By Denise Ortuno
Who says that you can’t find snow in the desert? Not only can you find some sweet ice, but also some seafood finds at Snow & Crab in Palm Springs.
A cold morning Saturday walk on Palm Canyon, soon turned into a slower paced warm afternoon stroll, and to cool down and perk up, I thought of snow. I also thought of this new restaurant that I had heard of, Snow & Crab, and thought that a visit there would bring in the chill I was looking for. The restaurant opened in February 2018, in a cut out of a South Sunrise Way strip mall in Palm Springs. Snow & Crab is in the image of their anchor location in Temecula. They feature Cajun inspired seafood selections (think Crawfish Boil), and a variety of crab, as well as highlighting their “Snow”, which is their sweet shaved ice concoctions.
The space of Snow & Crab has modern accents and is on the small side, with a few window lined tables and banquette seating on the wall. Tables are lined with paper, and each are provided with a roll of paper towels, no doubt as to act as absorption for the seafood that can be poured on to the table as a large plate. Guests can enjoy seafood selections by the pound, including Crawfish, Clams, Jumbo Shrimp, Crab Legs (Snow, King, Blue or Dungeness) and much more. They then can decide on a flavor (Cajun, Lemon or Scampi), heat (mild, medium, spicy or extra spicy) and any extras (potatoes, sausage, corn). There are also appetizers and soups available (Gumbo anyone?). But on that day, I was there for the Snow part of the equation.
My past experience with shaved ice is quite tame in comparison to what they offer at Snow & Crab. I just recall a modest cup of shaved ice, drizzled with the flavored syrup of my choice and voila! A cold dessert is born. That is not how they do it at Snow & Crab, they take shaved ice to another level, incorporating fresh fruit and condensed milk, which gives the ice an almost creamy texture….not ice cream, but perhaps a distant relative, twice removed. Their selections include, Let it Snow (milky shaved ice topped with marshmallows and coconut), Kakigori Strawberry (strawberry shaved ice topped with fresh strawberries, strawberry mochi and condensed milk) Matcha Green Tea (green tea shaved ice, topped with green tea matcha mochi and granola) and Mangonada (mango shaved ice, topped with fresh mango, mango mochi and Tajin Clasico), or you can create your own.
I chose the Mangonada. The portion was huge (24 oz), but I thought, “Hey, it’s mostly ice, how filling can it be”? The answer, very! It tasted ice milk-ish, heavy on the ice. The mango was very present, and the touch of the condensed milk enhanced the rich fruit. The fresh pieces of mango on the perimeter of my bowl were gobbled up quickly, but like my walk on Palm Canyon earlier, my pace slowed down…maybe I just needed a nap. I left behind a small hill of shaved ice, I just climb it any more.
Snow & Crab in Palm Springs brings seafood fun to the table, and lets it snow in Palm Springs, for a chill cool down all year round.
Snow & Crab is located at 186 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, Ca 92262
For more information visit www.snowcrablounge.com
