As we move into 2018, I look forward to discovering fun, new places and bringing you my first-hand reviews. Here’s some to plan on:
Courtesy of the Desert Sun
2017 gave the Coachella Valley many exciting restaurants, and you can bet the New Year will bring us more.
From veteran food legends to small business owners, many people are working day and night to make sure their new eateries have successful local openings next year.
And there’s nothing foodies love more than the taste of a new menu.
Here are some of the restaurants we’re looking forward to seeing open in 2018:
A farm-to-table experience that can’t be missed
A salad course for the Beyond Balisage preview dinner. (Photo: Jose Bastidas/The Desert Sun)
Chef Daniel Villanueva is a staple of the Coachella Valley food scene. He showcases his farm-to-table, seasonal approach to cooking regularly during the Palm Desert Food & Wine festival, and his catering business is known to many.
After saying goodbye to his previous restaurant, Balisage Bistro in Palm Springs, at the end of 2016, Villanueva will be back with a new eatery, Beyond Balisage, in Cathedral City next year.
Friends and family were treated to a private tasting dinner earlier this month showcasing the new restaurant’s clean, seasonal menu. Among the offerings there was a salad with Spanish white anchovies, blue cheese, romaine organic egg yolks, Meyer lemon juice and heirloom tomatoes.
“When you support me, you support all of my farmers directly, as well,” Villanueva told dinner guests.
Villanueva said he hopes to open Beyond Balisage to the public sometime in January. The restaurant will be located at 68-327 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. For more information go to Beyond Balisage’s Facebook page.
Two valley food legends team up for new hotel
Construction continues at Hotel Paseo on Larkspur Lane in Palm Desert on Nov. 28, 2017. The 150-room boutique hotel is slated to open in January and will be the first for the upscale shopping district. (Photo: Sherry Barkas/The Desert Sun)
When the new Hotel Paseo opens in Palm Desert next year, it will come with it a taste of Uptown Palm Springs.
The hotel’s new restaurant, AC3, as well as its bars, will be operated by two beloved Palm Springs restaurateurs — Copley’s on Palm Canyon’s owner and chef Andrew Copley and TRIO Restaurant’s owner Tony Marchese.
Back when news of the collaboration was first reported by The Desert Sun in April, Copley said the restaurant would focus on comfort food, fun flavors, and New American cuisine.
AC3 will open alongside the Hotel Paseo and will be open to the public every day. The hotel was originally set to open this fall, but construction delays moved to the opening date to sometime in January.
The Hotel Paseo will be located at 45350 Larkspur Lane in Palm Desert. For more information go to ac3palmdesert.com