Avocado Toast at State Fare Bar & Kitchen at The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MOLLIE KIBERLING
There must be hundreds of ways to prepare avocado toast. Recipes often include an egg (over easy), heirloom tomatoes, roasted poblano, salt, pepper, garlic, onions, radishes, jalapeños, red pepper flakes, bacon, prosciutto, or even heavier proteins such as (gag me) smoked trout. They’re often served on sourdough or multigrain bread and topped with sprouts or fresh basil leaves and balsamic drizzle.
The Charcoal Avocado Toast at State Fare Bar & Kitchen at The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, might be one of the most overlooked delights on the restaurant’s menu. We suggest you order it from a table outside, overlooking the Coachella Valley. Here, the toast comes with smashed avocado, white cheddar, confit tomatoes, radish, and baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and topped with eggs sunny side up.
We also like the avocado toast at Persimmon Bistro & Wine Bar, located at Palm Springs Art Museum. It’s served on toasted artisan sourdough with housemade hummus, fresh watermelon radish, wild baby arugula, local microgreens, extra virgin olive oil, pepitas, and balsamic drizzle. Don’t be shy: Add the heirloom tomato and burrata. Persimmon reopens in September following a summer break.
PHOTOGRAPH BY NATE ABBOTT
Bread and Flour will open a storefront location Aug. 4 in Palm Springs.
Best Sourdough Bread
A Demuth Park couple, Mark Gavigan and Kristin Ryall, turned their bread obsession into a small, but thriving, home business called Bread and Flours in 2019. Gavigan carefully sources organic grains from small producers, grinds the grains himself, and then uses a slow, cool fermentation process to produce some of the best sourdough breads I’ve ever tasted.
The crusts have snap and crunch, and the chewy, dense interior has an intense tang that makes commercial sourdoughs seem insipid by comparison. Until now, it’s been available only by delivery, but Bread and Flours opens its first storefront on Aug. 4. It will be located near Toucans nightclub in North Palm Springs. — Kent Black
Best Breakfast Frittata
At Norma’s, brunch isn’t limited to the weekends. This stylish eatery at the posh Parker Palm Springs serves omelets, Benedicts, and oatmeal brûlée all day, every day. The menu is packed with so many mouthwatering options that you’ll be tempted to try them all. (Bring a large group of friends and you can!) If you have room for only one egg-ceptional dish, opt for the Egg White Frittata of Shrimp. A disc of egg whites is topped with succulent shrimp, oven-roasted Roma tomatoes, and sautéed spinach. To complete the brunch experience, pair this dish with an effervescent Bellini. What if it’s 2 p.m. on a Tuesday? Like we said, at Norma’s, bunch knows no bounds. — Catherine Downes