When the family owners of Olga’s Tacos in Cathedral City started to think about opening a new spot in Palm Desert, their initial idea was for another taco shop.
But they soon started to sense that the area was evolving in a direction that would make it a better fit for a more refined and upscale experience — particularly given its relative proximity to the high end Cotino by Disney development.
“So we thought, let’s just give it the same flavor but a different concept,” said Ignacio Zavala, who owns the restaurants with his family.
Enter Bohemio’s Prime by Olga, a new spot serving a varied mix of Mexican and American breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, plus sushi. It’s the realization of what Zavala explains as a vision to bring a sense of elegance along with a menu that has something for every kind of person.
Here’s a look at Bohemio’s Prime by Olga and the other restaurants that opened in the Coachella Valley in January.
New Palm Springs-area restaurants in January
Bohemio’s Prime by Olga, 34460 Monterey Avenue in Palm Desert
The restaurant’s name was inspired by “Bohemio de Afición,” singer Vicente Fernández’s classic Mexican ranchera song about a carefree, romantic soul. Zavala said the décor is meant to bring a sense of “Mexican elegance,” with green velvet furnishings, a glass wine wall containing several bottles and blown-up photos of famous Mexican musicians, athletes and actors. The expansive menu includes pancakes, waffles and other classic breakfast fare, plus burgers, pasta, salmon and Mexican offerings such as enchiladas, tacos and ceviche. So far, Zavala says the most popular dishes have included a prime ribeye steak and tacos made from that same cut of ribeye. The space also contains a full bar, which currently serves beer, wine and agave wine-based cocktails, although there are plans to eventually expand into other types of drinks.
Claudio’s Italian Deli, 41555 Cook Street in Palm Desert
This small storefront within the Renova Energy building offers a taste of “la dolce vita” in the desert. Sandwich lovers can choose from a list of six paninis topped with meats ranging from turkey to pork, while a few pastas and salads round out the meal offerings. Sweet tooths, meanwhile, will be drawn to the large cases — there’s one for croissants and other morning pastries, another filled with cannoli and other deserts and a third stocked with gelato. Then there are the espresso drinks, plus shelves stocked with dried pasta, tomato sauce, cookies and other goodies to take home.
Tack Room Tavern, 81800 51st Ave. in Indio
After being closed for months, this decades-old Indio mainstay has reopened under the new ownership of F10 Hospitality. The restaurant is the first entry in the east valley for the well-known restaurant group, which previously reinvented such beloved Palm Springs spots as Mr. Lyons Steakhouse and Toucans. F10 Hospitality has given the interior a refresh that maintains much of the interior’s classic feel while adding to the polo-themed décor (the restaurant’s setting within the Empire Polo Club is key to its enduring popularity). The group has also introduced a new menu that mixes classic bar and grill fare such as ribs and chicken wings with some staples from other F10 restaurants. There are also plans to convert the adjoining space that once housed Polo Pizza Co. into a third location of Birba, F10’s Italian restaurant with existing locations in downtown Palm Springs and Cabazon.
Desert Pearl, 41000 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage
The second new spot to open inside Rancho Mirage’s Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in as many months, Desert Pearl combines a mid-mod-inspired look with a varied menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner fare. The breakfast offerings include an acai bowl, heartier egg dishes such as Benedicts and steak and eggs, and several “toasts” topped with everything from salmon to caramelized bananas. The all-day menu, meanwhile, has salads, sandwiches, fish tacos and other lunch-y fare. But there’s also heartier main dishes, including seared king salmon, steak frites and a clam linguine, and a roster of small plates that includes a citrus tuna tartare and savory chicken meatballs.
The Dune Room, 8207 Miles Ave. in Indio
Although it didn’t come without controversy, this bagel shop by day and concert venue by night is now open in the former Little Street Music Hall space on downtown Indio’s main drag. The bagels are served from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with flavor options ranging from the classic (read: everything or chive and onion) to the less so (a date cinnamon bagel). There’s also coffee drinks and baked goods.
Beaton’s, 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive Suite H-104 in Palm Springs
The year got off to a fast start with the opening of this new sibling bar — and next-door neighbor — to Bar Cecil, which has become one of Palm Springs’ hardest-to-get reservations since it opened a little less than five years ago. Like Bar Cecil, Beaton’s boasts a distinctive and eye-catching interior aesthetic: The look and feel here are shaped by red velvet booths, leopard-print carpeting, black-and-white celebrity photographs and other design elements meant to evoke the look and feel of Paris’ classic cocktail bars. Beaton’s’ drink menu includes a mix of classic cocktails and original creations such as the vodka-and-strawberry-containing Portrait In Pink. There’s also a small menu of elevated bar snacks (it also includes deviled eggs and a few other Bar Cecil favorites), plus chocolate mousse and berries and crème desserts.
Starbucks, 69050 Vista Chino in Cathedral City
A new Starbucks opened in the former Dairy Queen space northeast of the intersection of Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino in Cathedral City. It’s the third new Starbucks to open in the Coachella Valley in recent months. The others are at the Cathedral Cove shopping center in Cathedral City and near the Larson Justice Center in central Indio.
More new restaurants coming soon
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 7 new restaurants enter Palm Springs dining scene
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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