New Menu Visit:
Claremont Hotel
41 Tunnel Road Berkeley, CA 94705
IT’S TIIIII-IIIIIIIIIIME!!
No, not for Mariah’s song… For Afternoon Tea at the Claremont!
Of all the Tea Spots I’ve visited, I get the most messages, the most inquiries, the most wish list confessions about the Claremont Hotel! Yall are obsessed!! “When will the Claremont be serving Tea again?” “Can you ask the Claremont when they’ll be serving Tea again?” “The Claremont should serve Tea all year round.” I really should have been taking screenshots, cuz yall know I love me a receipt haha.
That long awaited time is finally here! During November and December, every Saturday and Sunday, at 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM seatings, the Claremont Hotel will be serving their Festive Holiday Afternoon Tea! And of course, yours truly had the absolute pleasure of trying it all on the first day it was offered! Thank you to their amazing staff for hosting us once again and showing us a fabulous time!
What initially impressed me was how neutral this theme was executed. Festive: cheerful and jovially celebratory; Holiday: a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done. There weren’t Christmas trees everywhere, no tinsel or mistletoe. Even the menus just had a pretty floral design. So for those that don’t celebrate the popular events that happen around this time of year, they are free to come and enjoy this theme without compromising their own set of beliefs or traditions. Well done, Claremont.
Creamy Earl Grey (a remarkably heady earl grey tempered with wickedly delicious cream flavor) – I was so surprised I hadn’t ordered this one yet, as I’m a Creamy Earl Grey Girl! We made sure to try teas we hadn’t tried yet this go around. Very perfumy up front, not much depth.
Organic Oregon Mint (with a blend of the world’s finest spearmint and peppermint, this tea offers a strong aroma that’s soothing & invigorating) – Very slight minty background, not strong at all. I think I’m not too excited about the teas so much, because the food really takes center stage.
Afternoon Sparkler (Chandon champagne, Empress gin, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup) – What a cool addition to this service, we got to try some cocktails too! (clapping hands) Their sweetest bartender (always nice to see him!) surprised us with these selections, and so glad he did. So so fragrant. The citrus hits you right away, that’s niiice. Lavender is perfect. Nice tang.
Oolong Sour (oolong-infused Gold Bar whiskey, lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup) – Ohmygosh!! That’s one of the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted. You barely know you’re having alcohol, which Chef says could be a good or bad thing haha. We loved this one so much tho. “Save me sooome!”
Spectacular tier.
Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuit (Claremont Gold honey butter) – So fluffy inside, the accompaniments go so well with it, and love love love that honey. (I made sure to take some home with me this time yay!)
Lemon Poppy Scone (orange marmalade, devonshire cream) – I don’t know how he nails that crumb every. Tiiime!? Only a little lemon which I like, but serious crunch for days. Had to take a second bite, before I moved on to my next tasting…
Winter Vegetable Quiche (honeynut squash, kale) – I don’t know but I tasted greens and it brought me right back to my Southern Granny’s greens. There was an unexpected smoke. Thick, crumbly pastry. Gooood.
Wild Mushroom Tart (truffled fromage blanc) – There’s a freshness in this one right off the bat. Chewy bread, tart in the cream, micro greens were a nice finish. This was the table fave fo sho. I could’ve eaten a million of those. It was the cold, chewy mushrooms for me.
Smoked Salmon Cucumber Salad (croissant) – Love how the salmon was minced, adored that texture. Then that good crunch in the cucumber. And I love croissant anything.
Dungeness Crab Salad (fennel, avocado, parker house roll) – Very light. Loved the fennel. I am a Fennel Girrrl!!
Prime Rib (black garlic horseradish aioli, gem lettuce, caramelized onion, sourdough) – I am all about the horseradish. And that rib was so tender!
I don’t know how he exceeds EV-ER-Y TIME!!?!
I’m usually all about the biscuit…but the scone today!! I don’t even like lemon! LOL.
It’s the choice of bread for each thing too.
Vanilla Panna Cotta – The peppermint meringue was a nice touch. But I always love the fruits, so the blueberry was it for me.
White Chocolate Cranberry Financier – Cake is always so moist. The cranberry topper was quite welcome.
Matcha Roulade – Not strong matcha at all, which is a good thing for this sweet. Inhaled this one.
Citrus Cheesecake – There’s a bitter in the citrus that I really liked. The cheesecake was more spongy than I like, but I still ate it! Haha.
Strawberry Champagne Macaron – Always excellent. Perfect amount of flavor of each profile.
We (as per usual) had an AMAZING time. The meal was excellent. Chef came out a couple times to chop it up with us (do people still say chop it up?), always good to see him and hear what he has going on. [Chef Joseph L. Paire III, Executive Chef, follow him @chefjosephl] Service is always impeccable. You will be treated with only the utmost respect and care here. They made sure we had everything we needed for a brilliant afternoon. During our visit the Hotel Manager stopped by to say ‘hello’. I was so caught off guard! It was toward the end of our meal. A few sips (of each cocktail PLUS a glass of Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut, Epernay) in and my One-Bite’s just hanging out (if you don’t know what those are, click here), and here he came for a Meet + Greet! He was so kind and I was a little starstruck at the moment hahah. After he walked away, it was discovered that I had a huge black poppyseed in my teeth!! We died and cracked up about that for a couple minutes!
It seriously is always a pleasure to visit the Claremont. Their hospitality is top tier (pun intended). For all of you who ask me about this place, help me show them some love back and take advantage while their seasonal Afternoon Tea is available. You have 8 weekends still!! I just might go back too, when my sister gets back into town. She’s always wanted to go, and we have yet to! If you see me, say HI! And if you have Tea there, tell us how it went!
All Claremont Hotel related posts:
NEW MENU ALERT! Claremont Hotel | Galentine’s Day Tea
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