What: The black truffle pommes frites
Where: AC3 Restaurant + Bar, 45350 Larkspur Lane, Palm Desert
How much: $9 separately; $7 at happy hour; $4 upcharge with the lobster B.L.T. (as shown)
Contact: 760-340-6069; www.ac3palmdesert.com
Why: They’re crispy and delicious.
AC3 Restaurant and Bar opened with one of the best pedigrees of any new local joint in recent memory: The restaurant—inside the gorgeous Hotel Paseo—is the result of a partnership between Trio’s Tony Marchese, and Copley’s on Palm Canyon’s Juliana and Andrew Copley.
I met friend and colleague Kevin there for a recent weekday lunch to see if AC3 lived up to that distinguished pedigree. The verdict? The figurative jury is still out on AC3’s offerings as a whole, but I can enthusiastically endorse one thing we had: the black truffle fries. In fact, I’ll even go so far as to say that these may be the best damn fries that I’ve had in the Coachella Valley. Really.
Being in a hotel on El Paseo, the restaurant serves all three meals—and the food isn’t exactly cheap. If you want the truffle fries on their own, an order will set you back $9, although you can get them for two bucks less during happy hour. In my case, I upgraded the fries that came with my lobster B.L.T. entrée … and was socked with a hefty $4 upcharge as a result.
While the lobster B.L.T. was good but not great—it was tasty, but the poached lobster didn’t have enough flavor to stand up to the other ingredients—the truffle fries were stellar. They were perfectly prepared, with the perfect amounts of truffle flavor, grana padano cheese and other seasonings. Oh, and they were delightfully crispy—just as french fries should be. The accompanying truffle aioli was a delight.
I’ll be returning to AC3 soon for these fries at either lunch or dinner. (Alas, they’re not available on the breakfast menu.) No matter where you are in the Coachella Valley, these fries are worth the drive.