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Favorite Restaurants and things to do in Palm Desert

vlapinta

vlapinta

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
562
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Location
Toms River, NJ
Resorts Owned
Marriott Ocean Watch at Grand Dunes
Hubbie and I will be traveling to Palm Springs next week. We will be staying at Marriot DesertSpring Villas . We are looking for some good restaurant recommendations and fun things to do. We will have a car
 
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Our favorite restaurants in the greater Palm Springs area: Si Bon, Koutouki (the parking lot was pretty torn up by the city back in January), Old Spaghetti Factory, French Corner Cafe, Tommy Bahama, La Quinta Cliff House, Babe's BBQ (You've got to be hungry), Catalan. There are also a bunch of chain restaurants - Cheesecake Factory, Yard House, Olive Garden etc etc.

If it is your first time, you may want to do the tram ride. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is excellent. We've been to Joshua National Park, no for us but a favorite for hikers. There are museums and a Thursday night market in Palm Springs. Street Fair at the College of Desert if you want to look at knickknacks. The Gardens on El Paseo, great shopping, art galleries and restaurants.

Lots of great golf courses that don't break the bank.
 
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VacationForever said:
Our favorite restaurants in the greater Palm Springs area: Si Bon, Koutouki (the parking lot is pretty torn up by the city back in January), Old Spaghetti Factory, French Corner Cafe, Tommy Bahama, La Quinta Cliff House, Babe's BBQ (You've got to be hungry), Catalan. There are also a bunch of chain restaurants - Cheesecake Factory, Yard House, Olive Garden etc etc.

If it is your first time, you may want to do the tram ride. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is excellent. We've been to Joshua National Park, no for us but a favorite for hikers. There are museums and a Thursday night market in Palm Springs. Street Fair at the College of Desert if you want to look at knickknacks. The Gardens on El Paseo, great shopping, art galleries and restaurants.

Lots of great golf courses that are don't break the bank.
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Thanks for all of these suggestions. There are a number that we haven't tried yet. Thanks!

Here are some of our old favorites:
1. Morton's (bar menu)
2. Ruth's Chris' (bar menu)
3. Marriott Fisherman's landing (Use Marriott card for discount)
4. Sherm's NY Deli (we go there every trip)
5. Grill-a-burger
6. Ristorante Mama Gina's
7. Cafe Des Beaux Arts
8. Papa Dan's (use Marriott card for discount)

BTW, I think that the French Corner Cafe is not currently open for dinner.
 
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We are booked for Christmas week with the kids. Any suggestions for families and kids? How is the pool temperature in December? They love pools so I suspect they will want to play in the pool everyday.
 
JW Marriott at Desert Springs had gondola rides in the evening that was fun. We used it to dine at Mikado (Japanese Teppanyaki), and you see swans along the way. They stopped it during COVID and back in January they had not restarted.
 
TravelTime said:
We are booked for Christmas week with the kids. Any suggestions for families and kids? How is the pool temperature in December? They love pools so I suspect they will want to play in the pool everyday.
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There is a little shack thing for kids activities. They also had magic shows every week and I think they also stopped during COVID. I am no help when it comes to pool because we mostly golf. The website shows that pools are heated.

www.marriott.com

Experiences | Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I

Discover experiences at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I. From on-site amenities to nearby attractions, enjoy activities that make every stay memorable.
www.marriott.com www.marriott.com
 
The Shade
The resort's recreational center is home to the Maze Kids' Club, an activity center where kids ages 4 and up can enjoy the facilities and programs with their parents. The center does not offer supervised kids' programs, with the exception of occasional Kids' Night Out programs for children ages 4 to 12. The center offers bicycle rentals, fitness classes, Wii, iPads, a rock-climbing wall, table tennis, Foosball and a 15-seat movie theater. A demonstration kitchen is also located here, with special sessions for families like candy sushi making and pizza cooking lessons. The Shade is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Den
For teens, the Den, also located at The Shade, provides a place to get away from their parents from 4 to 8 p.m. daily. The Den features a flat-screen TV, Wii, Xbox and iMac computers for connecting with friends back home.
 
+1 each for Sherman's Deli, Papa Dan's, Babe's BBQ, Tommy Bahama, and Mikado (it's open again according to their website). Also Las Casuelas Nuevas for Mexican.
 
