Rancho Mirage Restaurants Team Up for a ‘Taste of Summer’
Enjoy inexpensive yet yummy drinks and desserts? If so, then you may find yourself spending a fair amount of time in Rancho Mirage over the next couple of months.
The city, its chamber of commerce and its restaurant association have teamed up to create “Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage.” Here’s how it works: For $10, you can purchase a wristband at the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce (71905 Highway 111, Suite H). All of that wristband money will go to charities.
With the wristband, you can enjoy $4 cocktails at participating restaurants from Friday, July 8, through Sunday, July 17. Then come Friday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 14, your wristband will get you $4 desserts at participating places.
Participants include Burgers and Beer, Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse, bb’s at The River, Brandini Toffee, Catalan, Fleming’s, Gioia, Johnny Rockets, Las Casuelas Nuevas, Maracas, Norma’s Italian Kitchen, The Slice, Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa, The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage and The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa.
Sounds like a pretty cool deal! Head over to www.tasteofsummerranchomirage.com to learn more.
MEBar at Morongo Elevates the Selfie
We’re not sure if this is really cool … or a sign that our civilization is descending into narcissistic chaos.
The new MEBar at the Morongo Casino Resort Spa will offer cocktails and craft beers “in a uniquely interactive environment where guests can share selfies and musings on the high-definition, social-media-linked monitors that pack the new lounge,” according to a news release.
Depending on your perspective, the news release then gets either more amazing … or more horrifying: “The MEBar’s monitors are linked to Twitter. Anyone tagging a tweet with #MEBar or #Morongo can see their posts appear around the bar and across the Internet in near-real time. …The sleek new MEBar features iconic fire-red stone walls, 15 LED TVs, a custom mural framing the outside, and a menu of camera-ready concoctions, perfect for snapping and sharing.”
If this sounds appealing, grab your smartphone, and head up Interstate 10 to49500 Seminole Drive, in Cabazon. MEBar is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Learn more at www.morongocasinoresort.com/entertainment/mebar.
In Brief
Chop House Palm Springs, the lovely steakhouse at 262 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, served its last meals on Sunday, June 12. So, too, did Grind Brgr Bar, which occupied the second floor of the space. When the restaurant’s Facebook page announced the closing, the post noted that owner Kaiser Restaurant Group was “actively negotiating for a new location, so stay tuned for information and updates.” Then the Chop House Facebook page disappeared. We’re not taking that as a good sign. In any case, the old Chop House space will not be vacant for long: The Broken Yolk Café—a chain restaurant with about a dozen and a half locations, primarily in Southern California (including one at 78430 Highway 111 in La Quinta)—has announced it’s moving in. … Woody’s, the popular burger joint at 317 N. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has closed. But never fear: Woody’s has been merged with The Palm House Restaurant, its sister business, at 450 S. Palm Canyon Drive. Watch palmhousepalmsprings.com for details. … After a stint at The Atrium shopping center in Rancho Mirage, Livreri’s—a name familiar to longtime valley residents who enjoy Italian fare—has returned to Palm Springs. Livreri’s of Palm Springs is now located at 2330 N. Palm Canyon Drive. Get more info at www.facebook.com/livrerisbellanapoliattheatrium. … Congrats to the El Mexicali Café, located at 82720 Indio Blvd., in Indio, for being named Small Business of the Year for California’s 56th Assembly District. Get more info by calling 760-347-1280 or visiting elmexicalicafe.com. … The long-awaited restaurant at the Caliente Tropics, located at 411 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, is finally here. The Congo Room and Reef Bar is open seven days a week and offers chef Richard Perez’s creations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Get more info by calling 760-327-1391 or visiting www.calientetropics.com/restaurant-bar-lounge. … Gone too soon is Serious Food and Drink. However, a new restaurant has already taken over the space at 415 N. Palm Canyon Drive: Welcome Watercress Vietnamese Bistro, a Redlands favorite, to its new Coachella Valley location. … Coming soon to downtown Palm Springs’ La Plaza, in the space most recently occupied by Fresh Juice Bar: Raw Remedy Organic Juice and Raw Food Bar. Watch www.facebook.com/rawremedyjuicebar for updates. … The building that was once home to Dickie O’Neals, at 2155 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has been purchased—and a liquor-license notice on a window hints that something may be opening there in the near-to-intermediate future. The license applicant: Brooklyn Café Inc. Watch this space for news as it develops. … Café Palette, a restaurant that offered pizzas and other fare—along with a decidedly LGBT vibe—at 315 E. Arenas Road, in Palm Springs, has closed its doors for good.