Melvyn's Palm Springs

If you have ever wondered what old Palm Springs was like back in the days when Sinatra and Bing were running around, Then you have to experience the very old school restaurant called Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn. this place is virtually the last hold out of a dying dining art form. Here is a place where waiters wear white tuxedo jackets in the day and black ones at night. The land of crumb combs and exquisitely attentive service. I can't stand going to pseudo trendy eating establishments where the wait staff is more concerned with their "hipster" appearance and the chef is the star. At Melvyn's it's done the right way. The customer is the star and you are truly treated like one. From the time you are greeted at the door to the time you are bade a kind thank you and have a good day. Most trendy eateries today forget that we, the people are the stars and not your wait staff or your tre chic establishment it is we the customer who come to give you money, so we should be treated like stars and not second class citizens. I find it really crass that there are so many eateries around town where you don't even get a "good evening", just a hostess who looks at you and says "how many?" and rarely a "thank you" on your way out. Customer service in the restaurant business today is at its all time low.

The decor of Melvyn's I don't think has changed since the 1970's, it's a time warp of plastic grapes hanging from the ceiling to plaster Roman pillars. But it's just so cool in it's own little dimension a little corner of the culinary universe that time has just forgotten.

The history of Melvyn's or more specifically the Ingleside Inn where Melvyn's resides is that it was once a very exclusive boutique hotel where the owner, Ruth Hardy ran it with a who's who only, iron fist, you didn't call for reservations the hotel virtually would call you. You had to be invited and if you did call and you didn't measure up to Ruth Hardy's standards you were just told that there was "no room at the Inn".
The small restaurant was for guests only and not open to the public. Everyone from Salvador Dali to Howard Hughes stayed at this place. Can you imagine being at the bar having a drink with Dali and Hughes? Hello Dali!

This woman virtually started to change this desert town on her own from a drive through little town to a destination of the stars and power brokers.
Ruth Hardy passed on in 1965 and unfortunately the Inn fell into disrepair. It's glory days behind her now and she would soon be gone if not for the next owner, a Mr. Melvyn Habar, who bought the place in April 1975.
I know I'm drolling on about the history of this place, but I find it fascinating, especially the history of a town like Palm Springs. Where the ghosts of the past still linger on in establishments such as this.
Melvyn Habar was from New York on a vacation out to the area. He made his money and tons of it selling "automobile novelties". From dashboard hula dancers to car fresheners. He was a perfect candidate to rehab the Inn and a true working mans rags to riches story.

He opened it up to the public, both the Inn and the restaurant, naming it of course after himself. The place has impeccable service from the valet, whom, by the way is not a pimply faced 17 year with that "whatever" look on his face. these guys older and were pro's.There is something to be said for those who choose to be professional service people. I mean I find it a refreshing thing of beauty for a man to have an entire career out of being a waiter. In today's world we are inundated with images and opinions of what we should do and be in our lives. The professional waiter is definitely a dying art form. There is true beauty in the movements and customs of a true professional waiter. Like watching a Japanese tea master at work where every move has taken years to perfect. such is the level of discipline the waiters here have achieved. They are never more than 6 feet away from you at any time. waiting for the chance to fill your glass with more wine or water.
This is an art that is truly dead in most cities as the trendy snot nosed 20 somethings with piercings in their ears the size of bus exhaust pipes yawn and look at their Chinese made "nixon" watches waiting for their guaranteed 18% gratuity, while doing nothing. sad state indeed. It's just never a complete restaurant if the foods good and the wait staff sucks.

The menu is pure shagadelic sophisticato. It is old school rich and hasn't changed for years. and that's OK, I mean a place like this should never change. It's a legend and it should remain legendary.

 Celebrity sightings are kitschy yes, But it shows the level of service this place has. and everyone is treated like Ol Blue eyes here. It was Sunday and it was brunch time. I'm not a brunch person at all. I don't care for food in chaffing trays, piled up  under heat lamps. None of that here. all off the menu and of course the champagne flows free-ly as well. The champagne might say Melvyn's on the bottle but at one point I believe it belonged to Andre. Ok, My only complaint.

