Friday, February 21, 2014

Palm Greens

When I was a teenager, one of my dad's clients used to let us borrow his vacation home in Palm Desert every year for Spring Break.  My brother and I were each allowed to bring a friend and I always brought my dear friend S.  We'd spend those weeks lounging by the pool, driving golf carts, and playing Super Mario Bros. 3

Fast forward to now with S living in the Bay Area with her husband and two adorable kids and our Palm Desert trips firmly in the past.  Or so we thought.  S was in Palm Desert at the end of January for an annual  three-day work conference and I happened to be able to join her on her last evening at the JW Marriot.


Since I had the day off work, I decided to drive down early and enjoy the hotel amenities while S finished her conference.  This was my view as I read pilot scripts on the balcony, listening to the sounds of the ducks as they swam by in pairs.


S has recently become interested in eating organic and I knew I had to take her to Palm Greens Cafe for dinner.  Palm Greens is a vegan-friendly restaurant in Palm Springs that is committed to serving organic food.  Dinner there is more formal than lunch, with table service, dim lighting, and the lunch counter obscured by a Japanese screen.  We were both quick to choose our meals.  I went with the
Vegetable Shepherds Pie (mushroom gravy, whipped garnet yams and Yukon gold potatoes with house salad; gluten free and vegan).  The creamy, slightly sweet yams perfectly offset the winter vegetables underneath.  We also shared a lovely apple crumble, but my photo turned out too dark.

I've been to Palm Greens for breakfast and lunch several times.  The atmosphere is much more relaxed during the day, with customers ordering at the counter from large wall-mounted chalkboards and sunshine pouring in through the windows.  


Bradley's Ultra Green Smoothie (spinach, kale, mint, banana, apple juice, ginger, probiotic, aloe vera, spirulina)


Grilled Tempeh Reuben (grilled tempeh, sauerkraut, swiss or vegan cheese, on Jewish rye bread, with vegan Russian dressing and a pickle on the side)


   Vegan French Toast


Vegan Haystack (tempeh patty, tempeh bacon, vegan pepper jack cheese, bbq sauce, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, on whole wheat sunflower bun). 

S and I are planning to make this an annual tradition, which means more Palm Greens menu sampling is in our future.

 

1 comment:

krazzledazzle said...

Man, I love Palm Springs. I so whole-heartedly support your lady tradition.