Devour the Desert
A Palm Springs Food & Culture Journal
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 Questions, Vol. 6 | Field Notes from Palm Springs
Welcome to Field Notes, our grab bag of questions and answers for all things Palm Springs. Today we’re going to focus on a single question, the one I get asked the most when guiding tours.
This question usually arrives somewhere near the end of a tour.
Not, "What's the best restaurant in Palm Springs?"
That's easy enough to Google. Or ask AI.
Instead, "So... where do you go?"
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 Questions,Vol.4 | Field Notes from Palm Springs
Every Place Has Its Frequently Asked Questions
In New York, it's, "How do people afford to live here?"
In Seattle, it's, "Does it ever stop raining?"
In Palm Springs, the questions get... weirder.
Why is a giant roadrunner strutting through a parking lot like he owns the place? Do I need to worry about stepping on a rattlesnake? Is everybody really retired or just driving a golf cart? And why do the mountains look different every time you glance up?
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 Flavors | Lola Rose and the Hummus That Could
Some side dishes know their place.
A basket of flat bread arrives to keep you occupied while you wait. A small plate of humble hummus appears as an appetizer, dutifully performing its supporting role before the main event arrives.
But some side dishes have greater aspirations. They think they are the Little Engine That Could. They want to make it to the top of the mountain.
And a few... very few... actually do.
Lola Rose's hummus belongs in this final category.
The Local Celebs | Alfred Hitchcock in Palm Springs: Suspense, Sunshine, and Second Helpings
Alfred Hitchcock spent a career making audiences nervous.
Not frightened exactly. Nervous.
Any director can startle you with a loud noise. Hitchcock preferred a gradual approach. He understood that anticipation is often more powerful than the event itself. This is true of murder mysteries, ticking bombs, and restaurant reservations.
Fear, he knew, was best served slowly.
Like a carefully prepared meal.
The Local Design | You're Just My Type: Palm Springs Fonts
There are few places where a house number can make you smile.
Palm Springs is one of them.
Because in Palm Springs even the house numbers were designed.
That sounds like a minor thing until you start noticing it — the tall, geometric address numerals on a Krisel home, the crisp lettering on a vintage motel marquee, the careful typography on a mid-century storefront.
These weren't afterthoughts.
The Local Celebs | King of Cool: Steve McQueen’s High-Velocity Palm Springs
If you think the mid-century modern vibe of Palm Springs was all about polite golf claps and Sinatra sipping martinis in a tuxedo, you are missing half the horsepower.
Enter Steve McQueen.
The Local Flavors | The Cheese Blintzes at Liv's
Nestled inside the Palm Springs Art Museum, Livs Palm Springs occupies one of the city's most charming dining spaces. Part museum café, part neighborhood gathering place, part hidden oasis, it somehow manages to feel both sophisticated and relaxed.
The Local Culture | When Palm Springs Exhales
Every year, sometime around early June, Palm Springs exhales.
The snowbirds head north. The festival crowds disappear. Restaurant reservations become easy to find. Businesses close for the season. Parking spots materialize like miracles. The traffic on Palm Canyon Drive dwindles to a trickle.
And suddenly, the city feels empty.
The Local Architecture | Atomic Dreams & Coffee Shops: John Lautner, Googie and the Palm Springs State of Mind
By the 1950s and 60s, Palm Springs had become an unlikely playground for architectural experimentation. Hollywood stars escaped Los Angeles for weekends in the desert, bringing money, glamour, and a taste for the futuristic. Architects arrived eager to test radical ideas under endless blue skies.
The Local History | Meet the Pioneer Women Who Created Palm Springs
Before Palm Springs was a mid-century modern oasis filled with Hollywood glitz, it was a rugged, isolated desert outpost. The oasis of palm trees and hot springs was a challenging place to live, yet in the early 20th century, a remarkable group of determined women settled this arid valley, laying the foundation for the glamorous resort town we know today.
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.