Now the bloody Mary's on the other hand were perfect.

It had a pickled green bean in it that was just amazing! I have never had a bloody Mary with this garnish. Nice and spicy. The bread basket came next and it was filled with very light and flaky croissant's and and what seemed like a blueberry scone of some sort. but I have to tell you that it was so light and airy more like a biscuit than scone.

I'm not a sweet guy in the morning, in more ways than one, but this blueberry thingy was perfect. I could have eaten ten of them like a blueberry scone chipper shredder.

I spied on the menu Pate Masion $9.50. I love Pate  and this was house made. So we had to order it. It was probably one of the finest Pate's I have ever had. My compliments to the chef. It was so satiny and smooth. With a perfect texture and slight gameness with what seemed like a splash of sherry in it as well. The perfect breakfast next time will be just this dish and the free champagne and you are set for the day and will be very happy.

On the plate were various fruits, cornichons and capers. Some house made mayonnaise and a dollop of house made Jalapeno jelly. OMG. I could have heated a spoonful of this jelly up, tied a napkin around my arm tapped a vein and mainlined it right there in the dining room. It was perfect and went exquisitely with the sublime Pate.

Served with toast points. Heaven. I can assure you that the picture below was unintentional. But it turned out to be very funny. Goofy sculpture in Pate.

 

I could have just eaten this and been very happy. Next we ordered the Steak Venetian $21.00. It's a take off of the classic Eggs Benedict. This one comes with medallions of filet Mignon poached eggs and Bearnaise sauce on toasted English muffins.

Sometimes it's tough for a restaurant to get poached eggs right. these were perfect 3 minute eggs. The steak was grilled and cut like butter. when you poked the egg the dish came together as the creamy egg yolks mixed with the Bearnaise and was soaked up by the various nooks and crannies of the English muffin.

I ordered the Melvyn's Famous Cobb Salad $19.50. Now the Cobb salad was introduced at the legendary Brown Derby in Los Angeles in 1937, And made by the owner Robert Cobb, Cousin of Ty Cobb. And has a similar story on how it came to be, like the Buffalo Wing. on a whim as a late night snack for a customer. Only this one was made for Sid Grauman, who owned Grauman's Chinese Theater. It was a hit. And after that night it became a staple at the Brown Derby and caught on at every sophisticated hot spot. It was made and served table side. Virtually no one serves it table side anymore. Like the Caesar Salad and Fettuccine Alfredo. the table side service of these classics has gone the way of the dodo long ago. All were made at your table. But in the land of Chili's and Applebee's. They have become as dull and sad as Maury saying Moisha he is not the father.

But wait! Can it be that Melvyn's being that old school tuxedo wearing eatery of the glitterati would uphold the pomp and pageantry of this dish? Why yes of course. I was so pleasantly surprised when the waiter strolled up with his Cobb salad making cart and started to make it for us.

It was like watching an artist in his prime. it was pure theater. it was so elegant and perfect.

Every step choreographed and honed the way only a professional doing it for years of dedicated service can  attain.

There are many variations for the dressings used to bind this salad together. The original used a concoction of red wine vinegar and dried mustard. The one at Melvyn's seemed to have a very light and tangy Blue cheese dressing. it was very good. I think I would have said it was very good even if it was bad. Just because of the way it was made. It's the way dining used to be when the stars were everywhere in Palm Springs. this is a place that makes you feel like you are truly the guest of honor, even if your a nobody, like me. just a schmo looking for a snack on a Sunday morning to begin the day.

The dress is always casual in Palm Springs so no worries on what to wear, even here. At night if your under dressed for the festivities, no one will whisper a word and you will be treated like a star all night. This is the twilight zone of eateries in the area. And it's a must if you go to Palm Springs. Even just for the Pate Maison and a bloody marry, you'll be fine.

