Two Great Meals plus Culture: More from Palm Springs

On our first full day in Palm Springs, Jim went out for his usual several-mile morning walk. Along the way, on Palm Canyon Drive, he noticed a restaurant called Cheeky's. He looked at the menu, was tempted, but kept walking another few blocks. Then, he decided that he was hungry and returned for breakfast, ordering the breakfast sandwich of Cornmeal Fried Green Tomato, Bacon, and a Fried Egg.

Meanwhile, while I was in the gym riding the stationary bicycle, I was reading an article from the November 22, 2009 Washington Post by Tom Sietsema about three restaurants that he likes in Palm Springs. The first one he praised was Cheeky's, the very same restaurant where JIm was eating breakfast. Sietsema went on to elaborate how 32-year old chef/owner Tara Lazar never went to cooking school and had studied "political economics of industrial studies" at UC Berkeley but now at her Palm Springs restaurant makes the best breakfast and most interesting lunch in Palm Springs. The restaurant opened in the summer of 2008.

Jim returned to our condo with a copy of Week 87's menu in hand. The menu changes weekly.



A few days later, we walked the few miles from our place to Cheeky's for breakfast. We got there a bit before the 8 a.m. opening, amusing ourselves with the Lawn Chair sculpture covered with artificial grass on the corner near the restaurant




and looking in the windows of Tchotckes, an eclectic home decor and gift shop next door.



Cheeky's patio with its bright orange acrylic chairs was glowing in the morning sun.



Almost everything at Cheeky's is made fresh in house. At this time of year, the fresh-squeezed juices include Blood Orange, Tangerine, Grapefruit, and Orange. The eggs and coffee are organic, the produce comes from sustainable farms, the pastries and sausages are homemade, as are the batters, sauces, and dressings. Breakfast is served all day long. Lunch is served after 11:30 a.m. Cheeky's is open every day except Tuesday.

Jim's breakfast choice was the Buttermilk and Fresh Corn Pancakes with fresh Blueberries. They were served with a slice of bacon.



I ordered the Buttermilk Waffle, which was garnished with Lemon Curd and fresh Strawberries. I accompanied my meal with The Bacon Flight, an order of five different kinds of bacon ($4). The flight that day featured the following bacons: Nodines Smokehouse, Applewood, Jalapeno, Maple Vanilla, and Pineapple (pieces of grilled pineapple on top of this slice.)




It was there and then that I decided that next year we have to spend more than a week in Palm Springs so we can eat more meals at Cheeky's.

When Lazar opened Cheeky's, after leaving a stock trading job in San Francisco, she worked with a furniture designer friend to create her cheerful restaurant. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor patio and are treated to dog biscuits and bowls of water. I love her attention to small details such as having miniature milk bottles of coffee cream on each table and serving maple syrup in tiny log cabin tins.



Even my stop in Cheeky's restroom made me smile at the hot pink bands around the rolls of toilet paper.



Breakfast dishes are priced between $7 and $10; lunches are in the $8 to $14 range.

After this wonderful breakfast, we meandered back to our condo, stopping along the way to peek in at Copley's, a restaurant in the home where Cary Grant once lived, or at least entertained.



Jim and I have dined at Copley's in past years. Much of the seating is outdoors on their lawn (hidden from view from this street photo). While the food was elegant and tasty, I did not enjoy the meal because the light is limited and I don't like not being able to see my food. Copley's is popular with the locals. Entrées are about $30; first courses in the $10 to $14 range.

Our next stop was at The Corridor, a complex of shops that surround a very popular interior park.






The park attracts lots of people with dogs and children as well as being a favorite gathering place for gay men. Koffi, a local favorite coffee shop has its shop at the entrance. On pleasant days, most Koffi customers take their drinks out to the park.



The park is something of a hidden treasure. We bought Louie a cute dog toy at The Corridor's pet shop, Paws.

And, I could not resist this vintage Palm Springs poster, printed on tin, at Just Fabulous, a store packed with books, cards, artwork, gifts, and more.



On the block directly behind The Corridor is Liberace's house, Casa Liberace. Liberace is no longer alive and the house belongs to a private party, but the candelabra and plaque on the door remain.




I am always fascinated by the stars on the sidewalks of Palm Canyon Drive and in front of the Palm Springs Museum on Museum Drive. These are a few stars that caught my attention.





