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
Served with Island Crystals pure sugar and CoffeeRich non-dairy creamer. Complimentary
Palm Springs (PSP) to San Francisco (SFO), United Airlines
Styrofoam cups, really?! Aren’t these banned already? Kinda tacky, but very much needed during an early morning flight.
Passengers boarding the morning commuter United flight.
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.
Diet Coke. Complimentary
San Francisco (SFO) to Palm Springs (PSP), United Airlines
The cutbacks on short, economy flights continue. Pretty soon, they may not even serve a complimentary beverage. Sadness.
Airplanes queuing up to land at SFO.
With light cream cheese and fresh fruit (kiwi, cantaloupe, grapes, strawberry).
Park Rock Cafe, Joshua Tree CA
This little cafe is adjact to the Joshua Tree visitor center and the woman who was working the counter was super friendly. This bagel wasn’t the freshest bagel ever, but I appreciated that it came with fruit (which I wasn’t expecting) so it was a great value.
Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Cener sign.
Cholla Cactus Garden (Cylindropuntia bigelovii, Cactaceae) filled with Teddy Bear chollas – watch out!
With sweet and sour pepper sauce. $7
Jiao, Palm Springs CA
I really liked this roll. The addition of ripe mango was great and the pepper sauce kept everything bright and fresh. We were looking for light fare so this was perfect!
Place settings.
Lemon tree in the backyard on a typical Palm Springs day.
This had a little too much bread to filling ratio for my taste. The pork, however, seemed less fatty than most other buns I’ve had. This is both a good and bad thing – healthier but less flavor.
D T Dim Sum & Tea, San Leandro CA
Vittle Monster 