The Busy Season Brings Food Festivals Aplenty
The desert is well into the high season, and the amount food news is a bit overwhelming. So many new venues are opening; there are food festivals aplenty; and more!
As for one of those food fests: Taste of Jalisco is returning to Cathedral City from Friday, Feb. 3, through Sunday, Feb. 5. The weekend includes a carnival, a craft market, tequila tastings, Mexican cuisine, a car show and daily entertainment. Admission to the vendor market and access to the festival is free; tickets, sold onsite, are required for carnival rides and games. Food offerings and tequila tastings are all priced separately. Find details at tasteofjalisco.com.
As for another: St. George Greek Orthodox Church, at 74109 Larrea St., in Palm Desert, invites you to be Greek for a day at the 25th annual Palm Desert Greek Festival, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18 and 19; admission is $3 plus the price of food. Choose from a full menu of Greek delights, including grilled octopus, moussaka, spanakopita, pastries, wine, beer and coffee. The festival also includes a specialty food store so you can take a little bit of Greece home. Check out pdgreekfest.org for the full menu and all the details.
In Brief
Before we get to all the openings, some sad news: Brickworks American Bistro + Pizza, at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive, closed its doors as of the new year, reportedly due to a lease expiration. I hope the hard-working staff can find new employment soon. … The second location of El Patio, the popular Palm Springs Mexican restaurant, has opened in La Quinta, at 78370 Highway 111; learn more at instagram.com/elpatiolaquinta. The owners also have stakes in two other popular Mexican eateries: Salsa’s Restaurant in Cathedral City, and Felipe’s in Palm Springs. …
Keedy’s Fountain and Grill, at 73633 Highway 111, in Palm Desert, is planning a second location at Avenue 50 and Jefferson St. in Indio. The menu will be the same—with the addition of a full bar! Watch keedysfountaingrill.com for updates. … The Shops at El Paseo, at 73061 El Paseo, in Palm Desert, is home to a new upscale Mexican eatery: Molé. It’s the second iteration of the Sedona, Ariz.-based restaurant that combines generations of family recipes with modern culinary techniques. Seafood potato croquets, Suadero enchiladas and red quinoa salads grace the menu; molecomida.com. … Just down the street is the new Hideout Kitchen and Bar, specifically at 73595 El Paseo, Suite 2208. Hideout joins the ever-growing El Paseo restaurant scene with bar food like chicken and waffles, smoked mac and cheese, and habanero bacon jam salmon. Hideout is open for all three meals; hideoutelpaseo.com. … Just a little further down the street is the new Francium Chocolat, at 73880 El Paseo. With beautiful bonbons, chocolate-covered nuts, macarons and more, what’s not to love? Find their page on Facebook for the most up-to-date information. … Heyday Burger is moving to 1550 N. Palm Canyon Drive, the former home of JJ’s Mexican Oasis. An opening is expected in mid to late February; keep an eye on their social media, and in the meantime, continue to enjoy their burgers at the Hilton Palm Springs; theheydaypalmsprings.com. …
You’ve loved it at the Certified Farmers Markets for years, and Cherry’s Famous Rugelach now has a brick-and-mortar location, at 27800 Landau Blvd., in Cathedral City. If you have never had rugalach warm out of the oven, you are in for a treat. Watch www.facebook.com/cherrysfamous for updates. … Three restaurants with menus based on Latin cuisine have opened in Palm Springs in the last month! The California-based mini-chain Sol-Agave has opened at 246 S. Palm Canyon Drive (solagave.com/palm-springs); the long-awaited Reforma bar, restaurant and nightclub is at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive (reformaps.com); and Low Desert Modern Mexican is in the former Smoke Tree BBQ spot at 1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive (lowdesert.net). … If you need more Mexican food, Casa Blanca—with locations in Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Palm Desert—is set to take over the space at 140 S. Palm Canyon Drive, where Revel Public House just closed. Learn more at casablancamenu.com. …
Moving on to Desert Hot Springs: Sushi Bella is back, at 13440 Palm Drive. It closed mysteriously about eight months ago. Welcome back! Call 760-219-1533 for more. … If you like frozen yogurt, you will love Lizzy’s Premium Frozen Yogurt, at 66040 Pierson Blvd., in DHS. This self-service shop offers a variety of frozen yogurts, gelatos, Italian ices and toppings; lizzyspremiumfrozenyogurt.com. … Spaghetti Western Saloon has opened at 50048 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Morongo Valley. The owners were both raised in Rome and have loved spaghetti Western films since they were children. The restaurant features Roman-style pizza, the eponymous pasta (with bacon and tomato sauce), gelato and a skillet brownie; spaghettiwesternsaloon.com. … Also new to the high desert: Más o Menos, at 66031 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Joshua Tree, is a coffee shop and bar with a few sandwiches during the day, and a plan to host pop-up restaurants; masomenosjt.com.
Got a hot tip? Let me know: foodnews@cvindependent.com.
