706 S Eugene Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Sherman’s Deli & Bakery, a favorite of Palm Springs’s Hollywood set since 1963, is so beloved that its acolytes swear the pastrami rivals Katz’s in NY or Langer’s in Los Angeles. But at Chef Tanya’s Kitchen, Chef Tanya Petrovna is making her own “pastrami” that’s no less delicious and totally vegan. The deli and marketplace from the founder of Native Foods, the first national plant-based restaurant chain, offers a menu of tempeh burgers and sandwiches like the Pastrami Mami, with sliced plant-based “pastrami,” sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, pickles, and melted “cheese” on rye; and salads like the CTK caesar, with garlic-rubbed croutons, toasted pepitas, walnut parmesan, and vegan Caesar dressing. Even if the food wasn’t completely without animal products, the quality and creativity would be impressive. Add in the fact that nearly everything from the proteins to the cheeses to the cakes and ice creams is scratch-made from organic ingredients and you get a restaurant worth revisiting.
Ingleside Estate, 200 W Ramon Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Even on the nights when Frank Sinatra wasn’t dining at table 13, where he had a standing reservation, and famously handing out $100 tips to the valets, there was often another Sinatra enjoying Melvyn’s signature tableside Steak Diane and flaming cherries jubilee: Dolly, Frank’s mother, who was also a fan of the restaurant and loved to go with or without her crooner son. Today, the restaurant (at the Ingleside Estate, which has counted Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe as guests) offers the immaculate Old Palm Springs vibes many visitors are still seeking out. The martinis are as perfectly chilled and the white glove service as flawlessly executed as it was when Melvyn’s opened in 1975. But instead of feeling dated, dining at the restaurant feels like stepping back in time to when beef Wellington and Chateaubriand for two were the height of sophistication. Finish your evening with an after-dinner cocktail in the restaurant’s Casablanca Lounge, which has live music every night, and make sure to ask the bartender about the curious photo of founder Mel Haber and Ol’ Blue Eyes. It’s quite the story.