Last night I finally went to The Purple Palm Restaurant at The Colony Palms Hotel. Regular readers may recall I attended the hotel grand opening gala two weeks ago and wrote about it on this blog. The Colony Palms Hotel, originally built in 1934 was beautifully restored and has a casual desert elegance. In some ways the lounge looks like a scene from Casablanca; in fact I kept waiting for Humphrey Bogart to walk into the lounge and order a cocktail. I had high expectations of The Purple Palms restaurant, particularly after my visit at the grand opening. Once seated, I introduced myself to the hostess on site as The Palm Springs Savant, although we already had reservations through the owner of the hotel. I started off the evening with a martini poolside until we were ready to be seated for dinner.
Above left: The poolside lounge at the Purple Palm Restaurant poolside lounge. Above right: Me and my friend Jason having martinis.
Above left: The misters by the pool lounge kept things cool in the 109 degree temperatures. Above right: The svervice was excellent. Our server surprised us with champagne to welcome us, courtesy of the Chef.
Refreshing Appetizers...
Above left: Caprese Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil, Peppery Greens, Aceto Balsamic, Virgin Oil, & Lavender. and above right: Crispy Seafood Duo: Parma Prosciutto wrapped Sea Scallop, Potato encased Chilean Sea Bass, & Cantaloupe-Habanero-Tahitian Vanilla Bean Dressing
Above left: "Melange of Baby Lettuces": Roquefort, Chevre, Tropical Fruit, Maui Onions, Ruby Red Grapefruit-White Truffle Vinaigrette, & Citrus-Peanut Emulsion and above right: Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras Passion Fruit, Port Poached Apple Brulee, Forest Mushrooms, Cinnamon-Shiraz-Aged Balsamic Jus, & Kaffir Lime Butter
Delectable Entrees
Above left: Crispy Duck Breast: Grilled Fingerling Potato-Dungeness Crab-Black Truffle Risotto, Watercress, Golden Beets, Passion-Blood Orange Gastrique, & Aged Port Jus and above right: Prime Filet Mignon Roquefort, Wild Boar Bacon, Endive, Chinese Long Beans, Pommes Anna, Sauce Perigourdine, Beet Virgin Oil, & Carrot-Ginger Emulsion
Above: Crispy Potato Scaled Pacific Salmon:Lemon Essence, Wilted Radicchio, Soybeans, Lemon-Lime Linguini, Port Grapes, Saffron-Sauvignon Caviar Sauce, with Lime-Ramp-Pistachio Olive Oil
Scrumptious Desserts
Above Left: Chef's Chocolate Souffle Tahitian Vanilla Bean Chantilly, Crème Anglaise and above right: Zabaglione Fruit Parfait Fresh Seasonal Strawberries,Ripe Hawaiian Mango, Marbled Champagne Parfait, Shaved Belgian Couverture, with Vanilla Syrup & Spiced Almonds
Above: After dinner we strolled out of the hotel...I snapped a photo of the pool which looked so beautiful illuminated in the moonlight. It was a magnificent evening at The Purple Palm Restaurant. The Colony Palms hotel has a great destination on site. If you are from out of town visiting or a local, I highly recommend The Purple Palm restaurant.
-Rick Rockhill
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