Chow Patty Saves us from Billy Reed's in Palm Springs

Thanks to my role model Chow Patty of Eating L.A. for making two swell Palm Springs suggestions and sparing me from Billy Reed’s.

The first was Tylers, an upscale and not cheap burger place. We waiting about 40 minutes for a table at peak lunch hour. If you order coleslaw, they throw it right on your table, as an appetizer, and it is far and away the best coleslaw I have ever had, fresh, crisp, not overdressed and redolent of celery seeds. Perfection. I had a kraut dog which suffered from a sort of acrid dog. I forgot to ask whether it was all beef but I ate corn and rice over Passover this year so the mighty have fallen. I might have forgiven the dog, were it not for the kraut which was not rinsed so it was overly briny and worse, sopped up the bun, causing it to disintegrate. The fries were fine and the kids burgers tasted really good. Did not try the potato salad or the chili but this is the kind of place that might excel in these two basic burger joint food groups. Will definitely return.

The Matchbox has fancy drinks and bar food but a nice slant on pizza, allowing you to chose your own type of crust, sauce and toppings. We ordered a simple chicken pesto creation and it was thin crusted, delicate and tasty. We also shared some sliders which were hit the right note between dainty and sloppy. I had an overpriced girlie cocktail, some citrusy thing, which mercifully wasn’t too sweet. The place is pretty, upstairs in the plaza and would definitely be a choice for a drink and snack in a pleasant place without huge ooze factor.

Our hotel had the worst continental breakfast and Farmer Bros. coffee so we didn’t even bother with it. Elmer’s is a nice, honest coffee shop. It would be more fun if it were kitschier or tiki or googie or something but it still wields some retro charm and good pancakes.

The Palm Springs Farmers market is pleasant. There was a good selection of nice produce and lots of good dried fruits. We bought a big batch of different flavored licorice which we overate on all weekend. There is not an huge choice of prepared foods and the lines were quite long so we partook of nothing, but the aromas were tempting and it’s a lovely place to stroll if you have enough self control to go easy on the licorice.

Tylers
149 S. Indian Canyon

Matchbox
155 S. Palm Canyon

Elmers
1030 E Palm Canyon

Farmers Market is Thursday evenings on Palm Canyon.