I stopped to say "hello" to Sonny Bono in the middle of town. Sonny was mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992. It was he who brought VillageFest and the Palm Springs International Film Festival to Palm Springs, both of which still go on.



Later in the afternoon, we headed over to the Palm Springs Museum, one of our favorite museums anywhere. We were so fascinated by the "Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner (through May 30, 2010), that we later drove near some of his Modernist homes in Palm Springs. Many of our favorite art works in the museum's collection have been relocated to make room for the "The Passionate Pursuit: Gifts and Promised Works from Donna and Cargill MacMillan, Jr." (through June 20, 2010), which is the collection of more than 75 contemporary works that the MacMillan's have either promised to or already donated to the museum. All of these, except, I think, the Chihuly glass, are in the MacMillan's collection.







For dinner, we met friends Mary and Bill at Shame on the Moon in Rancho Mirage. Every year we dine at Shame on the Moon and continue to love the food and ambiance. It was Mary and Bill who introduced us to Shame and tipped us off to ask for a table in the Garden dining room where it is quieter. The menu stays pretty much the same, indicating that's what Shame's regulars have been enjoying for its 26 years.

All entrées are served with soup or salad and mostly priced between $20 and $30. Meals are served with seasonal vegetables.

Mary ordered the Scallops and Shrimp.



Bill's choice was the Tilapia.



Jim almost always orders the Calves Liver with Bacon, the chef's signature entrée and something I never prepare at home. This year, that's what he had.



I was pleased with the evening's special, herbed lamb medallions.



For dessert we all shared a serving of Peanut Butter Pie with Butter Pecan Ice Cream.



End of another day in paradise.

SATURDAY NIGHT & SUNDAY MORNING

It's been a cloudy, sometimes rainy, cool weekend in Northern California.

Last night, we were in the mood for Vietnamese food and headed to Le Cheval. We've been longtime fans of their original downtown Oakland restaurant and now consider ourselves extra lucky to have them also in Walnut Creek. Even though we were dining rather early, I made a reservation which was a good move. By 6:30 p.m., the place was packed.

Feeling a bit adventurous, we only ordered one of our favorites, the Le Cheval Bird's Nest, a noodle "nest" filled with chicken, prawns and vegetables. Instead of our favorite starters of Watercress Salad with Prawns and Salty Calamari, we tried the Hot and Sour Soup, Saigon Style, with Snapper. For a third dish, we had the Calamari with Vegetables.

The Hot and Sour Soup was WONDERFUL! Filled with chunks of snapper and lots of mushrooms and celery, all in a broth flavored with Lemon Grass, it was heavenly. Here's what it looked like in my cup.



The Calamari dish was not as thrilling mainly because, it contained most of the same vegetables as the Bird's Nest and tasted much the same.

But we tried new dishes and that's part of the fun.

Even more fun was we had leftovers for Sunday lunch.

Despite the drizzly weather Sunday morning, we did our marketing at the Walnut Creek Farmer's Market and then headed to Whole Foods for our Sunday breakfast with MA. Today her sister and brother-in-law, who are in town from Gaithersburg, joined us.



We sit out side, rain or shine, because Louie is with us on Sunday mornings. Even though Whole Foods does not have heaters on their patio, we usually manage to chat and eat for an hour or two.

What a nice Sunday tradition we have.

SOUTHERN MEX IN LAFAYETTE

I get my hair cut next door to El Jarro, a Mexican café in Lafayette, CA. (3563 Mt. Diablo Blvd; 925-283-6639).

In the few years that El Jarro has been open, I often consider timing my hair appointments around lunch here. It was not until today that I finally tried El Jarro.

My stylist recommended the Tilapia Vera Cruz, the manicurists love the Mexican Torta Sandwiches. I was advised to not order burritos, enchiladas or tacos because the specialities of El Jarro are the authentic dishes of Southerm Mexico.

The woman who was having her hair cut after me, arrived for her appointment with Sopas from El Jarro...they looked deliciuos and this is what I ordered...what is offered on the menu gives a choice of Chorizo or Chicken as the main filling. I've been told you can ask for custom creations; the woman at the hair salon had Carnitas on her Sopas.

