AC3 Restaurant + Bar, owned by well-known valley restaurateurs Tony Marchese and Andrew and Juliana Copley, opened Sunday, adjacent to Hotel Paseo in Palm Desert.
“Andrew, Tony and I have been envisioning opening a restaurant together for the past couple years,” said Juliana Copley. “We really wanted to bring together what guests and locals have come to love at our individual restaurants but all under one roof – from Tony’s hip, local, vibe at TRIO to Copley’s award-winning food and service.”
To start, the restaurant, situated just off El Paseo at 45350 Larkspur Lane, will be open for dinner only, from 5 to 10 p.m., with breakfast and lunch added sometime in March.
Marchese owns TRIO in Palm Springs while Andrew and Juliana Copley own Copley’s, also in Palm Springs.
AC3’s dinner menu highlights include Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with wasabi guacamole, sweet and sour sauce and tobiko; Berkshire Pork Schnitzel with dijonaise crushed potatoes, bacon brussels sprouts, herbed yogurt and cranberry; Striped Sea Bass with black lentils, tinker bell peppers, dinosaur kale, mushrooms and smoked citrus butter; and Citrus Icebox Cake with yuzu cream, graham crust and basil ice cream.
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The restaurant and bar also offers a cocktail menu created by AC3 General Manager and Beverage Director Chris Chmielak.
The restaurant’s contemporary interior was designed and decorated by Monique Lemon and Angela Paladino of Design One Eleven in Indian Wells.
WAITING: Nearby businesses anxiously await opening of Hotel Paseo
Indoor and outdoor seating at AC3 will accommodate a little more than 200 people.
Nicholas Kontaxis works on one of his paintings at his home in Rancho Mirage, December 20, 2017. His artwork will decorate the new AC3 Restaurant + Bar, opening Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, adjacent to Hotel Paseo, on Larkspur Lane in Palm Desert. (Photo: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
Dinner reservations can be made online at ac3palmdesert.com/reservations or by calling (760) 340-6069.
The 150-room luxury boutique Hotel Paseo – the first hotel for Palm Desert’s high-end shopping district – is expected to open in March, though an official date has not been set, spokeswoman Jenna Duran said.
AC3 will operate the pool bar and provide room service and banquet meals to hotel guests once it is open.
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Hotel Paseo, owned and developed by Robert Leach, is part of the Evolution Hospitality and Autograph Collection Hotels which operate under the Marriott umbrella.
The hotel was initially expected to open in November but has experienced some delays.
General Manager Gil Reyes said in January he expects the hotel to be open in time for Fashion Week El Paseo, the shopping district’s signature event, March 17-24.
Desert Sun reporter Sherry Barkas covers Tourism and Families. She can be reached at or . Follow her on Twitter @TDSsherry
From Sheri Dettman
In Dining Around The Desert