Palm Springs Weekend

This weekend we decided to take a little Pete &  Katrina time and relax in the sun out at our favorite hot spot, Palm Springs! The hotel of choice for us is The Movie Colony. It has all the things we love!  Great location, fabulous beds, a morning self serve breakfast bar ( see photos ) secluded pool and spa, three 2 story Town Houses with living rooms that open next to the pool, several Private Patio Rooms, two Terrace Rooms with private upper decks, mini-fridge in room, DVD players and lots of fun little nooks to relax and snuggle in.  Not only that, but the management is just great! They all go home after 7 pm and leave a phone number to call them if there are any problems. One of the guests from Europe locked themselves out on Saturday night and Donald was there in 10 minutes to unlock the door for them. There was still a pitcher of Sangria at the bar that Juana, the general manager, had made earlier that afternoon for the guests. This kept them in good spirits till he could get there. Oh, did I forget to mention that the hotel serves up an afternoon / early evening wine and appetizer get together for the guests. No fee, just lots of fun and interaction with others staying there. There are just sixteen rooms, and they fill up fast in the high season, October through March, so if you decide to go there, make reservations well in advance! 

 Juana Loera   
General Manager

Check out the website.

 http://moviecolonyhotel.com/

 One of the things we love to do while we're here is to go find fabulous wine and food. We have some fav's, but we also like to be adventurous and try new ones too. Dumb luck would have it that when we went to where we thought an old favorite was, it had closed! But in it's place we were lucky to find Trio. It's brand new ( opened one week ago ), and the food was very good! The menu was well thought out, with an eye for a broad spectrum of tastes. Seafood (oh yeh baby!), lamb, beef, pork, pasta, a full appetizer list. We were hard pressed to decide where to start! When served, we were very impressed with the preparation and presentation. Most excellent! It is now on my to do list when we visit.

A word of warning to the gentlemen. It is Palm Springs, and Katrina remarked at one point in the evening that it was strange that besides the one waitress, she was the only woman in the entire establishment. But don't worry guys, they don't bite. Much.

We would normally eat at Sherman's Deli by the Indian Resort and Casino for breakfast or lunch on a Saturday morning when just hanging out. But we had been on an intense open house tour and ended up by Barona Rd and E. Palm Canyon where we found a little gem called Manhattan in the Desert! One thing I can say for sure. These guys know food! I ate half this Smoked Turkey sandwich before I decided I better take a photo before it disappears!

The desserts and Pastries on display are mind boggling too! I could gain the fourty pounds back that I lost wayyyyyyyyy too easy there! 

Plus they have all the things you would expect from a typical Deli. Matzo, Whitefish, Smoked Salmon, Chubs, Lox, Bagels, ect .... 

I highly recommend this deli. Oh, did I mention they advertise 50% off all entrees?

So now let's go to my Every Time I'm There favorites list. We like to have lunch at least once at The Thai Smile Cafe. Typically spicy and fresh Thai food with reasonable pricing. It's on N. Palm Canyon very near (walking distance) to The Movie Colony Hotel.  The cafe seats quite a few people, so if you had a large party they could easily accommodate you. It's a mom and pop place where the ambiance is easy and the music is pleasant. The service is prompt and the food is very good. Katrina and I always keep this one in mind when looking for a quick and delicious bite to get us through the day.

Next up is Wild for the Vine. We love to go wine tasting and this little treasure has it in style. The owners, Scott and Debbie, are wonderful hosts and will make you feel as if you belonged to their large circle of friends from high school. Two talented souls that love wine and know how to present it in all it's glory for you to taste and buy. They are just a block or so south of Francis Stevens Park at 390 N. Palm Canyon Dr.  760-325-9930.  The shop is small in size, yet humongous in stature. The selection on hand will delight you if you enjoy finding new flavors. And don't miss out on one or more of their special tastings! We attended one where a chocolate distributor they know was pairing chocolate with the wine. Who could ask for better?

Now for my Most Favorite of All:

Kiyosaku Sushi

Chef Kiyoshi Ishikawa is a Master at his trade. In fact he follows traditions to such a degree that if you are looking for just some California Fusion food, forget it. What he does make is the best of the best! He gets much of his extremely fresh fish from the Tokyo markets in Japan. He also has family there and goes to visit as often as he can. This weekend he said the Salmon was from Scotland. There are no boundaries when it comes to excellence. 

Kiyo's knowledge of sea food and the impact from  the warming of the seas concerns him to such a degree that he will no longer prepare and serve some delicacy's because of what it has done to the taste of some fishes. An example would be monk fish liver. He will no longer prepare it because it isn't up to his standards. He barbecues his own unagi and specially marinades his saba. He will only serve the best uni from Santa Barbara. The crab meat is upper arm king crab, no artificially flavored pollock allowed. Octopus?  Fresh and cooked to perfection by traditional standards. Our friend Mercy has said she never liked octopus until she tried some of Kiyo's carefully prepared sashimi. Now she holds his up as a standard for all others to meet.  Kiyo and his wife Teraku serve their guests with pride and in the best of Japanese tradition. If you want an experience beyond what you have ever had in flavor, try this place. Although the restaurant is small, it sparkles with cleanliness, good vibes and smiling faces. The pricing is in line with the quality of the dishes served, but without the pretentiousness you find at some of the big name eateries. Our friend Russel claims that a California roll at Kiyosaku is a meal unto itself with all that king crab in it! When you do go, try the Special Rainbow roll, it isn't like what you will get anywhere else. Once assembled, cut and plated, it's fish origami. Geometric patterns abound in this presentation! 
While you are there, get to know some of the regular local patrons. Katrina and I just happened to be present this Sunday when two locals came in. He was an older man whose 11 something year old daughter spoke fluent Japanese and English. He spoke some Japanese, but not as well as his daughter. The girl was a regular chatterbox. But then, at that age they sometimes are. Katrina was captivated by her range of interests combined with her ability to grasp ideas and concepts quickly. They both gabbed away for some time. After a while it was hard to tell which was the adult of the two! 
This wonderful restaurant is located at :

     1555 S. Palm Canyon Dr. # 104

          Tel # 760-327-6601

But now it's back to the grind. Painters are coming this week. My Lady has been busy since we got back this morning getting the patio cleared and trimming the roses next to the front wall. Tomorrow before work I need to finish the prepping so power washing and painting can flow through on schedule. Plus still make it to my 8 hr job by 11 am. Bummer.
blah blah blah,

Katrina! How long is it before the Vegas trip?