VIDEO: Chef Christophe Douheret of Clementine Gourmet Marketplace & Café in Palm Desert puts together a summer treat, Nicoise Pan Bagnat.
As you take a break from the pool to refuel with brunch, lunch, happy hour or dinner, more restaurants are staying open with summer-savvy offerings that will keep you cool and refreshed as you beat the heat in Greater Palm Springs.
Clementine Gourmet Marketplace and Café off El Paseo in Palm Desert will stay open all summer this year, and owners Christophe and Jennifer Douheret are excited about the seasonal specials. Fresh menu items like the Summer-coise and its sandwich version, the Nicoise Pan Bagnat. are popular offerings that French-born chef and owner, Christophe, proudly shares from his summers living in Cannes, France.
“Pan Bagnat translates to bathed bread. It is a portable Salade Nicoise on bread to transport it to the beach in the summer,” he says.
photo by lori cohen-sanford
The classic Nicoise Salade (Summer-coise) and the Pan Bagnat both feature house-poached ahi tuna, beans, eggs, olives, tomato, cucumbers, capers and a classic, house-made, red wine vinaigrette.
The menu at Clementine is plentiful with salads and sandwiches, as well as flatbreads and tartines. The 4-5-6 Happy Hour is offered daily, featuring $4 well drinks, $5 glasses of wine/draft beer and a variety of $6 tapas. Breakfast is served daily until 3 p.m.
Clementine Gourmet Marketplace & Cafe, 72990 El Paseo, Suite 3, Palm Desert. 760-834-8814; www.clementineshop.com
Photo courtesy of Workshop Kitchen + Bar
Head out in the cooler morning hours to fuel up and start the weekend off right. Workshop Kitchen + Bar in Palm Springs will have you pool party-ready with a list of artisan-crafted, brunch cocktails, like the gin-based Ramos Gin Fizz or the tequila-touting Mexican Firing Squad.
Workshop Kitchen + Bar is known for its James Beard Award-winning design and its commitment to a rotating menu of seasonal, local ingredients. The ethos of design and hand-crafted ingredients extends to its cocktails. Fans of the bar will delight in the summer cocktail menu, like the Day Drinker, made with pale ale, herb-infused grappa, lemon juice, lemon zest and served with a salted rim.
Sumptuous sippers are on offer every day, while bottomless mimosas made with local oranges are on offer during brunch only, Sunday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Sip something cool and refreshing with the Half Avocado, baked with local goat cheese and drizzled with honey and chopped almonds. Or, order the Main Lobster Breakfast Burrito, and get ready to make a splash.
Workshop Kitchen + Bar, 800 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite C, Palm Springs, 760-458-3451; www.workshoppalmsprings.com
photo courtesy of pomme frite
For summer, the Best of Soups Cold Soup Trio is a refreshing combination of vichyssoise, gazpacho and carrot-ginger soups.
At Pomme Frite, in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, enjoy the ambiance of a quaint and cozy European bistro featuring Belgian specialties.
Pomme Frite is overseen by the owner and offers indoor and patio seating throughout the summer. A summer prix fixe menu offered at $24.99 includes a wide variety of European cuisine, such as mussels, Nicoise salad, fish or steak with frites, and a selection of light and classically prepared European desserts. Enjoy dinner with a chilled glass of Rose wine.
Pomme Frite, 256 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, 760-778-3727; www.pomme-frite.com
photo courtesy of johnny rockets rancho mirage
The Smoke House Double Burger is a summer indulgence you can sink your teeth into, piled high with two beef patties, bacon, signature sourdough onion rings and cheese.
Johnny Rockets off Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage has classic roadside/soda shop décor that will evoke nostalgic, summer days of childhood. Hop on a shiny, chrome, barstool and order up the Summer Yum! special, featuring the classic tastes of summer.
For $24, two people can fill up on Smoke House Double Burgers, fries, and ice cream floats.
New menu items themed to remind diners of summer road trips across America’s Iconic Route 66 include newly created burgers, sandwiches (think chicken and pastrami), and classic flavors of ice cream soda floats.
Johnny Rockets, 71885 Highway 111 at Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, 760-674-3120; www.johnyrockets.com
photo courtesy of ritz-carlton rancho mirage
State Fare Bar & Kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage offers a stunning summer setting to e njoy a specially-priced three course dinner before the sun sets.
State Fare Bar & Kitchen, located on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton, is open for its second summer season in Rancho Mirage.
If you find yourself famished after a day of sun and pool play, State Fare Bar & Kitchen offers a Sunset Supper menu that will inspire you to venture out to experience fine hotel dining in a relaxed setting.
Sunday through Thursday between 5-7 p.m., select a three-course meal priced at $38, including starters like Pea Soup or Organic Kale Salad. Enjoy entrée selections such as Ale Braised Short Ribs, Sea Bass or Bucatini Pasta. Finish with light, summery desert of Fruit Cobbler with Ice Cream.
State Fare Bar & Kitchen at The Ritz-Carlton, 68900 Frank Sinatra Drive, Rancho Mirage, 760-321-8282; www.ritzcarlton.com
photo courtesy of mastro's steakhouse
The 8-ounce Petite Filet is a prime cut of beef at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Palm Desert. It is one of the menu selections offered as part of the Summer of Luxury special.
Summer tan-lines and fashion finery need an evening destination to see and be seen. Mastro’s Steakhouse on El Paseo in Palm Desert is just that sort of place.
Featuring a Summer of Luxury menu, priced at $55 for three courses (including two side dishes), the price of luxury can hardly be beat. With classic steakhouse favorites like French Onion Soup, Chopped and Wedge Salads, Salmon, Double Cut Pork Chops, Petite Filet, Creamed Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cheese, Chocolate or Butter Cake, summer just got a whole lot cooler.
Mastro’s Steakhouse, 73405 El Paseo #120, Palm Desert, 760-776-6777; www.mastrosrestaurants.com
photo courtesy of eureka!
Eureka! in Indian Wells is the place to head for ‘Hoppy Hour’ and quench your thirst not once, but two times a day all summer long.
Eureka! offers $2 off of draft/bottled beers, wines by the glass, and vodka drink specials every day between 2-5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close. On Tuesdays, bottled wines are half-priced and on Saturday and Sunday, Bloody Mary’s are $5.
“Hoppy Hour” daily appetizers range from $3 – $8, and offer summer-satisfying bites for everyone, including favorites like the Osso Bucco Riblets, Corn Dogs, Fried Chicken Sliders and Truffle Fries. If you are looking for a mid-day break to quench your thirst or a last-stop locale, Eureka! is open late.
Eureka!, 74985 Highway 111, Indian Wells, 760-834-7700; www.eurekarestaurantgroup.com
Lori Cohen-Sanford is a private/personal chef, cooking class instructor and owner of Nourishfoods Organic Meal Services www.nourishfoods.biz. Tastes Around Town will appear weekly on Wednesdays. Follow her on Twitter @nourishfoodsps.
Like what you're reading? Then "Like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter.