Take Culinary Vacation With Palm Springs Resorts

Desert resorts offer world-class dining

Pamela Bieri Restaurants

Savor perfectly executed prime certified Angus beef from the char grill; succulent shrimp, lobster, and Dungeness crab in a saffron lobster cream sauce; or a healthy farm-fresh salad of locally grown romaine, red and yellow pear tomatoes, roasted peppers, and artichoke hearts, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

The burgeoning resort dining scene in the oasis has attracted nationally known and world traveled chefs as well as up-and-coming innovators whose color and taste palettes start with farm-fresh ingredients, often recently plucked from the resort’s own trees or gardens.

Indulge your taste buds at a variety of Greater Palm Springs resorts, and take the most delicious adventure of all.

Circa 59
Riviera Palm Springs

Circa 59 offers a contemporary twist on traditional menu items, artfully reinventing versions of classic favorites. Updated on a weekly basis, the continually changing menus feature sustainably raised seafood, boutique farm meats, and regionally grown produce.

Enjoy sharable plates like oysters on the half shell with ginger mignonette, cocktail sauce and lemon; a composed dish such as potato gnocchi layered with butternut squash, wild mushrooms and Brussels sprouts; and simply elegant entrees like grilled wild salmon or pan-seared organic Hunsinger Ranch chicken. In a chic, retro setting of red velvet plush with crystal chandeliers, Circa 59 serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Circa 59 is joined by the Starlight Lounge, Bikini Bar & Deep End, and the Sidebar.

www.psriviera.com/circa59-restaurant


 

 Palm Springs Restaurants King's Highway

King’s Highway
Ace Hotel & Swim Club

A renovated former Denny’s coffee shop, King’s Highway seeks to redefine American roadside cuisine at the hip Ace Hotel & Swim Club in south Palm Springs.

Executive Chef Craig Mattox sources local, organic, and artisanal products, and even grows some on property. Herbs, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, and tree fruits are integrated in beds and gardens around the property. Guests are encouraged to pluck a fresh lemon or lime from a tree to garnish drinks or a pomegranate or fig to munch on for a snack.

Working closely with County Line Harvest farm in Thermal, Mattox writes his menu around what is in season. You might find pot roast with grilled carrots and horseradish mashed potatoes or an open-faced meatloaf sandwich paired with wilted greens and grilled lemons or an array of colorful cauliflower.

www.acehotel.com/palmsprings/dining


 

Date Restaurant
Renaissance Palm Springs

Drawing its name and inspiration from locally grown California dates, Date Restaurant has an eclectic American menu that features farm-fresh produce.

Crispy chicken wings with a sweet, spicy date barbecue sauce are served with pickled baby carrots. Grilled chicken with celery, beets, carrots, jicima, and corn on a bed of field greens — all products from the Coachella Valley — comprise the Native American Salad.

Date also provides the bar menu at the resort’s Rock Lounge, where folks can sip handcrafted cocktails, wines, and brews in the ultra-hip lounge or by fire pits under the stars.

www.marriott.com


 

 Palm Springs Restaurants Tinto

Tinto
The Saguaro Palm Springs

Tinto brings a taste of the Spanish Basque region to Palm Springs with an innovative, upscale menu of tapas inspired by the pintxos (or tapas bars) and wines of northern Spain. The restaurant, housed in the colorfully refurbished Saguaro Hotel, is under the direction of Iron Chef America star Jose Garces.

Several categories of tapas and small plates range from cheese choices, marinated Mantequilla olives, smoked Marcona almonds, and figs wrapped in Serrano ham. Also available are shellfish and seafood, brochettes, canapés, charcuterie, and more composed meat and vegetable dishes. Charcuterie meats include jamón Ibérico, a dried Spanish proscuitto, and dried salami options that include chorizo Pamplona and saucisson sec. Add wine pairing for an additional cost.

For more rustic dining at The Saguaro, check out El Jefe, a tequila and margarita bar with appetizers inspired by Mexico’s diverse street foods.

www.jdvhotels.com/dining/riverside/tinto


 

Palm Springs Restaurants Parker Palm Springs

Norma’s
Parker Palm Springs

For a place and menu with a sense of sly, wacky humor, hit Norma’s at Parker Palm Springs. Enjoy the hotel’s bright, sunny mainstay restaurant named for Mr. Parker’s wife.

At Norma’s, orange and yellow canvas fabric undulates over the patio with its bright orange L-shaped banquette. Huge bamboo globes hang over tables. Here an alfresco meal is fun and fanciful any time of day or night. Indoors, under a cedar plank ceiling, white painted brick walls are decorated with a whimsical array of midcentury modern sconces and ceramic sun art.

The menu also has a sense of humor, with section titles like “Mom Can’t Make This”: a wild variety of sumptuous waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes, and the Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata that costs $100 with one ounce of Sevruga caviar or $1,000 for 9 more ounces.

www.theparkerpalmsprings.com/dine


 

The Terrace
Hilton Palm Springs

Classic American cuisine is served in a casual atmosphere at The Terrace, on the outdoor patio or poolside for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Favorites include the Mediterranean vegetable pizza with roasted garlic, mozzarella and feta cheese, and other delicious additions in a rich marinara sauce. Or try the tacos de carne asada o pollo, charbroiled steak or chicken served on a large flour tortilla filled with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, guacamole, sour cream, black olives, and green tomatillo salsa.

www.3hilton.com


 

bluEmber
Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa

Contemporary California cuisine at bluEmber in Rancho Mirage is infused with influences from around the world. Memorable dishes include vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes with burrata cheese and basil, drizzled with virgin olive oil; miso-glazed Chilean sea bass; slow barbecued braised beef short ribs; and veal osso bucco, served with creamy polenta and forest mushrooms.

