Dinner at Erna's Elderberry House

Dinner at Erna's Elderberry House was good, though it all had a distinctly Austrian-German taste to it, with lots of intentionally sour tastes, which neither of us was really into.

We gave the food a 7.50. It was well-executed, but we didn't particularly care for the flavor of some of the dishes, and some of the dishes had weird combinations or overly creamy textures. The beef cheeks in the meat dish were particularly delicious, though.

Amuse Bouche: Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Pickled Vegetables


Seared Maine Diver Scallop: Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms, Sweet Potato "Mousse," Locally Grown Ginger, Upland Cress


Lobster "Essence": Cinderella Pumpkin, Oyster Mushrooms, Fennel Emulsion


Roasted Durham Ranch "Chateaubriand": Creamed Savoy Spinach, Applewood Bacon, Braised Kobe Beef Cheeks, Potato "Lyonnaise," Syrah Jus


Salad of Local Greens: Roasted Bull's Blood Beets, Tarragon, Horseradish Vinaigrette


"Tiramisu": Italian Espresso Cream, Ladyfingers & Spiced Apple "Risotto": Crisp Phyllo, Elderberry Gelato

Service was attentive, and the wait staff was particularly concerned about me since I was not finishing most of my food. I was having some of my typical digestive problems, and some of the cheesier, creamier dishes were bothering me. When I left most of my soup untouched, the waiter insisted on bringing me a different soup that did not have a cream base, though I had already told him that it wasn't necessary. We gave service an 8.00. We would have given the service a much higher score, if it hadn't been for the owner, Erna. Halfway through our meal, she came out from the back to stop at each table and talk with the diners. It was obvious to Shweetie and me that she did not particularly want to talk to us, and we have no idea why. She spent a lot of time at most tables, but when she was nearly to our table, she skipped over us and then went to the tables behind us. She eventually did circle back and stop at our table, but she sort of talked to us and the table next to us at the same time, directing more of her comments to the other table than to us. What's even more irritating is that we're pretty sure we were the only diners who were actually staying at her chateau. Come on, lady, you're going to snub the only people who are also staying at your property? We still can't figure out what her problem was, since we were not the only young people there, nor were we the only Asians, but seriously, she was annoying.

Décor was warm and cozy, with a nice Christmas tree near the entrance, but other than that, there was nothing about it that really stood out. We gave the décor an 8.00.

Overall, we gave this place a 76.50. It is definitely not worth the trek all the way out to Oakhurst from the Bay Area, unless you really happen to like Austrian-German inspired food. I really don't think it's deserving of all the hype it's gotten, but maybe it's just really revered because it's really the only nice restaurant within the area. I think I would have been really disappointed by this experience had it not been 50% off. Because it was such a good price, I really couldn't complain about anything, not even Erna and her snobby attitude. I don't need to come back here, though if I'm ever in the Yosemite area again, I don't know where I would dine, since we were totally unimpressed by the food at The Ahwahnee, too. I guess we'll have to bring our own food the next time we're in Yosemite!

*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*