How Restaurant Design Impacts the Dining Experience
In the sun-drenched expanse of the Coachella Valley, where light has long captivated artists, a different kind of artistry plays out within the desert’s most lauded dining rooms, where psychological games of color, secrets, shadow, and storytelling take place.
Quentin Garcia was taking his veggies for granted. That’s one lesson the Lola Rose Grand Mezze executive chef, who hails from Indio, learned when he walked into his kitchen at the Thompson Palm Springs and noticed visiting chefs from Mexico chowing down on raw ingredients. “They were enjoying a bowl of peppers as kitchen snacks,” Garcia recalls. “I’d never seen anything like it. They were really appreciating the bounty of produce we have here in California.”
Jane Lynch Hits All the Bright Notes at The Plaza Theatre
Jane Lynch looks as cozy as Christmas morning on the patio of a midcentury home at Thunderbird Estates in Rancho Mirage. Wrapped in a cardigan and sipping a breve latte, she watches a group of golfers play through the 13th hole. The sunshine is a welcome break from the coastal fog of Montecito, where she lives with her wife, Jennifer Cheyne, and rescue dogs, a pair of senior cocker spaniels named Suzy and Charles.
Marissa Hermer wasn’t simply interested in creating a restaurant in Palm Springs. She wanted to curate a vibe. Judging by the buzzy crowds and tough-to-nab reservations, she and business partner Matt Hermer achieved it with Bar Issi, a Mediterranean eatery at Thompson Palm Springs.
For those prepared to possibly have their minds blown and beliefs challenged, the annual Contact in the Desert conference will delve into the strange and unusual over the course of four days at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. Just don’t expect tinfoil hats or little green men.
The first note is marvelous mango. Ambrosial and fragrant, the tropical fruit’s honeylike sweetness is tempered by a subtle tang. Each taste is a creamy reprieve — part smoothie, part sundae. Soon, intrigue teases the tongue. A zesty burst, a saltiness settles in, then jets of chile heat begin to prickle. The mangonada is working its magic.
I’m not exactly sure what I expected as I pulled off Gerald Ford Drive into Cotino, the 618-acre Disney-branded development taking shape in Rancho Mirage between Monterey Avenue and Bob Hope Drive. The anticipation of experiencing a totally new piece of Disney land made me feel a bit like a kid again. Would I be joyfully greeted by a waving Mickey Mouse? Or hear The Lion King soundtrack blasting out of rock-shaped speakers? Might there be a churro stand?
Do not adjust your television set. The barware in the living room may have come from Revivals. That vase in the kitchen could be a rare find from Misty’s Consignments. The pillows in the den were probably purchased from Reside Palm Springs. While the new desert-set Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern was filmed on a Burbank soundstage, the show’s crew was determined to create a Coachella Valley home that appeared absolutely authentic.
“This is my favorite dining room in California,” Curtis Stone revealed to the crowd gathered inside the moody Mister Parker’s restaurant for an exclusive dinner prepared by the affable Australian chef. “I absolutely love it in here. It’s got such a beautiful energy.” Surrounded by ornate mirrors and eclectic artwork, creating an air of sophisticated, slightly rebellious indulgence, the evocative space proved to be the perfect setting for his Palm Desert Food & Wine event: An Intimate Evening With Curtis Stone.
Beyond 10-foot-tall black gates in Palm Springs’ lush Indian Canyons neighborhood, hundreds of attendees of Palm Desert Food & Wine’s Celebrity Chef Reception left the real world behind and entered a star-studded culinary fantasyland for an evening of good food, drink, and design. Held at the Hal Lacy–built home of renowned interior designer Christopher Kennedy, the 2025 edition of the soirée was a total feast for the senses.
