Devour the Desert
A Palm Springs Food & Culture Journal
The Local Questions, Vol. 10 | Field Notes from Palm Springs: The Best Date Shake in the Coachella Valley
Welcome to Field Notes. This is where we ask the questions, from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Today's question is near and dear to the hearts of many Coachella Valley residents:
Where can I get the best date shake?
The question is easy. The answer is a little trickier.
Date shakes are like barbecue, pizza and politics at Thanksgiving. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone is convinced theirs is correct.
The Local Questions, Vol. 9 | Field Notes From Palm Springs: Guest Complaints
Welcome to our occasional Guest Complaints issue.
We love our guests.
Really.
But after enough time in Palm Springs, you begin to notice that visitors have questions.
Some are philosophical.
Some are practical.
And some are essentially formal complaints filed against the desert.
Why are the stop lights so long?
Does everything here want to prick me, bite me, or kill me?
Fair questions.
We will address them in the order received.
The Local Questions, Vol. 8 | Field Notes from Palm Springs: Presidents, Cougars and Other Suspicious Characters
Welcome to Field Notes, our occasional collection of questions about Palm Springs, the desert, and the increasingly unlikely things that happen here.
By now you know the drill. Our guests have questions. Lots of questions. Enough to maybe call them issues. We have help for that here too in Palm Springs.
So what's the deal with all the presidents who lived here?
Well, first of all, there aren't that many. There is no record that Millard Fillmore ever even visited.
But there are enough to make you wonder whether the Electoral College has a clause nobody told us about.
The Local Questions, Vol. 7 | Field Notes from Palm Springs: Just How Much Trouble Can a Celebrity Get Into Here?
What is the most outrageous thing a celebrity ever did in this desert sandbox we call Palm Springs?
This is not an easy question.
There is Olympic-level competition for this particular gold medal.
We can start with Harpo Marx.
The Local Flavors | Palm Springs Tiki, Part One: Why the Desert Needed an Ocean
There is something slightly unhinged about ordering a tropical drink garnished with a paper umbrella while standing in a place that receives fewer than five inches of rain a year.
Palm Springs has never been particularly bothered by this contradiction.
For roughly three-quarters of a century, this desert city has cultivated one of America's more improbable fantasies: a Polynesian island dropped into the middle of the desert.
Bamboo. Blowfish lamps. Rum drinks with names that sound like warnings. Flaming torches beside mid-century glass and steel.
It shouldn't work.
It does. But only if you’re able to suspend disbelief.
The Local Architecture | The Secret Language of Mid-Century Modern Palm Springs
Palm Springs has many languages.
There is the language of cocktails, spoken fluently from shaded patios at golden hour. There is the language of swimming pools, where a perfectly placed chaise lounge says more than most conversations. There is the language of food, which happens to be our favorite dialect.
But perhaps the city's most distinctive language is one that never utters a word at all.
It is the secret language of Mid-Century Modern architecture.
The Local Questions, Vol. 5 | Field Notes From Palm Springs
Live at the Thunderdome: Coyote vs. Roadrunner. Roadrunner vs. Rattlesnake.
We’ve already established in Field Notes, Vol. 4 that coyotes occasionally hunt roadrunners.
Which means that, somewhere out there in the Coachella Valley, the real-life version of the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons is playing out quite differently from the one we grew up with.
But you may not know that roadrunners in turn hunt rattlesnakes.
It's the desert's rough and tumble version of office politics.
Tonight’s Double Bill:
The Undercard:
Coyote vs. Roadrunner
The Main Event:
Roadrunner vs. Rattlesnake
The Local Flavors | When Fish Tacos Surrender to Gravity
There comes a moment with some dishes when you realize the original plan is no longer viable.
You intended to pick it up.
The chef had other ideas.
The al pastor fish tacos at Maleza arrive looking, technically, like tacos. There is a handmade flour tortilla involved. There is fish. There are toppings.
But that's where the similarities to ordinary tacos end.
The Local Questions Vol. 3 | Field Notes from Palm Springs
After enough tours, you realize Palm Springs visitors don't just ask where to eat.
They ask the questions that seem simple—right up until you try answering them.
So what's up with all the orange?
Why are there hummingbirds everywhere?
Should I be worried about the tram?
Every place develops its own frequently asked questions. These happen to be ours.
The Local Celebs | To Catch a Taste: Cary Grant, Mid-Century Style and the Flavor of Palm Springs
If you have ever watched Cary Grant effortlessly hold a martini, outrun a crop duster, or romance Grace Kelly on a sun-drenched balcony, you may have wondered: How did he do it? How did he become Cary Grant?
The Local Architecture | Glass & Steel: A History of Palm Springs Modernism
Palm Springs is a time capsule of Mid-Century Modern architecture, the greatest concentration of this style in the world.
This is Us
Meet the founders and owners of Artisan Food Tours and hear why they created their new gourmet food tour company in Palm Springs.
The Local Culture | Beyond the Pools: Exploring the Quirkiest Corners of Palm Springs
While Palm Springs is famous for its mid-century glam and poolside lounging, the magic and charm also lie in its more eccentric corners.
The Local Flavors | A Culinary Journey Through Palm Springs History
Palm Springs isn't just a desert oasis; it's a living museum where every bite tells a story.
The Local Flavors | Beyond the Bite: How Artisan Food Tours Showcases Palm Springs
While walking food tours are a fantastic way to get your bearings, Artisan Food Tours offers a deeper, more curated dive into the Coachella Valley’s culinary scene.