I recently cruised up to Twentynine Palms—with fresh, cool air coming in, as I carefully avoided speed traps—to meet with Mike Usher, co-owner alongside his wife, Liz, of Grnd Sqrl.
Grnd Sqrl (pronounced “ground squirrel”) offers “a funky and delicious dose of memorable food and drink for those (who) need it,” according to the website. If you haven’t heard of it before, you’ve been deprived of a wonderful gustatorial experience within driving distance of the Coachella Valley.
Grnd Sqrl is focused on interesting takes on normal bar food like burgers and sandwiches, while also offering soups and weekly specials. All of this exists alongside a tap list with a selection of beers you aren’t likely to otherwise find locally—now or in the foreseeable future.
Mike and his wife, Liz, met when they were part of Ballast Point Brewing’s opening in Miramar. Mike was later part of the opening of North Park Beer Company as well. Shortly after we sat down, we began lamenting about what seems to be the ever-encroaching death of craft-beer bars (even though there are still a few legends standing strong, like Churchill’s in San Marcos, O’Brien’s in San Diego, and the latest, Bavarian-themed Bock, in the former San Diego location of the great Hamilton’s Tavern). We also discussed the great breweries which played such a large part in both of our lives that have all fallen from grace in the past decade.
There’s another piece of the Grnd Sqrl puzzle: chef Joel Pettersson, who came on board in the beginning thanks to a wild twist of fate. Pettersson was a foreign-exchange student from Sweden who went to his senior year of high school in Yucca Valley, at the same time as Mike was a senior in Twentynine Palms. However, they didn’t meet at that time. Pettersson met his future wife there, moved back to Europe with her while attending culinary school, and worked at top restaurants in Manhattan and Los Angeles—but then came the COVID-19 shutdowns. The couple, with their first child, moved back to the high desert to be closer to his wife’s family.
Meanwhile, Mike and Liz put out an ad for the chef position at Grnd Sqrl—and Pettersson was the literal first applicant. They spoke, discovered their connection, and realized they shared a vision for the menu. The rest is history.
Mike opened a can of a Solaris Beer and Blending’s fresh hop IPA (a brewery I raved about in a recent column), and out came an assortment of pickled vegetables (pickled beets be praised!) and a cup of a delicious tomato bisque.
Later, Mike grabbed the last can of Hop-Fu! IPA, from North Park Beer Co., from the beer fridge and told me that his original intention for Grnd Sqrl was to have bar service only (à la the San Diego giants mentioned above), but that it organically became a table-service spot because of the space he found on the corner of 29 Palms Highway and Desert Queen Avenue.
Pronounced “ya-la,” The Jalla is a sandwich inspired by the chef’s hometown, which has a relatively large population of Iraqis and Iranians. Falafel, halloumi cheese, harissa tahini and more are stacked on a bun.
At this point, Chef Joel brought out The Jalla. Pronounced “ya-la,” it’s a sandwich inspired by a falafel shop in Malmo, Sweden—Pettersson’s hometown, which has a relatively large population of Iraqis and Iranians. Falafel, halloumi cheese, harissa tahini and more are stacked on a bun—and the result is absolutely gorgeous in flavor. It’s hard to get good falafel in the desert, so I jumped at the chance and was absolutely pleased with the choice.
Mike confided in me that it was a bit of a gamble for the bar to not carry Bud Light and the like, for locals and Marines. But considering his vision, and that he also owns 29 Palms Beer Co. just down the highway (which I covered in a column from earlier this year), the decision became much easier to only carry craft. He wanted a place where locals could try something new on occasion when it comes to craft beer (or Bivouac Cider—which I also covered here—and seltzers as well as non-alcoholic options). Sure, he’ll have something similar to a light lager, but made at his brewery. As far as I can tell, he’s succeeded in that, and he also has the best tap list in the high and low desert areas combined.
I asked about plans for future beer dinners or events. Mike expressed his desire for not only dinners, but also a “course” where they dive into a few different beer styles and discuss everything from the history to the ingredients, all while eating food paired with the beers. I told him about the legend that was Beer School years ago at the great Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert and my fervent wish to see something like that locally once again. If anything like that goes down, you will find me there.
The thing that impressed me most was the vibe of the place. Then I remembered a remark by Mike: “This place has soul.”
I have to agree. From the mural on an outside wall to the unassuming yet hip interior, the place indeed has soul. If I lived closer, I could easily see myself spending more time than I should at the bar, chatting nerdily about craft beer or whatever else. I would love to see a place like this closer to me in the Coachella Valley, but in lieu of that, I will have to make some more trips up Route 62 to Grnd Sqrl.
Check it out—and definitely try The Jalla.
Grnd Sqrl is located at 73471 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Twentynine Palms. Learn more at grndsqrl29p.com.