If you’re in the mood for Southwestern cuisine, bluEmber offers great selections, such as mini tacos filled with smoked eggplant, mesquite barbecue duck, or achiote chicken.

Indoors or on the patio, bluEmber exemplifies the ultimate in resort dining. Other resort dining options include the R-Bar, Splash Grill, and the Palms Cafe.

www.rancholaspalmas.com


 

Palm Springs Restaurants Rockwood Grill

Rockwood Grill and Blue Star Lounge
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

Rockwood Grill is JW Marriott Desert Springs’ sophisticated new venue offering upscale, all-day dining. The restaurant’s contemporary vibe incorporates an earthy texture of wood, iron, and rock with a palette of natural tones.

Executive Chef Oliver Wolf and his team use fresh ingredients from California’s abundant farms. Rockwood Grill’s innovative yet simply presented dishes feature all-natural, antibiotic- and hormone-free beef from a farm in nearby Brawley. Cheeses are culled from Northern California’s rugged coastal areas. And a certified organic grower near San Diego provides farm greens, beets, tomatoes, mint, and eggplant. Hormone-free, organic chicken is from Petaluma. Blue Star Lounge — a dramatic, atrium bar adjacent to Rockwood Grill — offers handcrafted cocktails; local microbrews; and regional California, Washington, and international wines.

Other dining options at the resort include Mikado Japanese Steakhouse, Fisherman’s Landing, The Lobby and Sushi Bar, and Oasis Bar & Grille.

www.desertspringsresort.com


 

Lantana
Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa

Enticing flavors and a light, contemporary design make Lantana a great dining option any time of day. Enjoy golf course views through palladium windows or dine alfresco on the terrace.

The centerpiece of Lantana is its open kitchen with mesquite grills and a wood-burning pizza oven. Executive Chef Chris Mitchum and Chef de Cuisine Alexis Gutierrez aim for a global approach paired with local, artisanal ingredients: cheese, olive oils, and Pacific seafood. The menu offers small, medium, and large plates. Californian, Italian, and French vintage wines from the extensive wine library will please even the most ardent connoisseur.

The small-plates list includes shrimp tacos with pickled jicima, crushed peanuts, avocado, and cilantro. Medium plate delicacies include arugula/pecan-crusted salmon, served with risotto, toasted almonds, olives, raisins, and spinach. And if you’re really hungry, try a large plate of duck confit in a brown-sugar mustard glaze with lobster cornbread stuffing.

Other dining options at the resort include Espresso Deli and Cafe, Roadrunner Cafe, Agave Sunset Lounge, and the Oasis Pool Bar.

www.indianwells.hyatt.com


 

Sirocco
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa

Sirocco in Indian Wells is a top Zagat-rated and multiple Wine Spectator award-winning Italian restaurant featuring traditional, time-honored family dishes. Chef de Cuisine Gregorio Calderin presents an enticing selection of freshly prepared pastas, risottos, chicken, steak, and seafood.

Every meal begins with an amuse-bouche, literally to “amuse the mouth.” It’s a chef-selected morsel that tantalizes the palate and excites the senses, such as the antipastino all ‘Italiana — prosciutto, salami finocchinoa, pecorino Romano cheese with Ligurian olives, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella.

Other resort dining options include CAVA, Glo Lobby and Sushi Bar, Stir Lounge, Caf Biscotti, and The Pool Bar.

www.renaissanceesmeralda.com


 

Grove Artisan Kitchen
Miramonte Resort & Spa

Underground wells once fed the land on which Miramonte Resort & Spa stands in Indian Wells, resulting in flourishing date and citrus groves. Today, herb and vegetable gardens and a citrus grove on property inspire Executive Chef Robert Nyerick, inciting his passion for seasonally available farm-to-table ingredients. His creations feature organic produce, fresh herbs, local ranch-raised meats and poultry, Pacific seafood, house-made pastas, and prime dry-aged meats.

Start your meal off with pan-seared jumbo scallops served with oven tomatoes, baby artichokes, and organic frisée. A Mediterranean-inspired Fattoush salad offers olives, pear tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and romaine lettuce tossed with a lemon oregano vinaigrette.

www.miramonteresort.com


 

Palm Springs Restaurants Morgan's in the Desert

Morgan’s in the Desert
La Quinta Resort & Club

Celebrated chef and restaurateur Jimmy Schmidt draws inspiration from the bounty of the Coachella Valley and its environs to create contemporary American cuisine at Morgan’s in the desert.

A pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, Schmidt sources local products grown and raised responsibly. His culinary team focuses on traditional cooking methods — grilling, slow roasting, braising, pickling, and curing — to create deliciously rustic and healthful dishes.

Savor tastes offered on small plates. Sample the Bosc pear and watercress salad with spiced pecans, smoky bacon, and Maytag blue cheese. Or delight in crispy baby artichokes fresh from Coachella fields, served with almonds, olives, and a smoked chile aioli sauce for dipping.

Seasonally available meat and game birds include a pan-roasted maple leaf breast of duck paired with a two-apple salad and gingered butternut squash. Slow-braised, all-natural short ribs come with Parmesan-roasted cauliflower. From the grill, fresh Atlantic salmon, Maine diver sea scallops, and Pacific ahi tuna steaks round out an amazing selection.

Other dining options include Twenty6, Adobe Grill, Ernie’s Bar & Grill at PGA West, and Wallaby West at PGA West.

www.morgansinthedesert.com, www.laquintaresort.com