This is a savory crepe on the menu of Crepes de Paris in Palm Springs. It comes with shrimp, red bell pepper, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and a wine and cream sauce. There were quite a few medium size shrimp, cooked perfectly, and this seafood played nicely with the savory cheeses. The slightly sauteed pepper strips added the freshness that this rich dish needed. It was presented nicely with some shrimp, pepper strips, grated cheese, and sauce on top, and a goodly amount of these ingredients inside as well. Vive le France!
Location: Crepes de Paris, 245 S Palm Canyon Drive, Ste A-1, Palm Springs, California. Date: May 13, 2023.
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This is obviously one of the great soups of the world, and when Palm Springs Magazine touted the Mr Lyons version, I wanted to try it ever since. It was served in the traditional French soup bowl, and it had great onion flavor. The onions were not cooked to death, so they still had a little bite to them. The bread on top, holding up the cheese, was still a little crunchy on the edges, but never mind the bread and cheese because the rich beef broth said it all.
Location: Mr Lyons, 233 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. Date: December 30, 2022. This pasta was noteworthy for more than one reason. Firstly, it was well executed and delicious. Secondly, I ate it at an altitude of 8,500 feet! (Peaks Restaurant is located in the upper terminal of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on Mount San Jacinto.) It appears that Parisian pasta can be a variety of dishes, but it seems that the common ingredient is some form of melted cheese. In my case, it was brie cheese melted into pesto sauce served with linguini pasta and diced heirloom tomato. This French version of pesto sauce had white wine and butter in it but also plenty of basil and garlic. The brie made the sauce unusually creamy. There was a nice amount of tomato for acidity, and dried parsley garnished the plate. Basil and garlic lingered in my mouth long after my plate was clean.
Location: Peaks Restaurant at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Mount San Jacinto, Riverside County, California. Date: June 1, 2022. My friend Joe made cassoulet for Christmas and froze the leftovers. He thawed them out when I visited, and what a wonderful and savory dish! His cassoulet contained merguez sausage (a lamb sausage from Morocco), duck sausage, chicken thighs, and pork shoulder, along with the beans, of course (great northern). He cooked all the meat in duck fat, and he credits that for the authentic taste. He also added onion, garlic, carrot, and chopped tomato. He seasoned the dish with salt and pepper, fresh thyme and basil, and bay leaves, and he slow simmered it all night. Joe woke up to the wonderful aroma filling the whole house. When he warmed it up for me, in a clay pot in the oven, he grated comte cheese on top (it's French gruyere). The grated cheese got a little crispy, and the meats and the beans were melt in your mouth.
Location: Private Home, Redlands, California. Date: April 28, 2022. This gorgeous dish with a simple name was half a ripe and juicy Hawaiian papaya stuffed with chicken salad and inverted onto a bed of chopped lettuce. The plate also featured a sliced hardboiled egg, some tomato slices, a couple of asparagus spears, and raw beet strings. It was served with a ramekin of creamy and tangy curry flavored dressing. The papaya was garnished with a liberal sprinkling of crunchy chopped macadamia nut. It seems there was a Hawaiian theme to this dish, but since I had it at a French restaurant, it could have been a nod to Tahiti (or French Polynesia in general). I enjoyed this delectable lunch with a glass of dry rose wine from Chateau Saint Pierre (Cotes de Provence 2020). It was light, dry, and delicate, but tasty. This restaurant was quite a find, and I have to thank a Hungarian lady who I met at a bar for the recommendation.
Location: Si Bon, 40101 Monterrey Avenue, Suite E5, Rancho Mirage, California. Date: December 18, 2021. Salad with fish seems to be under represented. The one I had today was on a bed of two types of chopped lettuce and came with green bell pepper, cucumber, grapefruit sections, and a creamy lemon vinaigrette dressing. The bell pepper and cucumber were thoughtfully diced: the stronger flavored pepper was diced fairly fine and the milder cucumber was cut quite a bit larger. The sole was perfectly pan fried with a light crispy crust on the outside, and the fish itself was moist, almost creamy; it was definitely the star of the salad, but for me the grapefruit supremes came in a close second. There was crunch from the bell pepper and cucumber and sweetness and just a faint bitterness from the grapefruit. Nothing was too salty in this fresh salad: the dressing was mild and the fish was seasoned judiciously so that it could shine and not be overwhelmed. Because of the amount of sole, this salad was my main dish, and I didn't even miss the starch!
Location: French Corner Cafe, 72423 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: January 30, 2021. You've probably guessed by the name and the picture that this is a French pastry (even though it seems to be named after a city in Italy). This pastry has an interesting construction because the layers are next to each other rather than on top of each other. The outside of the pastry was crispy, and there was a layer of custard inside with little pieces of soft (or softened) watermelon candy imported from France. The flavor of the filling was floral with a hint of watermelon and orange blossom. This is an intriguing pastry that I would certainly eat again.
Location: Peninsula Pastries, 611 S Palm Canyon Drive, Ste 1, Palm Springs, California. Date: December 10, 2020. Apart from lettuce and tomato, this unique burger came with grilled eggplant, black sesame seed encrusted ahi tuna, and aioli garlic sauce. This same French cafe also does a scallop burger and a sole burger. The tuna I had was still pink in the middle and so it was still moist. The three eggplant slices were cooked to perfection; they were succulent. There was nothing dry about this burger, with its healthy protein, and the flavor of the eggplant complimented the dish nicely. The fries, unfortunately, were the skinny type, but you can order this burger with salad instead. When I told the French waiter, who I believe is actually the owner, that I'm not a fan of skinny fries, he recommended the sweet potato fries for next time, and when he brought me my check he also gave me a sample dish of the fries. They were crispy, meaty, a little sweet, and he mentioned that they were more nutritious than regular potato. The burger itself, along with a glass of French white wine, was a very good lunch on a warm sunny desert day in December.
Location: French Corner Cafe, 72432 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: December 5, 2020. This French pastry was advertised as mixed red berries and champagne; what it really consisted of was a layer of cream mousse that had champagne in it, making it really light, with a layer of green pistachio cake underneath, with a layer of tart raspberry compote under that, and then another layer of pistachio cake. The pistachio cake was dense, and that contrasted with the light mousse and the juicy raspberry filling. The top of the pastry was garnished with two fresh raspberries, two fresh blackberries, and two dark chocolate lace tuiles. This pastry was not too sweet, and with a glass of French sparkling wine (Pol Clément Brut), it was lovely on a warm afternoon outdoors.
Location: French Corner Cafe, 72423 Hwy 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: November 21, 2020. This salad consisted of sauteed shrimp, mango, pineapple, coconut, and mixed baby greens. The six tail on shrimp were perfectly sauteed for maximum succulence. The mango was unripe but that works in salad (in Mexico unripe mango is served with lime juice, salt, and chili powder), and the cubes provided a nice crunch. The pineapple pieces added fruitiness and sweetness, and the whole salad was sprinkled with shredded coconut (which was a visual and textural component). I detected some finely chopped and sauteed tomato and onion which I think gave the salad more depth of flavor. The dressing was creamy, sweet, and tangy, but for my taste it could have been even more tangy. This dish was fresh and tropical, and even though it was a salad, for me it was a lovely shrimp dish.
Location: French Corner Cafe, 72423 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: November 14, 2020. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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