What: Cannelloni
Where: Palmina by Puglia, 2500 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
How much: $27
Contact: 760-770-4030; www.palminabypuglia.com
Why: The sauce.
Foodie friends were upset when Venezia—a much-loved Italian restaurant at Palm Canyon and Racquet Club drives in Palm Springs—closed last year.
However, sometimes things just work out: The Italian restaurant that opened in the same space soon thereafter is even better.
Palmina by Puglia is owned by the same folks who run Puglia Italian Restaurant at Lake Arrowhead, and I’ve been hearing nearly nonstop raves since it opened its doors earlier this year. The hubby and I finally made it in for dinner on a recent Sunday night—and now we’re the ones raving about it.
Simply put, we had some of the best Italian fare we’ve had in the Coachella Valley. Palmina isn’t perfect; while the service is stellar, the atmosphere is somewhat ho-hum, and some items can be pricey. (More on that in a moment.) But there’s no denying that the food is fantastic.
In fact, I can’t stop thinking about the cannelloni. Here’s the menu description: “Homemade egg pasta rolled with grass-fed ground beef and pork, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, (and) Italian herbs and spices, topped with besciamella (béchamel) and Bolognese sauce.” The key words there are “Bolognese sauce”: The flavor of the sauce had so much depth and nuance. In fact, it was the best restaurant Bolognese I’ve ever had.
Everything we had was splendid, from the minestrone soup ($15) to the spaghetti carbonara, a “regular special” prepared tableside ($49). However, a warning: If you’re on a budget, ask how much the specials are before ordering. We had no issue with the $49 carbonara because of the tableside prep, but we were floored to see that the culurgiones—five pasta dumplings stuffed with cheese, potatoes and mint—we had as an appetizer cost $38.
Nonetheless, we will be back, and we’ll be back soon. Palmina’s food is just so, so good.
