What: Spaghetti carbonara
Where: Sammy’s Place, 69034 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City
How much: $24
Contact: 760-770-4030; originalsammysplace.com
Why: It’s a perfectly balanced dish.
Sammy Pace was one of the most influential Coachella Valley restaurateurs in recent decades. He was a co-owner of Trilussa (in Cathedral City) and Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill (in downtown Palm Springs) before leaving them and starting Sammy’s Place, a little spot tucked into the corner of the shopping center at Palm Canyon and Date Palm drives in Cathedral City. He was much-loved due to his philanthropy, most notably his work on the annual Sammy’s International Meatball Festival, a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City.
Pace died in September at the age of 79. I’m sad that I never got to meet him in person—but I am glad that Sammy’s Place lives on, thanks to his business partner, Scott Robertson.
I met some friends at Sammy’s Place on a recent Friday for a lovely dinner. The atmosphere was cheerful, and the service was friendly and welcoming—but the food was undeniably the highlight of the visit.
In particular, the spaghetti carbonara (shown here with a meatball) I had the good fortune of ordering was excellent. Carbonara is a dish with fairly simple ingredients—cheese, eggs, pasta, black pepper and some sort of cured pork—that can be surprisingly difficult to properly prepare. However, Sammy’s kitchen had no problems: Their version—which also includes caramelized onions, peas and cream, with bacon as the meat—is fantastic. It was creamy and decadent, with bursts of freshness (thank you, peas), sweetness and saltiness. Health food, this is not, but I ate the whole thing with no regrets.
I do regret not making it to Sammy’s Place before Mr. Pace’s death—but I am very happy I can still enjoy his delicious food.
