Palm Springs Riviera

in preparation for an upcoming visit to palm desert: (and in excitement)

the palm springs riviera resort and spa.

retro hip. elvis, marilyn, sonny and cher… this resort was frequented by the 60’s Rat Pack.

palm desert, where time slows down, and the sun seems to stay out longer.

a resort community with a handful of bars, restaurants + steakhouses where guests enjoy leisurely meals. in the heydey, there were celebrities hanging out, horseback riding, lounging poolside with a cocktail, and impromptu performances by artists and musician guests.  glamour, and some debauchery. now, its mostly spa + golf, besides a few yearly events when palm desert is packed with festival goers or circuit party-ers, the town is still mostly quiet and kitschy.

i can’t wait to be poolside with good company, mosquito FREE!

xx

http://www.psriviera.com

spicy dumplings.

dumpling counter @ the bella vita food court.

this place’s specialty  is their hot sauce. on the menu, there are steamed dumplings made with their hot sauce mixed in with the meat filling.

and thats the name of the place… i cant read it.

the mild spicy “xiao long bao.” juicy with a thin wrapping. their dumplings are comparable to din tai fung in quality.

not bad, right?

another dish i really like here is the bitter melon with salted duck egg.. they make it with lots of salted duck egg, and keep the melon fresh + not overcooked.

 

see, i’ve been eating more asian food.

 

Osteria by Angie

dinner at Osteria by Angie.

nice cozy 2 story restaurant, contemporary decor, good sized wine selection. great pasta.

their kitchen is open to the downstairs dining area.

started with a salad of romaine with parma ham and balsamic dressing.

platter of cured meats + cheeses. the pickled cauliflower pot is tart, a nice complement to the flavors.

ravioli of pumpkin and ricotta, with butter sage + truffle. SO GOOD. it was really rich, so the small portion was perfect.

pizza: just okay in my opinion. the crust was bland. not crunchy.. the flavors were also bland..

now, desserts, were amazing. their ice creams + sorbets are exceptional!

chocolate souffle cake with banana ice cream. yum.. there were chunks of fresh banana in the smooth light ice cream..  :D

panna cotta with berries + licorice, with coffee ice cream- the ice cream was sO coffee flavored, not too sweet or creamy, almost like a smooth granita.

pastas are really good, and the desserts alone are worth going back for.

xx

moE. bbQ.

MoE, japanese style bbQ in taipei.

the menu is unique, showing you a sectioned diagram of a cow, highlighting the cut for each order.

i really like their kimchee. fresh, sour and not too spicy. we ended up ordering two.

there’s a soy based and a lemon dipping sauce for the meats. i only used the lemon.. i think its actually there for seafood, which we usually hardly order.. we only ordered their bbq squid, which was good.

salad with sprouts and a japanese sesame dressing. light, goes well with meats.

one of the many meat orders we placed.. these are Australian beef cuts, one really fatty cubed steak cut,  one top sirloin, one flank.

nomnom… :d

xx

1885 Burger.

1885 BurGer.

these burgers are really on point!

the beef patty was juicy, and not skimpy on size.. i ordered the BBQ’d pineapple burger, no cheese.

look at the fixings: tomato, red onion, lettuce + pickles. seasoned fries come with all their burgers.

we ordered onion rings that came with a creamy jalapeno dipping sauce- so indulgent.

i’m going to try a milkshake next time. i wanted to, today, but since i’ve been away from these foods for too long, i was worried that my body would go into shock if i introduced them all back at the same time!

 

24-1 PuCheng St, Da-An Dist. (off Luo Sifu Rd. Sec 3, near ShiDa college)

 

xx

“korean restaurant”

we randomly walked in to this tianmu restaurant for dinner.. aptly titled “korean restaurant” in english. in chinese its something else, but i have no idea what. when we sat and looked at the menu, we saw that they really did have a variety of all korean foods: bbqs, seafood, pancakes, noodles, tofu, soups, hotpots.. etc.

look at the side dishes.. and their sauces: bean paste + salt w/sesame oil. pretty authentic.

we ordered two kinds of meat for the bbq: prime beef and kalbi.. which was kindly cooked for us at our table by the happy and enthusiastic manager/owner.

the bbq comes with leaves for wrapping, chopped jalapenos and garlic, and a lightly seasoned salad of lettuce + green onion for eating with.

heres my bowl of spicy beef with vermicelli noodle soup, it came in a larger stone pot, and is served with a bowl of white rice.

my favorite “late night” korean dish from college: spicy rice cake. served hot.

not bad.. i have to say the meat quality was just ok, but for the quantity and options, we will be returning.

 

love finding new places close to home.

 

 

smith & hsu.

happy rabbit year!

over the chinese new year holiday we went to smith & hsu for a light lunch. this is one place in tianmu we frequent for afternoon tea. their simple minimal decor and “male-friendly” portions make it easier for me to go with b.

their scones are notable; buttery and flaky with a nice crust and soft inside. they also have a good selection of teas, eastern, western, fruit, non-caffeinated and so on.

i usually have the countess earl grey blend, with honey and lemon.. for some reason i don’t take milk at smith & hsu as i usually do with my earl greys.

the smoked salmon “sandwich.” i like that they have capers.

their cream tea set comes with a pot of tea and 2 scones. plain and cranberry.

note: they charge 40NT for an extra jam/honey.. you get to pick 2 from: butter, jams, honey… but i usually want all 3.

 

cheers.

xx