What: Shrimp ceviche
Where: Sunset Palm Springs, 369 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
How much: $20
Contact: 442-273-8127; socalsunsetps.com
Why: Perfect balance.
There’s been a lot of change at 369 N. Palm Canyon Drive over the years. For a long time, the building housed Azul, which was also called, at varying times, Georgie’s Alibi Azul, Azul Tapas Lounge, Azul Tapas Inspired Lounge, and so on. After being closed for a bit, it reopened as a bar and music venue called The Alibi in 2019. After some starts and stops (damn you, pandemic!), and no small amount of legal drama, The Alibi closed in 2022.
Late last year—after a significant renovation—the building came back to life, in the hands of the family that owns popular Palm Springs restaurants Felipe’s and El Patio, among others: SoCal Sunset was born. Or, well, at least that’s what I thought it was called; according the restaurant’s website and social media pages, it is now simply called Sunset.
Got all that?
Given Sunset’s pedigree, and the delicious meals I’ve enjoyed at Felipe’s and El Patio over the years, I walked into the restaurant with high expectations—and those expectations were met, and more.
The space is beautiful. The service was great. The menu—“a natural fusion of our Latin American heritage with the vibrant, fresh spirit of modern American cuisine,” the website says—offers a wide variety of fare, from pastas to steak to chicken wings. There’s even a tasty meatloaf with a mushroom red wine demi-glace sauce ($26). My husband raved about the delicious side of scalloped potatoes ($9) for days.
But the best dish we had was the ceviche. (It’s available with fish, octopus or shrimp; we opted for shrimp.) All of the ingredients—including cilantro, pickled onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado and mango—were fresh and in perfect balance.
Yum. I’m crossing my fingers that Sunset remains at 369 N. Palm Canyon Drive for a long time.
