write this!

BUT as is my habit, I digress! The atmosphere, the meal, the service, the wine and everything about Erna's was superb...as was the price! But, one has to splurge once in a while! If you go to their website, note the prices for the Inn, we won't be staying there anytime soon! But if the Inn is half as nice as the restaurant it too must be an experience!!

Today, Boxing Day (though that specific holiday is not recognized here) after our Stollen and coffee we had another appearance by Santa! This for some of the youngsters in the trailer park which has been our home for the last two months. It was lots of fun as there are some real cuties here!

We then decided to head out for a bit of exploring. We visited Kearney Park and the Kearney House the home of one of Fresno's pioneers. There's more information here:

http://www.valleyhistory.org/kearneyhistory03.html

The house is just amazing but we weren't sure it was open on the day after Christmas even though the phone message and sign on the front door said that they were.

There was only one car in the parking lot and the lights were on in the house and finally a wonderfully enthusiastic young man named Jeff appeared and asked if we wanted a tour! We did! And it was just fascinating. Originally Kearney intended it to be the superintendent's house but he was going to live in it (he never married) until his Chateau was built.

Sadly that never happened as Mr. Kearney died in 1906 and willed his entire estate to the University of California. They maintained much of the estate in its original condition completely furnished as a working farm of about 5000 acres.

The University sold of most of the land in the 1940s and the house sat vacant until 1964 when the Fresno Historical Society was able to acquire it and commence restoration.

After that we drove down Kearney Avenue to downtown Fresno. This palm lined avenue is about 11 miles and was Mr. Kearney's attempt to make his land more glamorous and attractive to investors.

We next visited the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science. We visited "The Met" on our previous visit and were fascinated by it. It is newly renovated and was originally the home of the local paper "The Fresno Bee."

Unfortunately due to some mis-management and the economic downturn, the Met is officially bankrupt and will be closing sometime in 2010. Very sad.

Currently they are exhibiting (among other things) "The Art of Dr. Seuss" which celebrates the art and life of Theodore Seuss Geisel. In addition to lots of background on many of his popular books such as "The Cat In the Hat" and "The Lorax" there are extensive examples of some of his other work. Including cartoons, magazine covers, and his amazingly zany sculptures.

It was a truly wonderful day, topped off with a Jack Daniel's Manhattan and some wonderful home-made tamales given to us by one of Ross elves on the set at the mall. And of course the last of the Quady.

We're going to be eating quite a few tamales in the next while....Ross wanted to have a wee dooooo for the staff after closing on Christmas Eve. Soooo I asked around and found that everyone seemed to like the tamales from one particular restaurant so I ordered three dozen for our little soiree. What I didn't realize was that these tamales are HUGE. One is a meal for a 'normal' person and two for a piggy. So, long story short we have a few left over...lucky they're very tasty and we have some room in the freezer!

Tomorrow we're off to Monterey for lunch with the Boss. Should be a lovely drive through the coast hills...prediction is for good weather.

Then after that it's time to pack up and try to make tracks for the desert.