About 1 hr away, visit Pioneertown and dinner at Pappy and Harriets

Integraton- If you can get an appointment for a sound bath give it a try. I'm not into new age, but I do enjoy interesting and unusual things. If you can't get an appointment, they can put you on a waiting list. Visit their gift shop and relax in a hammock for awhile. You can go see Giant Rock and and Gubler orchids farm while you wait to see if you can get in. Gublers also has a large selection of carnivorous plants to look at.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Museum- Purposely dilapidated sculpture garden, very interesting to see how "junk" is remade to art.

The Tram- I know I am prone to vertigo so I took some bonine before we did it and I was fine.

Boomers- 2 mini golf courses, racetrack, end with the bumper boats because you will be soaking wet. A 2 hour time purchase was enough for us to do the outdoor activities, if you are military or retired military there is a substantial discount.
 
I think there's a couple of farmers' markets that are great with lots of local arts/crafts--check online to see when they are. I've seen a couple recommendations for Sherman's deli (there's two--one in PS and one in Palm Desert)--great brisket! If you like Mexican food, any of the Las Casuelas restaurants have a margarita as big as your head. Good food too.
 
Just returned from Palm Springs yesterday. Second year in a row we ate only at Sherman’s during our three day trip. Pastries and cabbage rolls and brisket, oh my!
 
clifffaith said:
Just returned from Palm Springs yesterday. Second year in a row we ate only at Sherman’s during our three day trip. Pastries and cabbage rolls and brisket, oh my!
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We go to Palm Desert two to four times a year and always eat (once) at Sherman's. The portions are big enough that the left-overs provide an extra lunch or dinner.

One of my favorites is the French Dip. It is very consistent and good at Shermans. Plus I like the Kraut and deli pickles.
 
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. We ended up going to Pacifica for seafood, mimmos for Italian, Pueblo Viejo for Mexican, Tropical in Palm Springs, Tommy Bahamas, and SiBon for Mother,’s Day brunch. We had great meals all week. Service was good too. Our favorites were SiBon, Pacifica and Tommy Bahamas.
 
vlapinta said:
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. We ended up going to Pacifica for seafood, mimmos for Italian, Pueblo Viejo for Mexican, Tropical in Palm Springs, Tommy Bahamas, and SiBon for Mother,’s Day brunch. We had great meals all week. Service was good too. Our favorites were SiBon, Pacifica and Tommy Bahamas.
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Glad you have enjoyed your time there. Sibon is our favorite and we sometimes ate 3 meals a day there.
 
I appreciated all of the suggestions here. Just finished a week at Embarc (now HGVC) and had nice lunches at:

Shermans - of course. We go every time we come.
Babe's BBQ (along with a separate take-out order for dinner). Great BBQ and a lovely restaurant.
Pueblo Viejo Grill - a little tricky to find in the Village at University Park and not much to look at from the outside but nice decor inside, good Mexican, good Margueritas and clearly loved by locals. Started in Indio in 2005.

I also visited The Integreton which was mentioned in this thread. Very interesting experience. If the info on the website seems intriguing, appealing, interesting or like an interesting outing (1 hour drive from PD and close to Pioneertown) it is worth the trip. If it seems to "woo-woo", odd or too far to drive I would skip it.

[Mods feel free to label this 2022 since it is 15 months old. The just seemed like the right place for the information].

​

 
Hope it is okay that I keep this thread going instead of starting my own.

Just beginning a week in Palm Desert right now, and glad to find this thread giving me some ideas for new places to try. Tommy Bahama and Sherman's have always been musts here, but beyond that we are still trying to find some favourites worthy of a return trip.

That said, we are looking for a suggestion for steak. Doesn't have to be a steakhouse, if you know of a restaurant that does things right and has good cuts on the menu. Other than Morton's and Ruth's Chris, does anyone have other suggestions?

Thanks.
 
marmite said:
That said, we are looking for a suggestion for steak. Doesn't have to be a steakhouse, if you know of a restaurant that does things right and has good cuts on the menu. Other than Morton's and Ruth's Chris, does anyone have other suggestions?
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You might want to give Babe's BBQ a try. Although it sounds like a BBQ joint, it has a very upscale interior (I kept telling my husband it felt like a really nice steak house and way nicer than I expected), good service, full bar and they do have regular steak on the menu in addition to BBQ. Fillet, bone-in ribeye and Porterhouse listed on the menu.
 
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Not a restaurant, but our go-to place for steak is Stater Brothers markets. Our local stores have an in-house butcher and they regularly run sales. (If you don't see a cut you like, ask the butcher.) There's a Staters not too far from Desert Villas.

