December 2011 Bites

Site Staff Restaurants

Work it!
El Paseo Plaza in Palm Springs is the anticipated home of Workshop Kitchen & Bar, scheduled to open in early 2012 on North Palm Canyon Drive. “Workshop Kitchen & Bar will be a terrific addition to this city’s vibrant restaurant scene,” says Peter Mahler, managing director of El Paseo Holdings.
 
The restaurant will draw on local farmers markets. “We look forward to sharing our modern, seasonal American approach to food and drink with Palm Springs,” explains Workshop Kitchen & Bar’s Michael Beckman, who apprenticed at Lameloise, a Michelin three-star French restaurant in the Burgundy countryside.
 
Trio Takes On Lunch
Trio, the ultra-chic, orange-hued dining spot in Palm Springs Uptown Design District (707 N. Palm Canyon Dr.), rings in the holidays with the addition of chef and co-owner Mark Van Laanen’s sister, Lori Van Laanen, who recently relocated to the desert. This allows the popular eatery to expand their hours beginning Dec. 15. It’s a godsend to ladies who lunch and anyone else addicted to Trio’s quality meals.

From day one, Trio attracted foodies and midcentury modern aficionados with its attention to fresh, organic ingredients. “Lori will bring a new touch to Trio. Lunches will be a portion of our nightly menu, plus Lori’s inspirations,” says co-owner Tony Marchese. The new Van Laanen, who will be the official lunch chef, is a vegetarian, so expect more creative dishes sans meat.

“We will add vegetarian dishes to lunch and offer a nightly vegetarian special,” says Marchese. Visit www.triopalmsprings.com for more information and updates on holiday specials or www.triotogo.com for takeout meals.

Talkin’ Oaxacan
The Adobe Grille at La Quinta Resort & Club (49499 Eisenhower Dr., La Quinta) now sports a whimsical look featuring vibrant Oaxacan folk art. The desert hot spot introduced its vibrant redesigned interior, along with new drink and food menus.

Long known for traditional Mexican cuisine, warm hacienda-style setting, and signature margaritas, the restaurant not only punched up its interiors with a bold Oaxacan motif, but also unveiled a flavorful menu with a fresh take on old favorites, such as queso fundido, chicken flautas, beef sopes, asada tampiqueña, seabass a la Veracruzana, chicken molé Oaxaca, salmon manchamanteles, and roasted and salted jalapeños plantains a la molé rojo. Fresh tortillas handmade daily top off each meal. More than a dozen ultra-refreshing signature margaritas are expertly handcrafted with 100 varieties of top-notch tequila available. Visit www.laquintaresort.com or call 1-760-564-4111 for more information.

Global Delight
Tapas and terraces: These words spark dreamy images of Spain and other worldly destinations. But this romantic rendezvous with food and drink comes courtesy of locally owned Café Europa in The Corridor, where uptown meets downtown. The vibe is very hip and bucolic, featuring outdoor dining coupled with maximum mountain views and excellent people-watching in the courtyard. Inside, three walls of Fleetwood glass open to the gorgeous vistas
of the San Jacintos. Produce is delivered daily and is organic whenever practical. Café Europa’s eggs are also organic and the meats are nitrate free. It’s a refreshing experience all the way around. Call 1-760-835-5878 or visit www.cafeeuropapalmsprings.com for more information.