My husband and I are celebrating our first anniversary in Palm Desert, CA in February. The weekend coincides with the Valentine's Day holiday and I need a dinner suggestion. We are staying at the Desert Springs, JW Marriott Resort & Spa. We both love great food - but my husband isn't crazy about fancy restaurants that require him to wear a jacket.

Can anyone recommend a fairly casual but nice restaurant for dinner on the 14th? I know I need to make a reservation & am hoping to do it this week.

Other dinner suggestions for our weekend would also be most appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Emily

Great food, casual restaurant, great beer; The Yard House.

How about brunch at the hotel instead of dinner?

Have you had the brunch at the hotel & can recommend it? That might be a terrific idea!

Emwitt-
We were in the area over Christmas and had a great meal at Pacifica in the Desert, a seafood place on El Paseo. It was nice but not snooty...I think it would be a great place for an anniversary dinner. It has great seafood and wine list, wonderful service, and nice atmosphere. We especially loved the mussels appetizer. http://www.pacificainthedesert.com/

Also, another place we enjoyed was Thai Smile in Rancho Mirage (corner of Bob Hope and 111, next to the River shopping center). Yummy thai food in a casual setting.

emwitt, avoid the restaurants at the resort-they are way overpriced and only so-so food. We ate at Ruths Chris in Palm Springs one night which was great but not unique. Definately no jacket required but not jeans. We also ate at a fun Mexican restaurant in downtown P.S. --the name escapes me right now but maybe someone else will help. Big place right in the middle of the main downtown area.

The brunch at the hotel wasn't cheap but it was very good.

I would recommend the brunch at The Marriott.

I think the fun Mexican place that swalter is referring to is Las Casuelas Terrazza? They have a chain of restaurants in the area all with the name Las Casuelas in them-- I have only been to Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage which is probably closer to your hotel. My hubby has been going there since he was a kid with his grandpa so it holds good memories for him. Good margaritas, great mariachi band, fun atmosphere, patio dining. If going on a weekend, I would recommend reservations.

How about Roys of Hawaii? Excellent seafood, Japanese and Chinese fusion. It is on 111 across from The River Shopping area. There are theatres and a big Borders there.

Another wonderful restaurant is Sullivans. Has seafood, chops, steak. Good selection. Don't think they would care about a jacket. Elegant but not fancy. And not real expensive, JMO.

Heavens

Jane-that's it. It was fun and good but casual.

Most of the restaurants in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area are pretty casual. Even a pricey downtown joint like The Falls (a nice place-- great prime rib!) will make you comfortable without that jacket business. The Yardhouse, which is in Palm Desert, is an outpost of a Long Beach-based eatery chain centered on lots and lots of beers on tap. The food IS very good, which is icing on the cake. I think the PD one has 75-100 beers on tap (the LB eatery has some 200!).

I can tell you to AVOID the Las Casuelas Terraza in downtown Palm Springs. The service was so awful the last time I went, I swear I'll never go back there again. Many tables were complaining about the server at our station (completely inept-- main dishes arriving 45 minutes after ordering, but BEFORE the drinks or appetizers/salads), but the manager ignored us until I walked over to his little podium and yelled at him in front of the restaurant's owner about the terrible service. The waiter was fired on the spot, I'm happy to report. But for the record, the food is only fair. If you're looking for Mexican in downtown PS, Edgardo's Veracruz is more authentic and far better; Blue Coyote is more of a gringo getaway, but the food is quite good. Del Rio's, right in the heart of downtown, is comparable to Blue Coyote.

Thai Smiles is a great choice for cheap, delicious Thai food. Hopefully a few more Palm Springs locals will chime in with other possibilities. Enjoy!

rjw, you are a Miami fan, look at the Stiltsville website I posted.

emwitt, Roys and Sullivans are both chains and both very good along with my fave, the Yardhouse. I sound like a broken record but I love it.

Go: Cool site! Maybe we'll check it out when we go back to Miami this summer....

If you'd like something upscale, try Spencer's at the Palm Springs Tennis Club in Palm Springs. It has been totally re-done in the last year and it is gorgeous with superb food and service. Las Casuelas has very mediocre food, but good margaritas and atmosphere. Go there early and get a seat in front to people watch, have a margarita, then go somewhere else to eat.
John Henry's in Palm Springs is fun for lots of pretty good food at a good price. Reservations are a must.
The Palm Springs restaurants are great because after eating, you can have fun walking and people-watching afterward.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I do love Roy's in Hawaii so that might be a good choice - but we are big Thai fans & that seems to be a popular choice on the thread. Maybe we will play it casual after all and hit the Thai spot.
Oh - and by the way, we hosted out rehearsal dinner at Pacifica in Del Mar. Wonderful restaurant. Okay - forget what I just said! That's where we're going.
Thank you again!

emwitt:

I second gbs' recommendation of John Henry's. It's not a Thai joint (seems to be fine dining w/a little bit of French thrown in for good measure); but it is a small, intimate restaurant just east of downtown PS (on Vista Chino?). It seems to be a regular spot for locals . . . there isn't even a sign outside. But, the food is very good, and I think it straddles the line between casual and "dress-up" restaurant quite well. I also thought the prices were reasonable, considering. But as gbs says, reservations are a MUST.

I know it's not Thai , and it's a casual place, but there's a really great Jewish deli in PS (sorry -- the name escapes me, but it's well-known by the locals). It's definitely worth the trip!

I must concur w/some of the comments about Las Casuelas . . . I was in PS last month, and went to the Nuevas on 111 . . . the food was not as good as it used to be, and my entree was served leukwarm. Perhaps if word starts to get back to the owners, they'll take steps to rectify.

Hey rjw! Don't tell me how (relatively) warm & sunny it is in LGB . . . it's freeeezzzzing here in DC!