WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR

Interior rendering of WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR

With the temperature in Palm Springs just now cooling down, the restaurant scene is about to heat up.  Enter WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR, a new collaboration between chef Michael Beckman and international impresario Joseph Mourani.

Slated to open early next year in the former Design Within Reach space in the El Paseo building at Tamarisk Road and Palm Canyon Drive in the uptown design district, this could be Palm Springs’ showcase restaurant featuring fine dining AND beautiful design.  

Chef Michael returns to the desert after having served as the chef at one of the Coachella Valley’s best known private residences and golf courses from 2005 to 2008, and most recently as the private chef for families in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills.  Chef’s training includes a two year apprenticeship at the world-renowned, Michelin Guide three-starred Burgundy restaurant, Lameloise, in a classic French brigade kitchen of 35 chefs for a 70 seat restaurant.  He also completed a stage at Patina in Los Angeles in late 2002 under chef Eric Greenspan before joining Ritz-Carlton hotels as a restaurant and banquet chef at their Berlin property.

WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR's menu is being described as “a modern, seasonal American concept which draws on local artisanal ingredients and farmer’s markets as inspiration to the menu; and on the classic cocktail bar, crafted around seasonal ingredients and contemporary techniques.”   

Design for the new restaurant is being conducted by SOMA of New York.

You can follow the progress of WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR on FaceBook.

Bon Appetit!

Divine Sands

Pura Vida- outdoor dining

Swimming pool

All suites feature king beds

Room detail- king spa room

Spa tub detail- king spa room

Travertine countertops...Molton Brown amenities!

Walk-in shower

While Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley are still missing a five-star, five-diamond resort like Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons, the latest addition to the hotel scene here in the gay men's resort category is worthy of both top accolades.

Pura Vida is an eight room hideaway located in the Warm Sands neighborhood of central Palm Springs.  The rooms are large, ranging in size from 325 to 525 square feet, and all include flatscreen TV's, iPod docking stations, fireplaces, large walk-in showers, desert-tone travertine floors and bathrooms and private outdoor spaces.  Two suites also have large spa tubs and the largest suite even has a patio with a spa pool.

The communal pool and spa area includes an outdoor dining area and fire pit.  Room rates are inclusive of daily breakfast, evening cocktail hour and beverages from a 24-hour self service kitchen.

What's strikingly different about Pura Vida is the attention to detail in design and amenities- each being worthy of those found in the best of hotels and the finest private rental homes in Las Palmas or south Palm Springs.  It's also not a clothing optional resort, so everyone can feel comfortable around the pool - a novel idea, especially for a resort in this neighborhood.

Who will Pura Vida appeal to?  This resort should do very well with single gay professionals and couples who  like the quality and privacy of a home rental, but don't wish to pay for an entire house.  It should also do well with visitors who have rented private homes here but appreciate the services offered by a hotel, like daily housekeeping, cooking, and poolside cocktail service.  Think buy outs for birthday parties, special occasions, and corporate retreats.

Pura Vida is a breath of fresh air for Palm Springs and sets a high standard for small luxury hotel rooms in the area.  It's a resort that's not to be missed.

Pura Vida
Reservations & rates:  (877) 786 0519

Cable Car Crazy

Just one of the reasons I love San Francisco so.

Frances

Frances-  17th St in The Castro

House rose-  Served and paid for "as you drink"

Beet and arugula salad with buttermilk blue

White corn chowder with lime scented sea salt

California king salmon

Peach friand

I could wax on with superlatives about my dinner last Saturday at Frances, but let me just write a few words and leave the rest of it to the photos and chef Melissa Perello's accolades.

This is the best bistro meal I've eaten all year.  The sublime and simple tastes in each of the dishes I had were remarkable:  shaved buttermilk blue cheese over beets, the crunchy lime scented sea salt in the white corn soup, and the meyer lemon gremolata with the fresh California king salmon.

Frances is worthy of all the awards and attention it's received and I deem it:  not to be missed!

Bon Appetit.

Frances
3870 17th St.
San Francisco
California 94114

Sign Me Up

Welcome sign.  Highway 111

From the iconic Albert Frey-design

A motel classic

Chic, exclusive and rich with history

Entrance to Smoke Tree Stables

Signs- sometimes as much as architecture- can tell a lot about a place especially in the West where, say, tall buildings or outrageous neon signs don't dominate skylines with the exception of Las Vegas.  So in places like Palm Springs signs begin to tell a story about style and design.

