What: The Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Where: The 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro, 73101 Highway 111, Palm Desert
How much: $21
Contact: 760-837-9600; www.the3rdcornerpalmdesert.com
Why: It’s forkably good.
While many folks, locals and nonlocals alike, snivel about summer in the Coachella Valley, I kind of like this time of year.
The roads are less crowded. The (very) occasional rains are nice. And the dining deals at many restaurants can’t be beat.
One such restaurant that’s offering some ganga deals is the 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro, which has been around for a few years in Palm Desert along that stretch of 111 that runs parallel to El Paseo. (There are also 3rd Corner restaurants in San Diego and Encinitas.) We learned about these great deals when we visited there on a recent Friday, and saw all sorts of prices in red on the menu. Turns out those prices are for their “summer happy hour” (aka whenever 3rd Corner’s doors are open this time of year)—and those prices are a buck or two or four cheaper than the normal (i.e. in-season) prices.
Nice.
Our meal was lovely from start to finish—but the highlight, by far, was the red-wine-braised short ribs. The dish is pretty gosh-darned simple, really: There were cooked-to-perfection fingerling potatoes and broccolini pieces below and around sauce and meat.
But simple, of course, can be great—and these ribs were indeed great. The fine folks at 3rd Corner provided us with a knife, but it went unused, as the meat was so tender, so juicy, and so fantastically braised that a fork was all we needed. My only complaint, really, is a compliment, of sorts: I wish there’d have been some more of that red-wine sauce, as it was quite delicious, and the chunk o’ rib meat was quite … meaty.
The kicker: Turns out the short ribs aren’t discounted for the summer happy hour: They’re $21, whether it’s July or March. And you know what? I don’t care. I’ll pay $21 for these delicious short ribs any time.