So if you don't mind grilling....

Stater's weekly ads run from Wednesday through the following Tuesday. Today (December 12) is the final day of the current ad. NY steak is on sale for $6.99 a pound. That's a decent price for a cut we like.

You can search for their ad online. I don't see steak next week, but they'll have Tri- tip for $4.99 a pound.
 
zentraveler said:
You might want to give Babe's BBQ a try. Although it sounds like a BBQ joint, it has a very upscale interior (I kept telling my husband it felt like a really nice steak house and way nicer than I expected), good service, full bar and they do have regular steak on the menu in addition to BBQ. Fillet, bone-in ribeye and Porterhouse listed on the menu.
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Thanks. This place was on our list for trying this week for BBQ, but didn't even realize the menu went beyond that. I have walked by this restaurant so many times and never ventured in. Will do it this time!
 
GetawaysRus said:
Not a restaurant, but our go-to place for steak is Stater Brothers markets. Our local stores have an in-house butcher and they regularly run sales. (If you don't see a cut you like, ask the butcher.) There's a Staters not too far from Desert Villas.

So if you don't mind grilling....

Stater's weekly ads run from Wednesday through the following Tuesday. Today (December 12) is the final day of the current ad. NY steak is on sale for $6.99 a pound. That's a decent price for a cut we like.

You can search for their ad online. I don't see steak next week, but they'll have Tri- tip for $4.99 a pound.
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I have driven by one of their locations before, but didn't know anything about it. I will definitely check it out even if we don't grill this trip. Thanks so much.
 
Didn’t see anyone mention it here, but Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant in La Quinta is our “go-to” whenever we visit the area. With their 4 separate rooms of memorabilia representing the 4 Majors, it is like visiting a museum, but the food is great as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mentioned in a different thread, I discovered two new favorites while I was in Palm Desert last summer: Mi Cultura (Peruvian and Colombian) - best empanadas I've ever had, plus they have many other delicious offerings; and Gastro Grind Burgers, even better than Grill-A-Burger (by far) in my opinion. Both are in Palm Desert, and only a few blocks from each other.

Also, for awesome deli sandwiches, The Real Italian Deli is next door to Mi Cultura, and TKB Bakery & Deli in Indio is well worth the drive.
 
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PcflEZFlng said:
Mentioned in a different thread, I discovered two new favorites while I was in Palm Desert last summer: Mi Cultura (Peruvian and Colombian) - best empanadas I've ever had, plus they have many other delicious offerings; and Gastro Grind Burgers, even better than Grill-A-Burger (by far) in my opinion. Both are in Palm Desert, and only a few blocks from each other.

Also, for awesome deli sandwiches, The Real Italian Deli is next door to Mi Cultura, and TKB Bakery & Deli in Indio is well worth the drive.
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Yes, I did see that other thread and took note of Mi Cultura. Wasn't quite sure what I'd order there, but thanks for the recommendation of the empanadas. I had been to Grill-A-Burger on a previous trip, so instead tried Gastro Grind Burgers a couple of days ago. Had "The Oinker Burger" which has pork belly and a fig sauce, would definitely get that again.
 
Well, it is the end of the week and I did not get to make it to all the great places suggested. I will keep the other suggestions for my trip next year. I still think I did pretty good. As you can see from the long list, we only ate breakfasts at home.

Returned to some old favourites of Tommy Bahama, Sherman’s Deli and Cane's,

New to me were Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, Si Bon, Babe's BBQ, Pueblo Viejo Grill, Gastro Grind Burgers, TKB Deli and Ruth's Chris. Although I will return to about half these places, happy hour at Ruth's Chris' was excellent. That place is absolutely packed by 4PM and seems to have a loyal clientele. I was glad to get there by opening for a table. Great food, wine, service and atmosphere will make it a repeat for sure.

A trip to Palm Desert requires at least one date shake. We tried date shakes at Shield’s Date Garden in Indo (our usual go-to) and Lappert’s Ice Cream in Palm Desert. Shield's shake is vanilla ice cream with their own date crystals, and Lappert's is date ice cream with homemade local date paste. They are both great but very different. The Lappert's definitely has pieces of date throughout if you don't mind the occasional chewiness in your shake.

Still have to figure out breakfast for tomorrow as we're out of groceries. I have only been to Wilma and Frieda here, so if you have other suggestions let me know.

Thanks everyone.
 
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