Some of my favorites are shown here in all their glory.  I was only disappointed to find out this morning that one of my very favorites “Canyon Country Club” (made famous in the circa 1999 Vanity Fair story that’s largely credited for starting a renewed interest in the city) has been replaced by “Indian Canyons Neighborhood”.  I couldn’t even bear to photograph it.  Another one lost to the history books.

Where "Hip n Groovy" Meets Desert Sand

Room 544

"Clip art".  Teri Agins at bottom

Bathroom alcove and mini bar

Canvas curtains cover french doors

Canvas wall covering, work table and vintage chair

I've always loved the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs mostly for their porridge which is good for my cholesterol and my budget.  But now in the doldrums of summer- and with a major construction project underway next door to Rancho Juanita- I decided to check-in to the hotel for a good night's sleep.  I got that and much more.

Re-build in 2009, with design by Commune, the L.A.-based architectural firm, the Ace is set on the grounds of a former HoJo and Denny's-  both Palm Springs classics in their day.  The basic layout of the motor inn exists- cinder-block two-story structures form a perimeter around two swimming pools and an event space called, what else, The Commune.

The guest rooms are spartan but very functional.  Canvas drapes walls to mask electrical wiring for a large flat screen TV and creates curtains for french doors opening onto the second-story public balcony.  The same canvas- with nautical-inspired grommets- is used for the bedspread, and dark indigo denim covers a free form headboard.  That's the hip part.

The groovy part of the guest room might begin with the rock crystal on a small work table, or the magazine tear sheets clipped to the wall behind the bed.  Or is it the 1970's Natty Geo's for your reading pleasure?  (Or in my room 544, the tear sheet of a young Teri Agins extolling her own virtues of her nubile body-- yes that WSJ fashion editor Teri Agins-- or the nakedness of somebody named Cherry Vanilla?)

The bathroom is totally functional with subway tiles lining a narrow walk-in shower with ceiling-mounted rain shower head.  A long Corian countertop serves as both wash basin and mini-bar counter in an alcove off of the sleeping area.  Painted black metal pipe forms a towel rail along the front of the counter for an industrial feel.

So much for the design.  The Ace's Swim Club was full of hipsters-  locals, Angelenos and Germans (you know they love the summer heat here)- so I had plenty of eye candy to go along with my welcome gift of four Pabst Blue Ribbons.  If I smoked, I would have felt like a hipster, too.

I loved it.  The whole experience...with one exception:  a $20 resort fee.  The Ace offers a $75 a night rate (Take Ten) with a $25 food and beverage credit and the above-mentioned beer.  But they sneak in a "fee" for  wireless internet and gym and pool use.  I think it's cheap on their part.  Just charge me $95 a night and be done with it, OK?

Two Tacos and a pair of Skinny's, please.

Pico de Gap taco truck

There are some things in life done well (and simple) and then there are some things simply well done.  I love the idea of the GAP taco truck currently running around LA, and soon to be rolling in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.  It feels right with just a "wink" in these difficult days.  And who doesn't like a meal for $1.69, and a coupon worth $20 for a pair of jeans?

Hawai'i- A Sense of Place

Mary Philpotts' design book

Guestroom Hawai'i Prince Hotel Waikiki

Luxury Suite Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel

Some of the more enduring- and iconic- images I remember from my days in Hawai'i are the interior designs by Mary Philpotts.  Whenever I need my “fix” of classic and timeless Hawai'i-style, I flip through the pages of Aunty Mary’s book “Hawai’i- A Sense of Place”.  Aunty Mary creates environments that are an artful blend of the outdoors, a simple and understated lifestyle, and an eclectic mix of old and new, Western and Eastern, and modern and traditional furnishings.  I was excited to hear that she just completed a “re-fresh” of the 521 guestrooms at the Hawai'i Prince Hotel Waikiki and the 96 luxury suites and oceanfront guestrooms at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island.

The early reviews are in from Waikiki and here’s the news from the coconut wireless:  “Spiffy and crisp, the multi-million dollar room renovation brings new sophistication with an island-vibe to this marina front gem. Mary Philpotts, in her signature style, provides a "sense of place" with her usual classy, understated touch.  Always a favorite, the hotel's welcoming staff, convenient location and spectacular views all remain unchanged...exactly what we hoped for!”

I look forward to visiting soon because I know Mary Philpotts’ designs are not to be missed.

