By David Wayne
The more I write this article, the more I am amazed at how many great restaurants there are in the Coachella Valley. One of them is definitely Alicante in beautiful downtown Palm Springs. My wife and I had the Al Fresco experience, as if we were in Spain. Sitting in a quaint little table on the patio, watching all the pretty people shuffle by on the “walk of stars” on the sidewalks of downtown. It was a beautiful evening, and the food was equally beautiful.
We started by asking for a couple of tapas, and our server Mandy and her manager Hugo didn’t see any reason why we should only have two. Mandy first brought us a grilled artichoke with asparagus, fried egg, Serrano ham and Manchego cheese. It was quite unique and very tasty. They just kept coming from there with fried egg mushroom bruschetta, with yellow and red marinated tomatoes, Buffala mozzarella, basil and San Remo olives. Thirdly, we indulged in Alicante sliders, which were not your ordinary sliders, with beef, bacon, chorizo, Manchego cheese, grilled onion and romesco sauce. Next was Merguez sausages with roasted sweet peppers and a spicy sauce on the side called Harissa. Last but not least, we savored the great flavor of their Sauteed Spicy Lime Drizzled Shrimp, which describes itself completely. We also shared an amazing salad, the Greek Chicken with organic greens, cucumber, olives, grilled chicken breast, feta cheese, croutons, and yogurt-dill dressing. If it sounds good, can you imagine how it tasted?
As if we needed main courses, Mandy said my choice of Prime Hangar steak was solid, and my wife was less sure about what to have, so Mandy recommended Paella Alicante. This entree was chicken, shrimp, sausage, calamari, mussels, mixed with saffron rice. My wife said it was spicy and very delicious. My steak was grilled in garlic butter, and served with fingerling potatoes and haricots verts (which is French for green beans). I drank a soothing fresh iced tea, while my wife had a glass of Vino Verde from Portugal, slightly effervescent, light and crisp. Hugo insisted my wife try their specialty drink called a Blood Orange Mojito. This very refreshing concoction was fresh muddled blood oranges, mint, lime and Captain Morgan Lime Bite. We were way too full to even try to taste dessert, but our interesting newly met companions with their dog Rish (remember we were on the patio) were eating bread pudding, and I’m sure if you called Alicante they will tell you all about the rest.
Call for reservations and hours:
760-325-9464
Located next to the historic Plaza Theatre at 140 South Palm Canyon Drive
