Neil Goetz, previously the head bartender at Blackbook, sets a jolly, welcoming tone. The most tongue-in-cheek touch? In the center of the bar hangs a portrait of actor Udo Kier, a friend of Lavine’s, captured with an intimidating expression that conjures mobsters and Mario Puzo. The space brims with midcentury glamour: dark, shadowed, velvety wallpaper, rows of booze bottles aglow in backlighting, a marble bar so polished it mirrors its surroundings as hypnotically as a reflecting pool. It turns out the undisclosed location, revealed as soon as you make a reservation, is the kitschiest aspect of Evening Citizen. Yes, the notion of a bar shrouded in Prohibition era-style secrecy has been overplayed nationwide during the cocktail renaissance of the new millennium - but it’s Palm Springs.
Local friends were excited to introduce my partner and me to the speakeasy opened earlier this year by Dean Lavine, the owner of Blackbook in the often-rowdy Arenas District. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, (760) 507-1797, Evening Citizen When even bar seats at Cecil prove too difficult to snag, I’ll know where to duck in as an alternative. Underhill has of course dreamed up some compelling cocktails: His lemony, hibiscus-tinged Desert Rose makes good use of the Sipsmith gin I favor in martinis I’ve watched him stir. It was exactly the kind of light, nourishing lunch I want in the heat. Its date-honey vinaigrette was in no way cloying, and a swipe of labneh brought in a nicely dense creaminess that stood up to fluffy-chewy farro. Two more sauces on the side - a spicy harissa-based one and a riff on the Yemeni-Israeli herbed hot sauce zhoug - ratchet up flavor and heat.Įven better: a farro salad tossed with sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrot, scallions and mint. Zadie, more commonly spelled “zayde” in phonetic English, is Yiddish for “grandfather.” The easygoing opening menu of starters, sandwiches and bowls bills itself as “modern Mediterranean.” I swung by on its inaugural week but I’m betting the most popular item will be the chicken schnitzel sandwich layered with roasted eggplant, whipped feta, tahini and matbucha, the Sephardic Moroccan condiment of roasted tomatoes and peppers. On both visits last week, though, I noticed Underhill wasn’t around.Īnother Cecil staffer finally tipped us off: He and his wife, Lauren, were busy opening their own restaurant, called Zadie Cafe, in the lobby of the Hilton Palm Springs.
Twice, though, we scored open bar seats by arriving in the 6:30-to-7:15 window, some advice that lead bartender Avery Underhill had passed along in January. Reservations for Bar Cecil, my favorite restaurant in Palm Springs, remained difficult to claim even in the 115-degree heat of late August.
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But Hudson took pity on us and agreed to gather a takeout feast of the menu’s soul food dishes that were already prepared or easy to warm.Įnjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times No one was showing up, chef Latrice “Triecy” Hudson told us when we rapped on the restaurant’s door just to be certain. On a recent night of heavy rains, two of us showed up at Le Petit Dejeuner in Cathedral City 45 minutes before their posted closing time … and saw that the “Open” sign had already been turned off for the night. I wound up visiting two new restaurants and one hidden bar that I’d suggest for visitors looking for some fresh additions to the scene, no matter the time of year. But there is something wonderful, too, about visiting Southern California’s famed resort town in the off-off-season: No crowds, plenty of parking, a general sense of calm and, if you’re like me, an odd pleasure in short bursts of extreme heat that bake the stress right out of you.Īhead of a busy fall, I hid out for a week in Palm Springs - but wherever I am it’s hard to turn off the curiosity to seek out the latest culinary happenings. When the weather in Palm Springs cools to ideal desert temperatures in late winter and early spring, the sun and the air make the crush of tourism bearable.
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