03 May Getting to know Palm Springs Restaurants at Palm Desert Food and Wine
Palm Desert in the heart of the Coachella Valley was the host of the 5th annual Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival. While the event gathered chefs, wine and spirits from around the country, it also showcased more than 30 local restaurants. This was a great way to get a taste (literally and figuratively) of the current restaurant scene in the valley. Here are the standout dishes of the weekend:
Breakfast Spots
Wilma & Frieda’s Cafe house-made English muffin with strawberry or triple berry jam
Broken Yolk Cafe waffles
Mexican Cuisine
Hacienda Cantina & Beach Club shrimp chorizo tostada
Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill sweet corn tamale with slow roasted pork
Hotel Restaurants
Rockwood Grill at the JW Marriott cold smoked salmon tartare with avocado and pea mousse and smoked pork belly pastrami on caraway seed sauerkraut, Cabernet mustard and pumpernickel bread
Citron at the Viceroy Palm Springs hamachi ceviche with lime, coconut whipped cream, purple potato with dates and jalapeño
Purple Palm at Colony Palms Hotel spanish octopus salad, ajo blanco, piquillo pepper, chorizo, celery, braised spice
Free-Standing Restaurants
Catalan Mediterranean Cuisine melon gazpacho with Spanish octopus
Copley’s on Palm Canyon chocolate peanut butter bar with balsamic berries and smoked black sea salt
Workshop Kitchen & Bar pork belly with barrel aged bourbon maple and Anson mills grits
Kaiser Grille Palm Springs duck salad and cappuccino chocolate mousse
Three Sixty North Bar & Grill seafood ceviche
Trio Palm Springs homemade chips and ranch dip
Clementine Gourmet Marketplace & Café smoked lentil, braised pork and apple slaw
Based on the samples tasted at the event, I have a long list of restaurants to visit next time I head to Palm Springs.