What: Cornmeal cheddar drop biscuits
Where: Alice B., at Living Out, 1122 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs
How much: $16
Contact: 760-537-4311; www.aliceb.com
Why: They’re really good!
To be frank, I’ve been unimpressed by restaurants touting a “celebrity chef” more often than not. The celebrity name tends to drive up prices—and expectations.
This was on my mind when I recently visited Alice B., the restaurant in the lobby of Living Out, the brand-new luxury apartment complex for LGBTQ+ folks 55 and up. The restaurant is a project of Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, of Border Grill and Too Hot Tamales TV fame. Encouragingly, their executive chef is Lance Velasquez, whose Biscuit & Counter pop-up restaurant impressed local foodies in recent years.
After visiting Alice B., I’m having a change of heart about celebrity-chef restaurants. I do have a minor complaint or two—the main space is quite noisy when busy, and a couple of menu items were unavailable (and the menu isn’t that large to begin with)—but I have no complaints about the food: Everything we had was delicious.
Our yellowtail amberjack crudo ($18) was impeccable, and the short rib and potato croquettes ($19) left me wanting more. I am a confirmed meat-eater, yet I ordered the butternut squash risotto ($29) as my main course—and I loved it so much that I may have to order it again on my next visit.
But the food that makes my mouth water every time I think about it is the plate of cornmeal cheddar drop biscuits. The price tag gave me pause at first—$16 for three biscuits is a bit crazy—but, boy, were they good: crispy and flaky on the outside, pillowy in the middle, and splendidly savory all around. The accompanying cardamom honey was a hit, too.
I had high expectations of Alice B.—and those expectations were met, and then some.
Edited on Feb. 5 to correct the name of Living Out.
