Fire Temporarily Shutters Twin Palms Bistro
On a fairly recent visit to the newish Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge, 1201 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, a manager told us that the restaurant, which opened last year, was finally starting to hits its figurative stride after working out all of the kinks that come with launching a new business.
Then Murphy’s Law hit. And then it hit again. And yet again, as posts on the restaurant’s Facebook page show in heartbreaking detail.
On April 9, a “minor fire” broke out in the Twin Palms kitchen.
“The fire started in a wall and the good news is the damage appears to be minor. The bad news is we will be closed today as we work to repair the damaged area,” said an April 10 post on the Twin Palms Facebook page.
An April 11 post expressed hope that the minor damage would be repaired in time for an April 12 opening.
That didn’t happen. From an April 13 post: “Well, Murphy’s Law is in effect and we will not be able to reopen this weekend due to a couple of issues that our contractor has uncovered. We now have our sights on mid-week next week.”
Here it is, approaching mid-May, and the restaurant is still closed. The folks at Twin Palms tell us that a re-opening is probably several more weeks away, and that they’ll let us know the firm reopening date when they know it.
In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed on their behalf.
Rancho Mirage Koffi Opens
In early March, we reported that the Rancho Mirage location of Koffi—the fun coffee house owned by locals John Abner and John Strohm—appeared to be months away from opening, based on a look we took at the then-under-construction building at 71390 Highway 111.
Good news: Last week—less than two months after our initial report—the Koffi opened its doors to the public.
Koffi’s original location, at 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, opened in August 2002. The second Koffi, at 1700 S. Camino Real (at Palm Canyon Drive, near the Ace Hotel), opened in 2008. The new location differs from the other two in that it includes a coffee-roasting facility.
We said it before, and we’ll say it again: The success Abner and Strohm are enjoying with Koffi is downright refreshing, seeing as locally owned coffee houses across the world are closing after being pushed out by aggressive chains (like Starbucks). Bravo.
The Rancho Mirage Koffi can be reached at 760-340-2444.
Thai Smile Taking Over La Casita Spot
La Casita, at 100 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, recently closed—and one of Palm Springs’ most popular Thai restaurants is taking its place.
A sign put up earlier this week in a window at the old La Casita spot says that Thai Smile Palm Springs—currently located 651 N. Palm Canyon Drive—will soon open there.
That leads to a big question: What will come of the current Thai Smile Palm Springs spot? Will it close, or will the Thai Smile folks take a page out of the Las Casuelas playbook and keep two similar restaurants open within mere blocks?
A Facebook message and a phone message asking that question have thus far gone unreturned.
Rainbow Bar and Grill Closes
The Rainbow Bar and Grill, at 216 N. Indian Canyon Drive (at Arenas Road), closed rather suddenly last month.
Handwritten signs on the doors of the establishment claim that the restaurant is “temporarily closed” because the “wind knocked power out,” while just inside the door, unopened mail litters the floor. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Facebook page announced on April 18: “Hello everyone! We’d like to inform all of our friends and loyal customers that Rainbow Bar and Grill will be temporarily closed until further notice. Thank you.”
The “temporary” closure is unlikely to end anytime soon; many Rainbow employees have already moved on to other jobs, meaning a re-launch would require a whole bunch of new hires.
Rumors are circulating that a prominent gay couple—who owns a couple of other area business—is buying the place, but a representative of the couple reports that there’s “nothing to share” regarding that rumor.
Trio Hosting Weeklong Fundraiser for Stroke Recovery Center
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and to mark the occasion, TRIO Restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, is holding a week-long fundraiser for the Stroke Recovery Center.
From Monday, May 13, through Sunday, May 19, TRIO will donate 10 percent of sales to the center.
“Trio owners Tony Marchese and Mark Van Laanen are proud to host this event, and believe in the amazing work that the Stroke Recovery Center does here in the desert,” said a news release. “The center offers long-term rehabilitation to the survivors of stroke and traumatic brain injury along with support for their families, caregivers and loved ones.”
For more information, call TRIO at 760-864-8746.