Review: Jake’s Restaurant in Palm Springs

Jake’s
664 N. Palm Canyon Dr
760-327-4400
They are closed on Monday and they usually shut down
for the off-season, during the heat of summer.

http://www.jakespalmsprings.com/

I thought I would include a review that I wrote, but never

published, after the first time we went to Jake’s.

May 2011

Jake’s is an intimate indoor-outdoor setting on the East

side of N. Palm Canyon Dr. in the Design District of
downtown Palm Springs.

I say indoor-outdoor because the dining area is a patio

nestled between two buildings and the tables are surrounded
by shrubbery and flowers.  It’s a beautiful setting for a
romantic dinner.

The bartender is an excellent mixologist.  He doesn’t skimp

on the essential ingredients.  My wife had a perfect Cosmo
and I had a Jack & Coke just the way I like it, plenty of Jack
and a splash of Coke.  The drinks were so good we each had
a second with dinner.

The food was well prepared and beautifully presented.

Bonnie, my wife, had the salmon and I had the shrimp &
scallops.  I would highly recommend both.
The waiter managed to be attentive without intruding on
our evening.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

That was written almost 5 years ago and it’s still true today.

We have eaten at Jake’s on several occasions in that time
span and just recently had Easter Brunch there.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

April 2015

My wife started with a Mexi-mosa (mimosa w/tequila) and

I had a Bloody Caesar.

Most restaurants don’t spend a lot of time on presentation
for breakfast food.  Jakes takes care with all their dishes.

For brunch, I had the 3 Egg Breakfast sunny-side, with

apple smoked bacon, roasted breakfast potatoes
(not the usual hash browns), and 9-grain toast.

My wife had Blackstone eggs, similar to eggs benedict,

but made with bacon and fresh spinach.
It, also, comes with their special breakfast potatoes.

The Weekend Brunch menu entrées range from $10 to $18

The Dinner menu entrées range from $19 to $29
And worth every penny and more.

Jake’s gets one of my few 5-star ratings.

Congratulations:

Co-owners Chris and Bruce,
Head Chef Mario,
and of course Jake.

p.s. Next time we go there I plan to take a package of

treats for Jake.

Coming Soon:  ??? (surprise)

  

Review: Maracas in Palm Springs

This Mexican food restaurant is in the front of the

Downtown Plaza, where Falls and Matchbox are
located, at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive.

They have indoor seating, side patio seating, and outside

seating in the front.  We took a table in the front this time
so we could watch the tourists.
A couple years ago WE were the tourists.

The house margarita comes in a large(schooner size)

or small(regular size) margarita glass.  The margarita
is very tasty and slightly sweet compared to others
I’ve had.  For this reason, I would definitely opt for salt.
They also have a full-service bar.  Since it was still
afternoon and I had to drive home, we each had a
small margarita.

They immediately bring chips and a bowl of spicy salsa.

This time, my wife had the shrimp enchilada.  She said

it was stuffed with good size shrimp, not just “flavored.”
I had the two-item combo of beef soft taco and chicken
enchilada.  They definitely don’t skimp on the meat.
I could barely finish it and I’m a hearty eater.

Both meals come with rice and refried beans.

The sauces are tasty without the over powering “heat” you
get some places.  If you want it spicier just put on some
of the salsa that comes with the chips.

In the past we have gone there earlier in the day and, if

it’s early enough, I have the machaca.  It’s made with
nicely seasoned shredded beef, unlike some restaurants
that use ground beef.  This comes with rice, beans, and
tortillas.

The service is timely, friendly, and attentive.

The noise level depends on the seating area, but it’s
never been so loud as to be intrusive.

Two regular size margaritas and our meals came to

about $34 (+tip).  Very reasonable.

I would give them 4½ stars.  Only because my

5-star ratings are very few and far between.

Coming soon

Review:  Jake’s (Easter Brunch this year)

Review: Spencer’s Restaurant in Palm Springs

The following is the review my wife wrote on the Open Table site.

“I tried to make a careful and informed choice for a restaurant for my husband and me to celebrate my birthday. Spencer's received many positive reviews for both food and atmosphere, which was frequently described as romantic.

My first mistake, I believe, was agreeing to take an inside table. To me it did not provide the special feeling I was looking for. If I go there again I will wait for an outside table to be available.

At a restaurant described as perfect for couples and romantic, I did not expect to have a family with children seated less than two feet away. It is probably just my expectations that made the experience more negative than it ordinarily would have been.

Food and drink was a little more positive.

I had mushroom risotto with grilled shrimp. I enjoyed it as a very good dish but not outstanding. My husband had a steak with a baked potato which he enjoyed but again not outstanding. For an up-scale restaurant, the presentation on the plate was very dull. The service was excellent. Not rushed, but with a feeling being able to relax rather than being slow.”

**************************************

I was less impressed with the whole experience than my wife.

Quiet?  No.

Romantic?  Not really.

I thought the service was slow.

Our drinks took so long, I thought the bar was several blocks away.

Directly over my wife’s head was a mirror wall which gave me
a great(?) view of the kitchen doors.  It took so long to get our
dinner, every time a server came out the doors I found myself
praying it was our food.
That’s very distracting when you’re having drinks and dinner
with a beautiful lady.

My steak was tender and perfectly cooked, but, the
presentation would have given Chef Ramsey apoplexy.

My wife, being the very generous person she is, gave them
3 stars.

I would probably say closer to 2.

JMNSHO

… Life After War …

BOOK REVIEW

I also posted this review on Amazon.com

I haven’t blogged for almost a year, however, I am going to review not just one book, but a series.

On my Kindle, I have read the first four books in the “Life After War” series by Angela White.  These books deal with America after a nuclear / chemical / biological war.

 

Book One: “The Survivors” immediately hooked me.  Within the first few pages the characters start coming to life with a vibrance normally reserved for later chapters.  They are individuals, each with a story to tell, who interact with the others in unique ways.  You can’t really see how all of them will come together as the story progresses, but rest assured “all will be revealed”.

Book Two: “On The Road” continues to follow the story lines as they converge.  Like most of us, each of these characters carry their personal EMOTIONAL baggage … revealing each item, working through it, then throwing it away on the side of the road.  They each also discover talents they didn’t know they had or refused to acknowledge.

Book Three: “Safe Haven” where the stories begin to converge.  The charismatic leader.  The Marine who becomes his second in command.  The lady who is determined to find her son.  The other Marine who didn’t know he had a son.  The hard-as-nails cop with the heart-of-gold.  The slaver from south of the border determined to conquer America and populate it with his bastard children.  They all have deep, dark secrets they don’t want revealed to the light of day.

Book Four: “Adrians Eagles”.  We now get a glimmer of what the future may hold.  The characters aren’t just filling out, they are growing.  With each passing day some of them find an amazing inner strength that helps them do what’s right inspite of, or because of, the possible consequences.

I believe I may have become a thorn in Angela’s side.  I have been bugging her about …..

you guessed it:

Book Five:  (not named, as of this writing).

Angela:  What are you doing wasting time reading this … get to work!  :-D