Heirloom tomato, fried padron pepper, avocado. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
I thought the padrons suspended above the gazpacho were a cute touch! The cold tomato soup had a great flavor and nice consistency.
Metal conquistador statue, North Palm Canyon Drive.
Standard bloody mary. $7
Circa 59, Palm Springs CA
I’ve already expressed my extreme disappointment of this restaurant so I don’t have to say too much more. This restaurant sadly relies heavily on the posh hotel and hip clientele and has placed little to no importance on the actual food or service.
Notice the empty water glasses at the table during this hot, sunny day. We were stranded at our table without a server in sight. After sweating for a while, we were finally able to flag down a manager to get us some water.
Sequin artwork, Riviera Resort.
Thin crust, New York style, neapolitan slice with sausage. $3.50
Arinell Pizza, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I could really go for a slice or Arinell right now! Their crust is amazing and they warm the slices to order – noms!
Feathery clouds above San Francisco at dawn.
Semi-firm, raw, sheep’s milk. with pear, membrillo and honey. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
Never had this cheese before and it tasted great. I’m a huge cheese fan so I’m always excited to try varieties that are new to me. I think the good food helped to calm me down after dealing with the clueless hostess and my eyes finally adjusting to the cave-like dimness of the restaurant even when it was blindingly bright outside.
Bread with smoked salmon spread. Complimentary
This was frickin’ delicious!
Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum, Poaceae) in the backyard of the PS house.
Avocado, tomato, cabbage, sriracha aioli, lime. $16
Circa 59, Palm Springs CA
Wow, I can’t believe I paid $16 for what looks like a pile of barf! The crispy fish nuggets weren’t even crispy – they were super soggy as was the super greasy tortillas that surround this messy dish. I felt like a 5 year old eating the little fish bits in my tacos.
As nice as this restaurant purports to be, they sorely lack in service and food for that matter. We were seated outside without misters and for some reason the scarce waiters refused to give us any water. We had to flag down management to finally get any water. WTF!?
Pool table area, Riviera Resort. I think that’s Mr. T on the left(?).
Nam pla, fried noodles, cucumber, lime, lettuce cups. $11
Jiao, Palm Springs CA
This was just ok tasting. Even with all those great ingredients, the chicken larb mixture was somehow bland and dry. I had to add plenty of the table sauces to make it more palatable.
Sapporo lite beer. $4
With avocado, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun, served with fries. $11
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA
I’m not usually a fan of turkey burgers because they have a tendency to dry out, but this burger was nice and juicy. And I can’t get enough of their fries, probably because I’m trying to cut down on (greasy) carbs so they’re a nice treat!
Waters. We put our paper napkin rings on the glassware, hehe!
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.
Andalusian mountain cured ham, egg salad, guindilla peppers. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
I can’t really complain about jamon serrano – I love the stuff! I really liked the texture of th eggs salad too. It was super silky and very tasty.
Our overall experience at this restaurant was a mess though. We had an early reservation because we had a flight next morning, and it was rocky from the get-go. We were the first people in the restaurant and the clueless hostess decides that she wants to sit us at some sad table surrounded by two rows of booths. Hello! This place was pretty empty throughout our dinner so I’m not sure why she wanted to seat us at such a shitty table in the first place. Thank goodness our server let us move to a more comfortable table. I will say that he was amazing – very friendly and accommodating. If it wasn’t for him, I think this dinner would have been a complete bust.
Marinated mantequilla olives. Complimentary
Mmm, I love these olives!
Wooden fence, Joshua Tree National Park.
Standard bloody mary. $7
Circa 59, Palm Springs CA
Circa 59 is the restaurant at the popular Riviera Resort Palm Springs and I gotta say, that for a nicer venue, this placed sucked! The service was horrendous and the food (posts to come) was disgusting and simply a slap in the face. Places that keep their business solely on popularity are just sad. I’m not sure how they maintain guests with such horrible service and food! It took forever to get water, order, receive our first drinks, get our food, have it cleared, get our check, pay for brunch, etc! I think our brunch took 3 hours because nobody seemed to be working. What a joke!
Succulent plant centerpiece.
Sequin artwork, Riviera Resort. Perhaps it’s Sammy Davis Jr.?
Vermicelli noodles, tomatoes, green onions, mint, cilantro, crushed peanuts, rice wine vinegar. $11
Jiao, Palm Springs CA
Mmm, this was tasty! The shrimp were tender and delicious and all the noodles and herbs kept the dish super light. A great, summery dish – noms!
Lychee iced tea. $3
Black sesame shortbread cookies. Complimentary with check
Not sure why I bought this since I’m not a huge fan of angel food cake (I mean it’s just airy carbs and sugar). But it tasted pretty good, especially with the almond slivers on top.
D T Dim Sum & Tea, San Leandro CA
With bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun, served with pesto fries. $11
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA
Mmm, this was delicious! The burger patty was juicy and tender and I love their bacon at Cheeky’s. The pesto fries were a little greasy but they had so much flavor that it was easily forgiven.
Condiments.
“Forever Marilyn” sculpture by Seward Johnson.
Vittle Monster 