I love the Palm Springs area and this place is pure palm Springs. From the fountain out front to the OG pool and ammenities. it's a treasure in the desert.

Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn

200 West Ramon Road
Palm Springs, CA 92264-7333
(760) 325-2323

Chow

Michael

Fisherman's Market & Grill - Palm Springs

To finish up with our culinary excursion into Palm Springs last week. We found Fisherman's Market & Grill on South Indian Canyon Drive. Hotter than heck again in Palm Springs and we wanted A/C and an indoor table. So you know how hot it must have been outside as Sue and I love to sit outside 99% of the time. We arrived at the restaurant mid day Sunday afternoon with the temperature hovering around 120 degrees. The place was bustling with business but not many takers for the outside tables even though the water misters were going full blast.

The menu outside on the sidewalk looked inviting as it contained a really good choice of fish dishes and looked like it was a cut above the fried fish houses.

Here's how the place works. The host tells you the number of your table and then you go inside to the counter and order and pay for your food and then the staff brings it out to you. The fish in the front counter look amazingly fresh even for a fresh fish house in the desert.
And it was very interesting that they had a sheet on the counter that told you in detail from what country the fish came from and a brief description of it's texture and taste.

We stepped up to the counter and ordered. Sue had the crab cake dinner an all time favorite of hers and I ordered the Pepper Seared Ahi ,rare,very rare. One of my favorite dishes. Fresh Ahi Seared on all sides until a nice golden crisp layer roughly 1/8 to one 1/4 inch forms around the fillet and nicely red and rare inside. Both the crab cakes and seared Ahi are easy recipes yet difficult dish to prepare.

We of course had to take a look at the wine list and found it the most interesting of all in the place. A really nice selection of wines from around the globe. Not just the standard fair from California. And most at fairly good prices. I really like it when a restaurant gives you a varied choice list of wines and doesn't try to gouge the customer to much.

We ordered with our meal a Pinot Noir from Parker Station Vineyards. This winery is owned by Fess Parker the actor who played Daniel Boone in the old Disney series on TV. He now owns an award winning winery and has done so for the last 20 years or more. Worth seeking out.

So Sue and I grabbed our bottle of Daniel Boones wine and headed to table 25. I thought that it was a good thing that he didn't name the winery Boones Farm.

Inside the A/C was on overdrive as we found our table and relaxed until the waiter brought our dinner. By the way the wine was very nice. well rounded and soft. it would go well with crab cakes and rare Ahi.

Our food had arrived and right away we noticed that they didn't look quite right. Sue's crab cakes looked a little on the burnt side

It came with a scoop of rice pilaf and a scoop of cole slaw. Each cake had a dollop of Louie sauce on them that was very tasty. Although on the burnt side they were packed with crab and had a nice crab sweetness to them.

Mine on the other hand was a crime. and it is what happens in a kitchen when a good menu is in place but left to either professionally untrained or staff that has no passion for food. In most cases you don't need to be a professional chef to consistently put out great dishes. you just have to have the passion for it. Most restaurants these days just seem to hire bodies sometimes to fill positions at the lowest cost they can get. too bad. It is the ones that have a passionate staff that always stand out.

OK, my dish. Right away you could tell that the Ahi fillet had not been pan seared but thrown on the stainless steel flat grill and a plate put over the top to steam it. although rare it was a waste of a great fish. it was very dry and tasteless. The fries though were very good with a nice crisp light breading on them. Cole slaw usual fair and quality.

The dish also came with what I call the Japanese trinity. Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Ginger.

The wine on the other hand was great. It made the food go down a lot better.

We were starving and apparently thirsty as well.

Can't really recommend this Place. Although the atmosphere and especially the friendly staff, plus the A/C made it enjoyable.

And as you can tell it was night when we left and it was still 117 degrees outside. Now where is that Gelato place?


