Clementine Palm Desert Expands Worldly Menu With Spanish Tapas

Provides alternative to a heavy evening meal

Michelle Roe Restaurants

 

Who knew that a little orange citrus would create the aptly named Clementine Gourmet Marketplace and Café, the warm, welcoming café and marketplace in Palm Desert that has added a new twist to its offerings.

Chef Christophe Douheret, and his wife, Jennifer, have taken their standard café/lunch spot and expanded it into the evening featuring traditional Spanish tapas with savory dishes from all over the Mediterranean.

The newly added tapas menu will be offered from 5- 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Clementine serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Their retail area, deli and patisserie counters stay open until 5 p.m. every day except Sunday.

“Our customer’s were always asking, ‘Are you open for dinner on a regular basis?’” Jennifer says. “So, we decided to expand our successful breakfast and lunch service to include evenings where we’ll provide a fun, relaxed atmosphere to compliment our amazing new inspired, lite dinner, tapas menu.”

“Tapas with a Twist”

  • Gambas al Ajillo: fresh prawns in sizzling olive oil with garlic and chili peppers
  • Patatas bravas: fried potato wedges served with a spicy alioli sauce

  • Gazpacho: cold tomato soup with cucumber and garlic
  • Jamón Iberico: thinly sliced salt cured ham from free range pata negra pigs
  • Albóndigas: meatballs – most often pork, but also of beef or seafood

Chef Gavin Grabe has prepared a menu offering an alternative to a traditional heavy dinner meal with bite-size plates offered in three price options: $6 , $9, and $12 per plate. Each tapas dish is artfully arranged to showcase amazing flavors with mix and match pairings.

The Douheret’s have created a little bit of Mediterranean paradise in Palm Desert by infusing their personal experiences and lifestyle to reflect the very essence of “Countries of the Sun” including France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco.

The couple met over business in San Diego when California native Jennifer, who was raised in Naples, Italy, sold then restaurant chef Christophe, who hails from Cannes, France,  a case of Clementine’s tangerines.

They fell in love, have two children, created successful careers in the culinary world and finally, moved to the desert to pursue their vision and perfect combination of fun living, fine food, and gracious hospitality.

“We greet our guests as family, and share our passion for authentic European foods, fine gifts, and delightful treats,” Jennifer says. “Anyone who enters Clementine arrives a stranger and leaves a friend.”

While You’re There

  • Try patisserie inspired by the French
  • Sip coffee Italian Style
  • Purchase a lovely Moroccan candle holder

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