I LOVE JOHNNY COSTA'S

I HAVE FOUND MY DREAM ITALIAN RESTAURANT....
                             JOHNNY COSTA'S



Over the past couple of years I have been trying different Italian places all over the valley. I love real New York Italian food. Don't give me three noodles with watery, canned red sauce. I also certainly do appreciate more nouvelle Italian food. Good is good. Some of the restaurants I've tried have been quite decent, but Johnny's is MINE. It's Patsy's in New York or Martoni's and the Villa Capri in LA (both defunct).

It's no coincidence Johnny Costa started as a sous-chef at the Villa Capri as a young man just over from Italy. He actually made the steak dish for Frank Sinatra that became Steak Sinatra. His tradition is carried on superbly by his family. Johnny Costa's opened in 1976, and now Vinnie Costa is the head chef.

If you are looking for truly delicious food, warm family greetings, and a new sleek, fresh atmosphere---go to Johnny's. They just redid their dining room, taking it from deep green booths to beiges and taupes. It's a pleasure to experience it.

I always order Spaghetti and Meatballs when I'm trying a new Italian restaurant. If they can't get that right, there's no point in going back. WOW! I LOVED theirs. It had the perfect ratio of sauce to noodle; the sauce was the right thickness and had the divine mixture of sweetness and bite. You could tell the sauce was cooked for hours.

Good Lord, this was SO FANTASTIC.

Another test is a Pounded Veal Chop. If it's a special, try to get it. The veal was of the highest quality and was pounded to the perfect thinness. The breading was not heavy or oily. It was crisp and seasoned beautifully. Put some fresh lemon on that and "go to town."

I'm now starving as I write this.   They also bake their own rolls and focaccia!

Their prices are appropriate for the quality of food you receive.
Steak Sinatra $30
Veal dishes-$29-30
Pastas-$17-26
Chicken dishes-$22



Johnny Costa's
johnnycostaspalmsprings.com
440 S. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, Ca
92262
760-325-4556

WANG'S IN THE DESERT--TOTAL DISASTER

WANG'S---WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT

I have eaten at Wang's a few times over the past three years. It has always been very good. However, over the past several weeks I'd been hearing from friends that their food was inedible. I had to find out for myself.


I'm sorry to say that something terrible has happened. Their food has gone waaaayyyyyyy
down hill. I understand they have two different chefs, but I was told neither chef is new. A friend who went there a week before I did was told that ONE of the chef's was new. Well, whatever it is, it doesn't work.

Wang's purports to be an Asian restaurant, hence the possibility of ordering Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food.

The tempura below had a doughy, heavy, dead batter that dripped from oil. You could not eat it.

Here's their Pad Thai. It was completely tasteless and barely had any crushed peanuts, tofu, chicken, or bamboo shoots. It was dry, and covered with cilantro. You can't cover up an inferior dish with cilantro or anything else.

This is Honey Walnut Shrimp. We all know that it is supposed to be caramelized. It looked like it was flash fried, and most of the sauce was a liquid that looked like milk at the bottom of the bowl.

Only their braised beans were edible.

I didn't even bother to photograph their dreadful version of Crab Rangoon. It was cheap crab with hardly any cream cheese, and they tasted as if they had been frozen, fried, and then put under a heat lamp for 24 hours. I also don't trust that their Spring Rolls were fresh.

I don't need to tell you the prices because you aren't going there.

Dear Wang's---WAKE UP. Fire your chefs. Get a manager and owner who care.


wangsinthedesert.com
424 S. Indian Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, Ca. 92262
760-325-9264

FRENCH CORNER CAFE----PARIS FOR US

IF YOU GO TO THE FRENCH CORNER CAFE AT DESERT CROSSING, YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN BE IN PARIS ANY TIME YOU WANT, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE IN THE DESERT.

Every time I head toward the French Corner Cafe, I smile inside and out. I know I'm going to be transported to Paris. I'm going to have delicious crepes, or perhaps a Salade Nicoise, or maybe an incredible Quiche. I'm also going to revel in meticulously-made desserts, where each one looks like a painting.

The French Corner Cafe is one of my favorite places in the desert.

The service is wonderful, and the ambience is delightful.

The texture of this Spinach and Mushroom Crepe is light and bouncy, and the sauce is to die for

Look at the sheer beauty of this Salade Nicoise with Fresh Ahi Tuna

Or......maybe this interests you---

Eggs Benedict Crepe

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Breakfast Crepe

AND THEN THE PARTY BEGINS........

Run......don't walk.

Salads: $14.95-$15.95
Crepes: $12-$14
Quiche: $12
Entrees: $19.95


French Corner Cafe
72423  Hwy 111
Palm Desert
92260
frenchcornercafe.com