Fisherman's Market & Grill
235 South Indian Canyon Drive
760-327-1766

Kalura Trattoria - Palm Springs

On Friday, Sue and I found ourselves heading out of town for a quick last minute get away to Palm Springs. Usually not the place you want to be this time of year. But the heat doesn't bother us, and we have the town mainly to ourselves as most of the tourists flock elsewhere in the summer. A lot of the touristy-based restaurants are shut down for the summer as well to reopen in October. Just as well. We crave the local hangouts.

On Saturday, we went for a drive on Palm Canyon Drive to scout out where we would eat and came across an astoundingly good restaurant. I mean this place knows what it is doing and who it is.

Kalura Trattoria, Kalura means "Desert Sun" in Italian or something like that. Owners Ignazio Battaglia, Vincenzo and Pino Amodeo come from Italy with a long experience in Italian cooking. They learned how to cook in culinary schools in Italy.

It's located by the old Theatre on South Palm Canyon Drive and occupies the space that housed the original Louise's Pantry for more then 50 years.

We took one look at the menu outside and we were mesmerized by the depth of dishes and how reasonably priced it all was. Although this was Saturday night and this place was hopping with customers, the hostess sat us immediately. We wanted to sit outside and let the water misters wash over and cool us as we people watched.

Before we even sat down, there was our waiter at our table already pouring Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl. He quickly returned with the most amazing bread I have ever had. it was a basket filled with a very light crusted Italian style rustic bread that was infused with anise seed. It was excellent and went well with the oil and vinegar.

At this point I had realized that I had forgotten the camera! OK, first posting and no camera! So I will try to do the food and place justice by my bad Hemingway. OK where were we? The wine list and menus arrived as the waiter eagerly told us of the evenings specials. WOW! The specials were very special indeed. I opted for the Veal Saltimbocca Alla Romana. Usually don't do this dish as in most places it tends to be way to salty, but it sounded good. Veal wrapped in prosciutto with a Pinot Grigio sauce with sauteed spinach and oven roasted potatoes. YUMMY!

Sue opted for the Penne Quattro Formagio. Also on the specials list for the evening.

The wine list was an essay in how to include all who come to the restaurant. Very high quality wine at prices for every pocket book. At least 30 bottles on the list from both California and Italy. We chose a 2003 Cabernet from Trinchero Winery, 22 bucks. Excellent value and a stunner of a wine at this price.

I really can't say enough about the wait staff--very attentive and our water and wine glasses never went dry. We both ordered the house salad and I love it when your choices are limited in a restaurant with a real chef. There was no choice of Ranch or Ranch Lite or any corn syrup infused off the shelf salad dressing. One choice and one only. It was literally the chef's salad. It came with a light balsamic vinaigrette that you could tell was hand tossed and covered every bit off fresh spring greens on the plate. My opinion is you should never have to season your food when you go to a restaurant that has a real chef / owner running it. You should experience what the chef wants you to taste. It should be up to him or her to tickle your taste buds.

The food arrived in no time. And looked picture perfect. Sue and I looked at each other and thought no way could we have stumbled into a place like this and to review it for our first entry. Sue's pasta was cooked to perfection. Al Dente or "to the tooth" as they say. With a few grinds of
parmigiano reggiano from the waiter's cheese grinder it became Cinco Fromagio. The cheese sauce was very good and the cheeses did not overpower the dish. It was light and refreshing perfect for a hot Palm Springs evening.

My dish was a great balance of very interesting combinations. At first you have the veal which has a very light gamey taste to it and can be easily over powered by the prosciutto and a heavy cream sauce. But the chef had this dish firing on all cylinders. The veal was wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and then pan fried to a golden brown. The pan then deglaised with the Pinot Grigio and all of the tasty bits on the pan scraped up and finished off with a bit of cream and butter. At least that is how I envisioned it going down. PERFECTION! Compliments to all at this place.

Kalura Trattoria
124 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, California 92262
Open for Lunch & Dinner, Mon - Sun, 11AM - 1AM

PS I found a link that has their menu. check it out you can see what we are talking about.
http://www.palmsprings.com/dine/kalura/index.html

Remember it's just food we are talking about here. So always live, love and eat!

Ciao

Michael