One of the things I enjoy about LA is watching the trend-setters and their frenzy to mob to this week's latest spot. It's amazing to watch these folks as the move in mass from spot to spot, hoping and praying they are in the know and never a week behind. Palm Springs is so close to LA, that we get a just a bit of this "I gotta be groovy" run off.
So when Kor Hotels
built their latest fab Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs, all the buzz was this was the place to be and the place to be seen! It took no time for the beautiful people to flock here in mass!
The restaurant is named Citron, and as its name would suggest, it's all done in bright lemon yellow. The restaurant has a nice flow around the three pools, and it's hard to tell where the restaurant ends and the pool decks begin. Citron flows in and around the pools and the gardens in the center courtyard.
When we entered the group was straight out of central casting. Everyone was standing around the bar looking oh so glamourous. The wardrobes were the kind of things you see in a magazine and ask "Who would really wear that?" This is this week's "IN" watering hole.
We were given what the host described as one of the best tables in the house. It was a table in a small balcony that was surronded on oneside by a hedge. We had six grown men, and the table would have been comfortable for just four of us. It was very crowded.
We all ordered cocktails and our hip waiter made some dinner suggestions. The menu is very limited with only six entrees on it. I started with the potato risotto, which had a dab of caviar on top. It was delicious and the part of the meal I remember the most. Most everyone had the steak, but I ordered the sole.
By the time our food arrived at the table, we had been here for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The food was very good, but not exceptional.
We had wine with the meal; the wine started at $65.00 a bottle and went up from there. I knew some of the wines and often by the same wines in San Francisco for around $28 a bottle.
I have to admit that the decor was fun, and it fun to see all the hipsters trying make the scene. The consensus at the table was the food was good, but this same meal could have been eaten in a number of Palm Springs restaurants for about half the cost.
If you feel a real need to be part of the hip scene in Palm Springs, you have found your spot. Of course, by the time you read this, that group will have moved on to the next "way too cool" spot.