February Is a Month of Food-Related Fests
The Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival is back for 10 days, from Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Riverside County Fairgrounds, 46350 Arabia St., in Indio. Food is abundant—much of it including dates and/or deep-fried. General-admission presale tickets are $12. Get all the information you need at www.datefest.org.
Agua Caliente Casinos and the city of Rancho Mirage are bringing the second annual Lunar Festival back to The River, 71800 Highway 111, in Rancho Mirage, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10. You’ll find cultural performances like lion and dragon dances, along with art vendors and, of course, food. Find out more and reserve free tickets at www.pananaevents.com/lunar-festival-at-the-river.
Greater Palm Springs Food and Wine, part of the Desert Woman’s Show (yes, that’s where they put the apostrophe), takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Classic Club, 75200 Classic Club Blvd., in Palm Desert. General-admission wristbands are $45 and include admission to the Desert Woman’s Show. Learn more and find an updated list of “tasting partners” at greaterpalmspringsfoodandwine.com.
In Brief
Espresso Self is now open at 66169 Pierson Blvd., in Desert Hot Springs. Check out instagram.com/espresso_self_dhs for more info. … Rancho Mirage’s Dragon Lili Boba Bar has announced a new location at 166 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in downtown Palm Springs, specifically in the historic Town and Country Center. The offerings include premium boba, fruit and milk teas, plus smoothies, flavored coffees and more, in a colorful setting. For more information, visit dragonlilibobabar.com. … I spoke with the new chef at Cipolline Osteria, an Italian steakhouse reopening in the former New York Company Restaurant space, at 1260 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. I was told to mark my calendar for a Feb. 16 opening. Watch cipollineps.com for updates.
The Palm Springs Surf Club, at 1500 S. Gene Autry Trail, has two new restaurants: Amala, with indoor and outdoor seating where you can sit and watch the surfers, and Drifters, offering poolside dining. Although the wave pool was closed as of this writing, Amala remains open; Drifters is accessible with the purchase of a general admission day pass ($20). There are no menus currently online, but you can make a reservation for Amala at palmspringssurfclub.com/restaurants. … From Mouth to Mouth, at 67730 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City, opened in mid-December and sells sandwiches, pizzas, soups and salads. The restaurant also offers fresh-made uncooked pasta, as well as bread and gelato to take home. Find the restaurant on Yelp or ToastTab.com to learn more. … Rancho Mirage has a new Mexican restaurant. Los Arcos, which also has a La Quinta location, is now open at 72817 Dinah Shore Drive. You’ll find standard Mexican food plus some unique dishes from the owners’ native state of Querétaro. Get details at losarcoslq.com. … The desert has a new place to get banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches): Sai Gon Deli Café, at 73510 Highway 111, in Palm Desert, inside the Clubhouse Liquor. Offerings include traditional and chicken banh mi sandwiches, as well as a Philly cheesesteak and, inexplicably, nachos and Cajun fries. Find them on Yelp to learn more.
The Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream chain has opened a second Coachella Valley location, at 42211 Jackson St., in Indio. The Palm Desert location (44489 Town Center Way) serves some seriously delicious ice cream, and I can’t imagine this store is any different. See the flavors and find out more at handelsicecream.com. … Farewell to the KFC that was formerly at 725 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. With the shuttered Starbucks at the opposite corner of the same intersection, this makes for an ugly entrance to/exit from downtown Palm Springs; let’s hope we see some revitalization soon. … Also closed: Le Petit Dejeuner, the soul-food restaurant that had been at 67778 E. Palm Canyon Drive. Sadly, it never found its footing in this challenging Cathedral City location. … Looking for food during an out-of-valley adventure? Thai Cafe 2, at 57069 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Yucca Valley, has a selection of Thai classics and some lesser-known dishes; get the menu at thaicafeyuccavalley.com. Or consider the new Just a Small Town Grill, at 49643 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Morongo Valley, offering pizzas, salads, sandwiches and on-tap beers. (We couldn’t find a website, so your best bet for info may be Yelp.) Or perhaps you’re heading to Idyllwild-Pine Cove? If so, consider Waffleton, at 54245 N. Circle Drive, with all manner of sweet and savory waffles. Find out more at www.instagram.com/waffleton_idyllwild.
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Edited on Jan. 24 to add updated information about Cipolline Osteria’s expected opening date.