With additional reporting by Margaret Kearns from Honolulu

California Dreamin'

Sunset at Laguna Beach. July 24

There's nothing much more quintessential to the California experience than watching the sun set over the Pacific.  (Well maybe reading a little Joan Didion once in a while is better.) I think it has a lot to do with the vastness of it all-  the ocean, the sky, and the sun as it becomes larger moving closer to the horizon. But most of all, I enjoy the colors from red hot orange to deep purple.   I saw a brilliant sunset this week at Laguna Beach complete with silhoutted palm trees on the horizon.  It doesn't get much more California than this and it was certainly not to be missed.

Chill Out

If you're looking to cool your heels- literally- from the sweltering desert heat this summer, drop by the Palm Springs Art Museum for a chill look at modern art from the 1960's and 70's.  The exhibit, Blast from the Past:  60's & 70's Geometric Abstractions, is culled from the museum's permanent collection and is a delightfully colorful showing of very contemporary prints, paintings and sculptures. What makes this show particularly fun in the blinding heat of summer is the imaginative use of bold graphics and smart, timeless and simple colors.  I'm particularly fond of the very linear Kenneth Noland and the three-dimensional piece by Jesus Rafael Soto.  It's a stop not to be missed on any Palm Springs visit.  Open through December.

Koolhaas Rock

CCTV HQ, Beijing, December 2010

CCTV HQ, Beijing, December 2010

Seattle Public Library, July 2011

Seattle Public Library, July 2011

Today’s NYT architectural review of Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV Headquarters in Beijing prompts this post.  I too was impressed with his work in China but just this week found his 2004 Seattle Public Library to be an even a more stunning piece.  Best of all- because it’s a library- it’s a very accessible building.  I took about three hours to marvel in it and you can, too.  It’s not to be missed on your next visit to Seattle. 

Melrose Market, Seattle

Sitka & Spruce

Smoked salmon

Almond garlic soup

Braised lamb belly with poached egg

The best “gift” that comes from traveling and exploring is finding the unexpected, and for me it’s a very special gift if it has to do with food.  This past weekend in Seattle I stumbled across Melrose Market, a collection of purveyors and small restaurants in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. There I found chef Matt Dillon’s Sitka & Spruce where the almond and garlic soup and smoked northwestern salmon made the finest dinner of the trip, and where I returned for the braised lamb belly and poached egg over fava beans and asparagus for breakfast two days later.  I also made a quick stop at Homegrown for oatmeal and a bacon and egg sandwich with Stumptown Roast coffee before heading off to the airport.  This marketplace is a must-see for foodies and not to be missed on your next visit to Seattle.

Taco Tuesdays. Viceroy Palm Springs-style

Citron at Viceroy Palm Springs

Viceroy Palm Springs lobby

Chipolte chicken tacos

One benefit- and perhaps the only one- of spending some time in the desert each summer is for the restaurant specials.  This year the Viceroy Palm Springs' Citron tops them all with "Taco Tuesdays". The restaurant's sous chefs rotate their favorite family taco recipes to create authentic Mexican fare from 6-8 pm.  The tacos are just $2 each and Mexican brews are $3.  It's the perfect way to end a hot summer day-  Viceroy style.

The Perfect Four-Day Weekend: Kona

King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel lobby

Room with a view:  652

Hulihe'e Palace on Ali'i Drive

The perfect four-day weekend doesn't have to scream “luxury” to be enjoyable, but it should include a direct flight, stylish accommodations, plenty of sunshine, some culture, and a few great meals that don’t break the bank.  I just took one and here’s what I found on the big island of Hawaii:

King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel is newly-renovated and in the heart of Kailua-Kona village.  Beachfront- and just “slippah steps” away from ocean activities, shopping, and dining- the King Kam is perfect for those not wanting a rental car for their visit.  The guestrooms are modern Hawaii-design with simple tropical patterns and colors and most have views of the adjacent beach and bay.  The white sand beach is a perfect starting place for stand up paddling, kayaking, swimming or snorkeling in Kailua Bay’s aquarium-like waters.

A stroll down the village’s Ali’i Drive takes you past the historic Hulihe'e Palace and a collection of shops for visitors but keep going to find Lava Java for Kona coffee and a hearty breakfast or drop by Huggo’s on the Rocks for big tropical drinks and pupu’s (light breakfasts and lunches served, too).

The King Kam’s location is also perfect for catching local flavor:  the adjacent Kailua pier is the starting place of the annual Ironman Triathalon and for the morning swims of triathletes-in-training and wannabes, and the KTA super market that stocks Hawaiian delectables from poke to orange-guava soda pop is just a block away.

I’m home now tanned and relaxed, drinking freshly-brewed iced Kona coffee and dreaming of my next visit.