Townie Bagels Bakery Cafe Opens On Sunny Dunes
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, things in the Sunny Dunes area of Palm Springs got a whole lot tastier. That’s when Townie Bagels Bakery Café opened its doors at 650 E. Sunny Dunes Road, in the space Tlaquepaque used to call home.
Owners Andy Wysocki and Bill Sanderson had been selling bagels for quite some time at the Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market before moving into the Sunny Dunes space, where they serve breakfast, lunch and coffee from Joshua Tree Coffee Company, in addition to their tasty bagels.
One of the things I like the most about Townie is the space: The café has a definite neighborhood coffee-shop vibe, with comfy seating, a welcoming atmosphere and all sorts of friendly faces from the surrounding area(s). It’s exactly the thing this part of Palm Springs needed. I’m a Palm Springs resident, and every time I’ve gone to Townie since it opened, I’ve run into at least one person I know.
Congrats, Andy and Bill. You’re really created something great.
Townie Bagels is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., every day but Tuesday. Visit www.facebook.com/towniebagels for more information.
Robbie Knievel to Make a Sunset Jump at Spa Resort Casino’s Brews and Bbq
A really interesting event is coming to downtown’s Spa Resort Casino on Saturday, Oct. 24—and a good cause will be all the better for it.
As one would expect from the name, Brews and BBQ will feature beer from great Southern California breweries, as well as food on sale from local restaurants. It’s a family-friendly event, with a play zone for kids; adults will be able to check out motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles courtesy of Palm Springs Motorsports.
But the highlight of the event, at least as far as I am concerned: Daredevil Robbie Knievel will make a motorcycle jump at 5 p.m.
Festivities start at 1 p.m. Admission is $15 (including a souvenir tasting glass); designated drivers and kids age 4-20 get in for $10. Kids younger than 4 are admitted for free. Beer-tasting tickets are a buck each, with the proceeds going to the Rotary Club of Palm Springs.
Get tickets and more information at www.sparesortcasino.com.
In Brief
Looking for a spiritual chat over coffee? Then check out the “Coffee House Rabbi” chats featuring Rabbi Sally Olins, happening at 10 a.m. the first and third Sunday of each month upstairs at Lulu California Bistro, 200 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Olins retired from Palm Springs’ Temple Isaiah recently. More info at rabbisally.com. … Applause, please, for the folks at Wally’s Desert Turtle, at 71775 Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage. As the high-class restaurant heads into its 38th season (!), president and owner Michael Botello recently announced a “complete conversion” of the landscape at Wally’s, including new signs—and native, drought-tolerant xeriscaping taking the place of water-guzzling grass. The restaurant will be reopening after its summer slumber on Friday, Oct. 9. More info at www.wallysdesertturtle.com. … It has always seemed somewhat oxymoronic that the excellent La Quinta Brewing Co. was located in the northern outreaches of Palm Desert rather than, well, La Quinta. However, this “wrong” is being righted: La Quinta Brewing will soon be opening a taproom on Main Street in Old Town La Quinta. According to the Old Town La Quinta folks, the new taproom will feature indoor seating as well as a patio. Watch LaQuintaBrewing.com for more information. … The second annual Taste of East Valley will take place from 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Shields Date Garden, 80255 Highway 111 in Indio. Your $20 will get you tastes from some of the eastern Coachella Valley’s top joints. The event will kick off East Valley Restaurant Week, which runs through Nov. 1; get tickets and details at www.cvdining.com. … Congrats to Zin American Bistro, located at 198 S. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, for its newly bestowed Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. It joined Spencer’s Restaurant in Palm Springs and Cuistot in Palm Desert as Coachella Valley restaurants that have earned the honor, for an impressive wine list. Less than 1,100 restaurants have earned the honor or better. … Postmates.com has come to the Coachella Valley. It’s a delivery service that includes a bunch of restaurants, both chains and local—but be prepared for the delivery-service fees. Check it out at, obviously, Postmates.com. … Renowned El Paseo Drive breakfast-and-lunch joint Wilma and Frieda’s Café will start offering dinners on Oct. 15. Watch www.facebook.com/wilmafriedascafe for details.