My son's high school prom is in Palm Desert (about 1 1/2 hours from home) and he's wondering where to take his date for dinner. We eat out in Palm Springs occasionally, but we either go casual or very upscale. He wants to find someplace nice and fairly quiet and yet not too pricey. Anybody have suggestions?

topping

I think the Mexican restaurant at the Marriott Desert Springs would be a great choice, especially if he can request a table on the terrace. (I think it's called the Colibri Grille, but there's only one Mexican restaurant there.)The food is delicious and very reasonably priced, and of course, the hotel lobby and surrounding area is gorgeous.

Thanks for the idea. What about a steakhouse? Someplace nicer (and quieter) than Outback, but not as expensive and LG's or Sullivan's. Any ideas?

The steakhouse idea is a tough one. There really isn't much between Outback (and by extension, Black Angus) and the LG's, Sullivans, Mortons, Ruths-Chris etc of the world. What about the Cliff House in La Quinta? Just about 5 minutes east of Palm Desert. Nice ambiance and a little cheaper than the steakhouses if you order carefully.