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Dining and Timing in the Desert
 The low desert area of Palm Springs and environs has
been only an occasional destination of choice for me, primarily during the
Indian Wells tennis tournament. However I did need some rest and recreation
and 3 days of peaceful lounge and pool time in warm clear air was definitely
appealing. Further, a time-share pitch was so irresistible that even
I couldn’t turn it down. I’ll report on that 75-minute
experience later in this article.
Dining in the low desert is typical of what you
generally are exposed to in most trendy tourist areas. Under no
circumstances should you think that paying a lot is going to deliver fine
food. In most cases you will face manipulative attitudes and food that is
almost never commensurate with the price. The supposed top four dining
choices are Jillians, Cuistot, Le Vallauris and Le St.
Germain. They are all at about the same level and none of them would
make the top 30 in Los Angeles. The supposed best Italian eatery is
Castelli’s-Andreinos. It is not in the same class with Tuscany,
Marcello’s, Rustico or Mandevilla. To save time and space we will
give you our experiences only at Jillians and Castelli’s which
represent variations on the theme.
Jillians is located in an attractive house at
the South End of El Paseo which is a mixture of snooty Rodeo Drive Haute
Couture (Escada, St John’s etc) and restaurant row. It is one of the few
spots with valet parking.
The reservation was for 7:30. On time, we were
immediately led to a table…. in the noisy bar-lounge area right next to the
piano. A typical piano bar pounder manned it. He was wearing a bright pink
sports jacket that went out of style 35 years ago. It matched the clientele
in that section. We indicated that the noise…. and color level were
unacceptable. Then the two of us were taken to a table for 6… still in the congested
bar area. We indicated to the hostess that we were pleasant and amicable
folks. If we sat at that table, it would seem as if the rest of the party
stood us up.
Finally we wound up in a quiet non-descript small back
room that surprisingly still had a few intimate open tables. After being
seated, and served a first course, we noticed that there was, in fact, a
romantic outside patio. The weather was perfect. Tables were open. That
option was never offered.
| The wine list was presented. The least expensive bottle
was $45. It was a Zinfandel of which I had never heard. For $10 more, I
chose a Pinot Noir from the very favored Russian River area, It was not
as good as the Castle Rock Pinot Noir that I bought at Conejo Wine
for under $10. There were 8 entrée choices and with one exception, they
were as out of date as the piano player ….and expensive. Osso Buco, the
only serious offering, was $29. That is more than it is at Valentino’s,
considered, justifiably, to be one of the top three Italian Restaurants
in the United States. |
Dining
at Jillian's overlooking the very
popular
courtyard. We never made it to this area.
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The pleasant surprise was that the appetizers of
Lobster Bisque and a Tower of Crab along with the Osso Buco which what we
both ordered was delicious. Service was amiable but not quite up to the
prices. When the maitre’d came by, I pointed out to him that I thought the
wine list was high. He said that he felt the same way but that he was not
the boss. Dinner for two was $170 including tax and tip. We did not
order dessert or coffee.
There’s not much good you can say about
Castelli-Andreino’s. The restaurant is a deluxe storefront on the highway
in the typical Italian style again of 35 years ago. Signed photos of Frank
Sinatra, Dean Martin etc. supposedly attest to the popularity and quality.
The Italian waiter, a brother-in-law of the owner pushed hard at every level,
suggesting special appetizers and main courses. When I asked the prices he
told me not to worry, we would be happy. Since we were with a large group, I
didn’t pursue it to prevent appearing to be the cheapskate of the group. The
food was big portions, heavy on the red sauces and cream. Fettuccine
Alfredo, which I haven’t seen on a menu in years, was the feature item.
Wineglasses were topped off at every opportunity resulting in more bottles
of wine. The food was uniformly mediocre.
When the bill came, others in the party chastised me
for not insisting on getting the prices. We split the enormous bill and left
muttering. It would have made a great scene in a Sid Caesar- Imogene Coca
skit.
The dining room at Shame on the Moon.
(The
food is great, too.) |
However on our last night in the desert, a satisfying
and romantic moon appeared. It was the wonderful “Shame on the Moon”
restaurant. The restaurant was bustling when we arrived. Yet we were
immediately escorted to a lovely table for two in a quiet and separate
rear section of the room. Service was very friendly and impeccable. The
menu was creative. There were 15 entrée items. Each one was tempting.
