By Judith Salkin
It’s almost June and from San Diego to L.A., residents who live in coastal areas are getting ready for the coming foggy, gloomy days of June and complaining about the weather.
While we wait for the muggy, gross dog days of summer to rear its humidity-laden head, in June we will all revel in the return of Restaurant Week here in the Coachella Valley!
Those beautiful 10 days when the best eateries from Desert Hot Springs to Indio offer up special menus that allow us to sample their culinary delights at prices that lure customers in to discover the joys of what our eateries have to offer.
According to Copley’s on Palm Canyon owner and Restaurant Week founding member, Juliana Copley-Manion, “For us, it’s a way to say ‘thank you’ to our regular customers and to invite everyone else to try our wonderful food.”
After more than a decade of bringing together the best restaurants, attractions, spas and hotels in the valley to offer incredible deals, Restaurant Week has become a staple in the Coachella Valley’s arsenal of ways to attract visitors to the area in a time of year when it was traditionally much quieter.
But, for area restaurants, it has become quite possibly the time for new and long-time residents to discover just how incredible the restaurant scene is in this valley.
“It’s a great value for customers who know what we have to offer,” Copley-Manion said of the special $26 and $38 menus. “And it gives people who haven’t tried us a reason to come in.”
And in the time of year when most valley businesses are beginning to see the summer slow-down creep in, “It’s a great time to do something to bring in new business.”
Copley-Manion, Brian Altman of Castelli’s Restaurant in Palm Desert and Chef Aaron Kiefer of Sessions at the Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs all agree: “It’s the customers who make out like bandits.”
“In the first year or two, Restaurant Week was only in Palm Springs,” said Paulina Larson, of Palm Springs Life’s Special Events and Marketing Department, the company that now manages Restaurant Week. “But as we’ve broadened the area, we’ve been able to bring in more restaurants and dining experiences for our guests,” she added.
Even well-known restaurants that have come on board in recent years have seen the value in participating in Restaurant Week. “Last year was the first year for Wally’s (Desert Turtle),” Larson said. “It was so successful for them in bringing in customers, they’re back again.”
At most, Restaurant Week has seen 80 or so participating restaurants. And that, Larson said, isn’t likely to change. “The restaurant has to be able to offer a real value for the diners,” she added. “A $26 meal has to offer a value of $32 for dinner or a value of at least $50 for the $38 meals. Seeing that they are getting that kind of value is what keeps them trying new places.”
“And now with all the deals at hotels, attractions and the spas it’s better!” Copley-Manion added. “It’s a great time for customers who come here to escape the June gloom and for residents, especially people who’ve moved here recently, to try everything we have to offer without the season crowds.”
Restaurant Week is also a way for restaurants to celebrate anniversaries or to introduce more than just the food to the public.
On Monday (May 26, 2014), Castelli’s Restaurant celebrates its 26th anniversary of serving fine Italian food, but this will be the dining scene staple’s first venture into Restaurant Week.
“Early on our philosophy was that we had an amazing product that would speak for itself,” Altman said. “Today everything has changed. People are going on Yelp and they’re looking for restaurant reviews online. We’ve seen the success Restaurant Week has had in the past and thought it was time we became part of it.”
Yes, Castelli’s management believes that the special appetizer, entrée and dessert meals will bring people into the building. “It’s the off-season and we have a lot of families that come out to try new places,” he said. “But once they’re here we honestly believe that when they see the menu and how we’re willing to specialize their meals, they’ll continue to come back,” he said.
Boutique gems like the Viceroy in Palm Springs or the legendary Two Bunch Palms Resort and Spa in Desert Hot Springs are often thought of as being out of the reach of “regular” customers or that they offer spa services that aren’t available to the general public, but that’s no longer the case.
Even hot spots like the Ace Hotel and Swim Club or the Hard Rock can get in on the fun.
The Hard Rock Hotel opened earlier this year and every part of the hotel from the pool to Sessions Restaurant has been bangin’ since opening day. “But this is a way for us to reach out to people who haven’t walked in the doors because they have a preconceived notion of what we are,” said Executive Chef Aaron Keifer.
The menu at Sessions is a mix of contemporary cuisine with a rock’n’roll flair. Like a lot of restaurants, Sessions is taking Restaurant Week to try out new dishes mixed with menu favorites, like the Mexican Street Corn with chile-lime butter, micro cilantro, caramelized shallot and topped with Cotija cheese paired with 9-ounce flat iron steak with spring onions, wild ramps, heirloom fingerling potatoes, wild mushroom ragout and shallot Bordelaise sauce and a carrot cake puzzle for dessert.
“When we first opened we had a lot of locals,” Keifer said. “But we’ve been so busy, what I want is for people to come back and see what we have here. We have a great product that changes with the seasons. I’d really like people to keep coming back and this is one way to do that.”
Where to Eat, See, Stay
Find everything you want to know about Restaurant Week at www.palmspringsrestaurantweek.com.
Restaurant Week runs from Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 8 at nearly 80 restaurants throughout the Coachella Valley.
EAT: This tab will lead you to all the participating restaurants. It includes info on the restaurant, links to their websites and Restaurant Week menus and what they are charging for the meal.
SEE: Find out which Coachella Valley attractions and spas are participating in Restaurant Week and download coupons or book your spa experience here.
STAY: Want a mini-vacation at one of the Coachella Valley most exclusive hotels? This is where you’ll find the deal and will lead you to the website link.
