What: Fromage blanc
Where: Kestrel, A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge, inside the Indian Wells Golf Resort, 44500 Indian Wells Lane, Indian Wells
How much: $16
Contact: 760-346-4653; www.kestrel.kitchen
Why: It’s an umami bomb.
Thanks to Top Chef and his spot as a judge/coach on Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, Richard Blais is one of the most famous chefs around today—and his newest restaurant just so happens to be at the Indian Wells Golf Resort.
Kestrel opened last November in the space formerly occupied by Vue. If you’ve seen the space, you know why it might appeal to a big-name chef: It’s gorgeous, with various different rooms and patios, and lovely views.
On our recent dinner visit (Kestrel is open for lunch as well), we were pretty impressed. Other than a mishap with one of our entrées (which our server handled masterfully), all of the dishes we tried were stellar. An endorsement within an endorsement goes to the pan-roasted Chilean sea bass ($44), which came with a delicious curry sauce (although the menu simply calls it a “ginger-spiced sauce”)—but out of everything we tried, we were most delighted by the “fromage blanc” appetizer.
I knew fromage blanc is sort of like a French cream cheese, but more liquified, and the menu said the dish includes “wild mushrooms, truffle” … and that’s all we knew when we ordered it. What we got was two toasted pieces of bread, each covered with the fromage blanc and lots of mushrooms. It was messy—but it was one of the best starters we’ve had in a long time. The hubby aptly described it as an “umami bomb.”
Kestrel also touts its craft cocktails, headlined by the liquid nitrogen margarita for four, prepared tableside ($130). I got the medjool negroni ($20) and the pistachio old fashioned ($22); both were pleasant and well-balanced.
Kestrel is now near the top of our special-occasion restaurant list—and I recommend you give it a try.