Only 3 items were over $20. They were steak and lamb chops. And these
prices included soup or salad.
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| The ample house salad was
served with whipped balsamic vinegar dressing. It was great. My wife
ordered a plate of Scallops and Tiger Shrimp sautéed with fresh garlic,
parsley, white wine and kalamata olives, herbed rice and steamed
julienne of vegetables ($19,75). I |
ordered the fresh fish of the day, which
was a beautifully steamed impeccably fresh filet of whitefish served
with that same rice and vegetables ($19.95). A wonderful Napa Sauvignon
Blanc was $28.95 and we split a creative ice cream and fresh berry
dessert ($6.00). It was a perfect evening.
Two other choices that serve fairly decent food at acceptable prices are
the slightly noisy Doug Arango and Ristorante Mama Gina
although at the latter you might get a waiter with an attitude. Most of
the Chinese restaurants are disappointments. If you crave authentic Mexican food,
stay away from the restaurants and seek out a basic taco stand. In order
to dollar average you might consider Le Basil as an inexpensive Southeast
Asian choice on Sinatra Drive near the 111.. |
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Jillian's
74-155 El Paseo, Palm Desert, California 92260, 760-776-8242
Shame on the Moon
69-950 Frank Sinatra Drive, Rancho Mirage, 760-324-5515 Most Credit Cards
Large Self-Parking Area.
Doug Arango
73-520 El Paseo Palm Desert, 760-341-4120 Most Credit Cards Street Parking
Ristorante Mama Gina
73-705 El Paseo Palm Desert, 760-568-9898 Most Credit Cards Street and
Valet Parking.
A representative of the Westin Mission Hills Resort
in Rancho Mirage contacted us with an offer that was hard to refuse. Three
days and two nights at the resort in a deluxe room overlooking the golf
course was $199 but you received a $175 coupon for attending a 75-minute
time-share presentation. The $175 could be spent on food, purchases in the
gift shop, massage treatments and other amenities. Even with the $14.50 per
day resort charge which was sort of an unexpected add-on, the $300+ room
cost about $30 per night. If you do get a similar phone call, I would advise
taking the offer. It is an unbelievable short vacation value.
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We had a great time in beautiful surroundings, ate wonderful breakfasts and
lunches and lounged around a very comfortable pool two minutes from our
room. We talked to interesting people who had come there from all over the
country. It was amazing to see a constant flow golf carts whizzing by with
couples and families on their way to a time-share presentation amid
luxurious landscaping, pools and fountains.
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Only the Westin pitch stays away from the term
“Time Share”. They claim that there is no specific time that you must
share nor does it have to be at least a week at a time. I must admit
that I didn’t get the point.
The property that they show is very compelling with
all kinds of options that boggle one’s mind. You can be caught up with
the fact that you think that you actually do own a portion of this
particular lovely apartment overlooking a golf course. But you probably
don’t since you may be assigned to one of many of those apartments if
you choose to come to Rancho Mirage each year. The real enticement is
that depending upon the money you put up you are given the opportunity
to spend a week more or less in some luxury properties that are owned by
Starwood, the parent of Westin. The discounts appear to be significant.
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A luxury model “Villa” as they are called was quoted to us at $26,900
during peak season. It could be financed at about 12%. Then there was a
maintenance charge of about $650. We thought that that was cheap until
we were told that it was not for the year but our share for one week.
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When one starts multiplying all of this by 52 and considers that
$27,000 intelligently invested long term can return income of
$2,700 per year, you may come to the realization that each week at
the resort of your choice costs about $3,300. If that seems to be
a good value to you, then you are a time-share purchase prospect.
Understand that the sales people are very competent, well trained
and extremely aggressive Do not be afraid to ask questions and work hard to
understand all the options that are being thrown at you. It is
very easy to become confused. This is especially true since the
salesperson will insist that you make your decision right then and
there or you lose some supposedly valuable bonus awards.
Although, when you multiply the $27,000 by
52, you may realize that they are selling this apartment in weekly
increments for about $1,400,000. You can buy a big house in Sun
City for ¼ the price. But you’d have to live there year round to
get your money out of it. .
The punch line is that you have to figure
whether this proposal is of real economic value rather than
emotional. One thing is sure. You can’t beat the value of three
days and two nights in the desert at a beautiful hotel resort for
$60. |
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