Lindsay’s Tea Party has been out and about this Christmas season sampling some of the best teas in greater San Diego! I love when I get to experience a “new” tea for the first time, and recently I discovered L’Auberge L’Tea by the Sea! Those of you who know me, know how much I love both TEA and the SEA!
This tea is such a treat! The settings are out at noon at 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays and the Living Room tables face the beautiful Del Mar Ocean. What could be more perfect than your favorite cuppa tea and the vast sea!! It’s quite the perfect combination. 
The tea service is planned for every Saturday and Sunday in December; Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve; Christmas Day; and New Year’s Eve.
The stylish tea service with delectable bites including Blue Cheese Popover, Tuna Nicoise Bliniand Cucumber Banh Mi, along with desserts like Cinnamon Scone, Goat’s Milk Shortbreadand Chocolate Pomegranate Tart will be offered $39 per person; $49 with Champagne, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Limited seating and credit card needed for reservations of course.
This month (December) they are featuring a unique holiday menu including:
Holiday Tea Selections
Organic Wild Cranberry Hibiscus Tea (this is the one we sampled and it’s a vibrant red tea in your cup)
wild american cranberries, hibiscus petals, rose hips & china black tea with a
luscious berry taste & lemony finish. contains caffeine.
Organic Earl Grey Tea
fragrant ceylon & indian assam black teas scented with essence of italian
bergamot oil. classic for afternoon high-tea, great any time of day! contains
caffeine.
Organic Cinnamon Vanilla Tea
bursting with the scents and flavors of the holiday season, spicy cinnamon from
indonesia and pure vanilla beans blended with whole-leaf black tea. contains
caffeine.
Organic Apple Green Tea
tender green tea leaves full of antioxidants from china. infused with ripe apple
pieces. aromatic & refreshing any time of day. contains caffeine.
Organic Peppermint Tisane
100% peppermint leaves, fragrant & naturally minty. a perfect digestive and
natural energizer. soothing and refreshing. caffeine-free.
Organic Chamomile Tisane
100% whole golden chamomile flowers from egypt. sweet, mild, soothing flavor
– melts the stress of any day away! caffeine-free.
Coastal Finger Sandwiches 
Mini croissant with nectarine, pecan, cucumber, chicken salad
Blue cheese popover, duck confit, fig jam
Buffalo deviled egg, blue cheese, celery
Tuna nicosia blini
Cucumber bani mi
Seaside Sweets
Goats milk short bread, kumquat jam
Pistachio, brown butter scone, lime curd
Lavender honey Macaron
Chocolate pomegranate tart
Cinnamon scone
$39 per person plus tax and gratuity
$49 with a glass of champagne
Now it’s your turn to enter for a chance to win a TEA FOR 2 CERTIFICATE to L’Tea by the Sea @ L’Auberge!
NEXT TEA YOU NEED TO RESERVE!!
On Valentine’s weekend, L’Auberge Del Mar will offer a special Lovers’ Tea which will be served Friday, February 12 to Sunday, February 14 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Living Room.
As the Editor of LTP, I participate in review opportunities and I then share as I see fit. All opinions expressed are that of Lindsay’s Tea Party and are honest and reflect my actual experiences. I would like to extend a special thank you to the L’Auberge for the opportunity to review its fabulous L’Tea by the Sea and share our highlights with Lindsay’s Tea Party (LTP) readers. We truly enjoyed our visit and L’Auberge is a special hotel in Del Mar! Tea by the sea is one of my most favorite past times.
For more information on a review or giveaway, please visit my Media Kit
Kate - Highlights Along the Way says
Fun giveaway! The link doesn’t seem to work for the 2nd fb page – but I think I already like them =) fingers crossed – looks like a fun place!
Rebecca Wade says
After going to the Grand Del Mar for 7 years for holiday tea, we decided to try L’Auberge. We were having trouble making holiday tea reservations at the Grand… and I started trying in September. I made reservations in October for the L’Auberge “Holiday Tea”.
We were a party of 11 on Sunday December 20, 2015 for the 2pm L’Tea by the Sea and it was an unmitigated disaster. First, L’Auberge called me at 1pm wondering where we were… for a 2pm reservation? Apparently they were expecting us at 12pm. I called and spoke to someone the day before confirming that there would by 11 (not the original 16) at 2pm for “L’tea by the Sea”. The L’Auberge representative said she “had it in her book” and asked me if they had taken my credit card info. I told her that I did not remember, but that I would gladly give it to her. She said she would check and call back if they didn’t have it. She never called back so I assumed all was good.
When we arrived at 2pm, we were seated at a long dining table in the empty restaurant. I had envisioned our party sitting in the lobby in several of the tables with couches; not in a closed off empty restaurant. Not only was there not an ocean view for our L’tea by the Sea, there was no music, no ambiance, not one decoration in the entire place. Not one strand of tinsel. They did not even bother having a centerpiece. And to add insult to injury, they decided to do kitchen prep in this open air (empty save for our party) room. Dumping ice over bottles, loudly refilling utensils, sweeping the and mopping the kitchen area.
The cups were not tea cups, ok… not a big deal except they were bigger than the tiny teapots. So 11 people with 4 or 5 teapots with water that will fill less than one cup. Bagged tea; not loose tea… and not the teas you listed. Even though that is what is on the website currently. Our server told us that the list of teas were from a press release and they have never served the cranberry tea list… which you apparently were served. The champagne was prosecco, not champagne. Again, no big deal normally… but it say sparkling wine unless you have champagne.
The food was excellent. That was the saving grace, but not enough to ever go back. The servers knew we were unhappy. We asked about the noise and if they could at least put on some holiday tunes. Nope. So we had my iPhone plays some carols… and we sung a few ourselves. And even when we told the server that the manager should know that the website had incorrect information, they said “ok.” No manager ever stopped by, no one ever apologized for the noise and we were treated as if we inconvenienced them by coming.
Our L’Tea by the Sea experience was a BIG thumbs down.