I decided to order off the menu, choosing the Chorizo. My serving consisted of two fried tortilla shells, each about the size of an English Muffin, filled with Chorizo, shredded lettuce, and Mexican cheese. On the side was sour cream and spicy red sauce. At $7.50 the serving, this was more than enough for one hungry person.

The one thing that I would have liked with my lunch was some Agua Fresca, the Mexican fresh fruit drink. El Jarro does not offer such. Instead I had a glass of orange juice, which was a refreshing balance to my spicy dish, but watermelon or strawberry Agua Fresca would have really hit the spot.

The one Mexican non-alcoholic beverage that they serve is Horchata, a drink made with almonds, rice milk, cinnamon, sugar and lime. Next time that's what I will order.

And, there will be a next time. Looking around the small dining room, I observed that the Tortilla soup was very popular. Also at many tables were the Tortas, sandwiches in thick soft Mexican buns, filled with meat, avocado, cheese and more. A customer near me ordered a single taco with Spicy Chicken.

I will be back in 6 weeks, if not sooner...6 weeks is my next hair appointment.

Oh, El Jarro has an enclosed back patio and a few outdoor seats in front on the side walk. It has private free off street parking in the back too.

OUR NAPA VALLEY NEW YEAR TRADITION

Today we indulged ourselves in another of our New Year Traditions, the Annual Sale at Vanderbilt and Company in St. Helena in the Napa Valley.
We left home a little before 8 a.m., to assure that we'd be there for the 9:30 a.m. opening on this, the first day of the sale. It was a clear but very cold early morning with temperatures in the low 30s...very cold by Northern California standards.

We had an easy drive up which left us with plenty of time to get tea/coffee and pastries at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company around the corner from Vanderbilt.


We had Louie with us, so all our dining for the day was outdoors. We found a sunny spot on the deck at the Roasting Company and spent a pleasant half hour sipping our drinks with our pastries. It was tea and a Morning Bun for me and coffee and a toasted Bagel with Cream Cheese for Jim. Louie ate scraps from our pastries and sipped water from the communal dog bowl on the deck.



My personal tradition at the Vanderbilt Sale is to be the first one in the store when the doors open. Curiously, this is an extremely civil sale where loyal customers like me do not storm the doors and have fights over merchandise...nothing like one Saks after Christmas Sale where I witnessed well-dressed women fighting on the floor for possession of marked-down purses!





So what's so wonderful about Vanderbilt's Sale?...by the way this is the 24th Annual one. Vanderbilt and Company sells the most beautiful of table top items and other home furnishings such as linens, towels, soaps, and lots of gift items. They have one of the largest selections of Vietri ceramics from Italy that I know of in the Bay Area. The store is friendly and attractive. AND, for the sale, which goes on for a few weeks, lots of items are marked down 50%...remainders, discontinueds, odd pieces...and everything else, including special orders, is 20% off. Of course Louie is welcome here too which means that Jim is not left standing out in the cold. We spent over an hour here and came away with two bags of "stuff," including a marvelous wedding present for some special friends, new cloth napkins and placemats for me, a glass serving plate, and miscellaneous towels and other gift items.

After that, we walked up and down the main street in St. Helena, checking out other favorite shops.

By now it was just about time for lunch and we headed to Yountville for lunch on the patio at Bouchon, one of Chef Thomas Keller's several restaurants in Yountville. Bouchon is Keller's French Brasserie..yes this is the Thomas Keller of French Laundry just up the street.


At noon the temperature was in the 50s and it was delightful sitting outdoors.



Louie had his own bowl of water and also snatched things off our table.






We shared a salad of red and white endive, Roquefort, walnuts, and apples...very tasty, but they forgot the apples.

We both decided on the day's Tartine...an open faced sandwich with Fries. Today's Tartine was braised pork..sort of pulled pork...with pickled onions and pickles. Our server advised us that the serving of Fries is very large and suggested we choose another side dish for one of us. We chose the sautéed Butternut Squash with currants.




We passed on dessert but lingered over coffee, enjoying the beautiful Napa Valley day and chatting with others who were dining on the patio.




For one final stop, we went into the Bouchon Bakery next door to buy a loaf of bread to take home to a neighbor. He's happily enjoying Olive Herb Bread as I write this.




It's a day like this that makes everyone want to live where we do.