Peninsula Pastries is ok.
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I did not have any of the cakes or cheesecakes but they all looked very good at Artâs Deli and Bakery. The black and white cookies and rugelah also looked good but the line was too long even at 9:30am. Traditional Jewish deli type of desserts if youâre into that.
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I think Artâs is no more. Canât find anything on it.
I only get hits for Shermanâs.
Haha. I meant Shermanâs. I ate there last month. Iâm losing my mind.
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I saw the mention of Sparrows on the Korakia thread but figured I should put my question to @yogachik here. There seems to be a few options to choose from on the property. Which part do you prefer? Thanks!
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A few options where? Sparrows has just one kitchen. A menu at lunch and a menu at dinner. Breakfast is a buffet box (used to be a buffet, now comes in a box - although I havenât stayed there in a couple months).
Donât know about Korakia.
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Oh sorry. I meant actually staying at the Sparrows Lodge. It seems like there are a few different sections to the property.
no, itâs one property and the rooms/cabins flow one next to the next⌠Some rooms are around the pool, some are not (and a little larger). All rooms are fantastic - there are only 17 or 20 rooms, I believe.
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Okay gotcha. It looks lovely. Thanks!
@js76wisco Shermanâs hit it out of the park with one of the desserts. The strawberry shortcake is piled mile high with 3 layers of cake, strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries. It was very Asian in style and execution because it was not very sweetâŚperfect in my eyes.
@helen_s I was really looking forward to trying Peninsula Pastries. Unfortunately, they were unavailable for the weekend due to a staffing shortage. The lady who took my phone call was so apologetic, I partially wanted to volunteer to help. I will have to try it next time Iâm out as their croissants are made with French butter.
Over the Rainbow supplied dessert for the second birthday celebration. Cupcakes that were incredibly moist and delicious. The chocolate cupcakes were decadent and the citrusy cupcakes were delightful. Lots of great citrus flavors. Come early as they are known to close when they run out.
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Other things and places tried this weekend:
Spencerâs Restaurant -
The location is lovely. The service is great.
The food leaves much to be desired. Calamari is heavily breaded and doused in a lot of sauce. Lobster omelette was woefully overcooked. The only highlights were the mushroom bisque and gazpacho.
Townie Bagels -
Insanely good. We tore through more than a half dozen (we bought a bakerâs dozen) for 6 people in the first day. The lox and chive spreads were so goodâŚboth the best I think Iâve ever had west of NYC. The bagels were indeed perfect. Crusty, chewy and not too dense.
We also picked up some breads and crackers for general snacking with the cheeses and charcuterie we picked up from RalphâsâŚthey had a Murrayâs cheese shop inside. It made for good grazing and a light lunch.
Giuseppeâs Pizza -
The salads were great. Lots of great greens and toppings with good dressings. Supplemented our charcuterie and cheese grazing spreads.
The pizza we had delivered for dinner left much to be desired. The deep dish looked like Chicago-style but the crust didnât really hold up. Their thin crust pizzaâŚwasnât very thin crust. If you like toppings, the toppings are generous.
The Sandwich Spot -
Grabbed a sandwich on Dutch crunch while we were walking about downtown. It was really goodâŚmaybe a touch too much mayo. The textures of the fillings and the bread was really good. I would happily come back.
Lappertâs Ice Cream -
Dole whip floats are so good on a warm day in Palm Springs! Just missing a shot of rum or vodka to make it more fun.
I also loved the pistachio ice cream. Lots of great pistachio flavor.
If I had more time, Iâd had loved to come back.
Grand Central Palm Springs -
It fairly good option with lots of choices for eaters of all kinds. Service was fantastic. Cocktails are pretty good here.
The lamb Bolognese was the hit of the table also the seafood pasta.
The sourdough pizza, while good, wasnât very sourdough-y.
I made my own moule frites, and found the broth too acidic and got a bit of grit when eating the mussels.
A cool find was a wine and cigar shop across the street from Grand Central. Lots of interesting bottles and the owner was a cool dude to have a wine chat with.
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Glad it worked out. The cakes and all the pastries look outstanding.
Townie Bagels and Laepperts are always great.
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Any recommendations for grocers, farmerâs markets, specialty food shops in the desert area? Any restaurant recs in the east desert? I will be in La Quinta for a week in December
I was wondering the same thing. They have some chic, quiet looking getaways on Airbnb in LQ but not a lot in PS. Whatâs to eat and do in LQ?
Golf. Gamble.
Yeah, no. Going another route.
Reviving a very old thread.
Just back from Palm Springs and Wallyâs Desert Turtle was surprising not bad. Donât mean to damn with faint praise and I certainly donât propose that you drive out from L.A. to dine at Wallyâs, but given the dearth of good dining options in Palm Springs, it was perfectly acceptable (definitely not Sysco level), particularly when you are toting your own wine (which I highly suggest when you visit Palm Springs, because the wine offerings are pretty pedestrian). Had Caesar salad with anchovies, burrata and lobster ravioli and all were fine.
Stayed at the Avalon Hotel and the food at Chi Chiâs, the hotel restaurant, is bad and the wine list is undrinkable, so I had water. Think rubber banquet Jidori chicken.
Lunch at the Pink Cabana at the Sands Hotel in Desert Hot Springs, which is an âInstagramableâ restaurant, which may tell you all you need to know. The waiter was great, the food not so good, except perhaps the house-made naan (which kind of tastes like pizza dough), which wasnât bad.
I love Palm Springs, but it definitely is not a foodie destination.
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Agreed but the food has gotten much better over the last decade. There are some good spots listed above from attran and myself. Townie Bagels, Birba, Shermanâs and Rooster and the Pig are all places weâd eat at if they were in OC/LA area.
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There are great restaurants in Palm Springs! Workshop, Bar Cecil, Rooster and Pig, Miroâs, Birba, Mr. Lyonâs, Cheekyâs, and the restaurants at Holiday House and Sparrows are great. I would never go to Wallyâs, nor the Pink Cabana when there are lots of options, even solo.
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I really didnât mean to damn Wallyâs with faint praise because although nothing was wow (which is frankly true of a lot of places Iâve eaten in L.A.), nothing was bad either. I kind of enjoyed the old school ambience of sitting outside with live music and observing the local âcolorâ â i.e., an older woman at the next table who reeked of âIâve got money and am used to peons doing my biddingâ throwing a hissy fit to the staff about something inconsequential. Kind of how I think of La Quinta and Palm Desert with their gated communities. 