workshop kitchen + bar

this one is getting a "doesn't like" but not by much. the place is super modern in terms of decor. concrete is the go to inside. our server was very pleasant and it was nice to see that management/ownership was present and seemed interested in how things were going for us.

the only thing that was a bit of a let down was the food. we weren't that interested in the mains section of the menu so we ordered 5 starters and salads and such. everything was simply ok. nothing that really blew us away. also worth noting is that our food came out super fast.... too fast for comfort really.

workshop isn't too far off from being a great palm springs spot. but for now, its just slightly on the "needs improvement" side for me.

workshop kitchen + bar is a beautiful spot to enjoy a finely crafted cocktail or have a delicious bite to eat. it’s located in palm springs’ trendy uptown design district. there is seating indoors and outside on a courtyard patio. there are small tables, a private dining room for groups where i sat, and an impressive 32 foot long concrete communal table where it’s easy to socialize with your own friends or to meet others. the beautiful space with high ceilings had been previously used as a theater.

i've eaten here once before, a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed the food and experience. however, the extremely unprofessional attitude, disrespect, and petty rudeness i experienced with the hosting staff on saturday, november 13th means that i will never be back.

during the prior week, i called twice for reservations for a table for two persons. no one answered either time so my calls went straight to voicemail with their message stating that 'sometimes the staff is too busy to take calls. please leave a message and we will return your call." however, neither call was returned.

i decided to take a chance and arrived early at 6 pm. when i arrived, there were three couples in line for tables. the first host came down the line and was taking the names of guests. when he came to me he asked if i had a reservation. i said no and i explained that i had called twice but had not received a return call. he stated that they were short-staffed and very busy. i said that they should say they can't return calls if that's the case. at this point, he said excuse me and turned to another guest without taking my name.

within only a couple of minutes, all guests in front of me had been seated and i arrived at the host's podium. the first comment from that host was 'i hear that you called for reservations' at which point i confirmed the statement and explained the situation again. he also stated that they were very busy and can't answer the phone. i asked about returning phone calls but he ignored my question and then informed me that he had no availability until 9:30 pm that evening, three and half hours later.

i completely understand the staff being busy during peak times and having to allow calls to go to voice mail but to have the voice mail say they will return the call and then not is unacceptable. if you can't return the calls do not say that you will.

a simple apology would have made all the difference in the world but instead, i received the pettiness described above. there are too many good restaurants in the palm springs area to be ok with this type of bad service.

“good restaurant design is about achieving equilibrium between the food, service and design– in effect telling a complete story.”. ~ david rockwell, american architect. andy rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator on television’s 60 minutes didn’t like food that’s “too carefully arranged;” declaring “it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking,” adding “if i wanted a picture i’d buy a painting.”  those of us who write about food not only notice, we enjoy eye-pleasing artful plating, especially when everything is where it should be for optimum harmony, balance and appearance.  we like plate syzygy. the balance of color, texture and appearance gives us pause to reflect on how great everything looks before our taste buds confirm what our eyes already know.

without doubt a polarizing spot in palm springs, several publications calling it the best restaurant in coachella valley while many locals and tourists have harshly criticized chef michael beckman’s cuisine as overpriced and underwhelming it was with reservations made over a week in advance that dinner was planned at workshop kitchen + bar, a 7:30pm seating easy to obtain but solo diners unfortunately relegated to the restaurant’s central communal table.

originally opened in 2011 and awarded a james beard award for best restaurant design several years later, a setting spanning the interior and courtyard of the historic el paseo building blending indoor alcoves and a well-stocked bar with an open patio with the sort of lighting that makes everyone seem a little more glamorous, it was after a bit of time spent locating the hostess stand that the reservation was confirmed and with seating offered on backless cubes at the center of the indoor space it was not long before water was filled with food and beverage menus presented.

seated to the left of a late-50’s couple loudly proclaiming themselves “foodies” despite not knowing what romanesco or gravlax were, with a husband and his pregnant wife sporting more dietary restrictions than most further down the table, it was after lengthy perusal of the menu that the decision was made to begin with two “smalls” before placing orders for more substantial things, the choice to forgo cocktails clearly disappointing a hirsuit server who was efficient yet abrupt with a hipster sort of indifference to the bulk of his tables.

describing the menu as “market-driven” and “seasonal,” more a case of expected nomenclature than actual fact as the bulk of the plates seem not to have changed much from those seen on social media from months and years past, it was having given the go-ahead to serve items as they were ready that both plates arrived simultaneously, the “duck study” a fairly bland dish of pan-cooked rice and eggs with no fowl to be seen while the $15 braised pork cheek fries presented a mountain of matchstick potatoes atop a pool of red curry with a few slices of dried-protein, thin slices of radish and a few brussels sprout leaves.

reportedly trained in several european countries including a stint at michelin 3* lameloise, though nothing about the chorizo pizza or visually unappealing black cod presented to the “foodie” couple indicated chef beckman to have any more or less talent than the rest of palm spring’s chefs, it was after some thought that the decision was made to forgo any further foray into the savory side of the menu that dessert was requested, the apple tarte tatin a respectable version of the classic with tender fruit served glistening and hot beneath a melting ball of ice cream atop the flaky crust.

+ ambience and decor were top notch.

= cuisine presentation is typical for this caliber of restaurant.

- hard sell on the menu from our waiter who literally took 5 minutes, it's exhausting to hear the waiter ramble on that extensively (we remained polite to let him finish his spiel).

- bottom shelf liquor choices at a high brow locale.

- cuisine bland and was overwhelmed by additions. for example, wagyu beef itself was tasteless and plated to paste consistency. raw onion and sauce were added to shore up the wagyu.

- wait staff was overbearing and uptight. my friends and i could not get settled in due to pestering (the restaurant was not busy, what's the rush?).

- waiter rushed our party out. after our cuisine drew to a close we received the check and paid. the waiter proceeded to take the money, stuff check/cash into his apron, and bus the table (whilst dropping flatware on floor) while we were still finishing our cocktails. appalling!

went here for sunday brunch. service was a bit slow, rather odd considering it was not busy when we arrived. i ordered the hemmingway special daiquiri, which was amazing. i had high expectations for the frittata, which was just so-so. it needs flavor and more cheese. i would go back again for the drinks alone, and i would definitely try the dinner menu.

i’m spending a long weekend in california’s desert country, in this nostalgic hideaway for hollywood stars. it was a last-minute trip planned to escape the rain and cold of northern california, so it’s ironic that i’m writing this today on a rainy day in palm springs. to get out of the rain, i dropped into workshop kitchen + bar for sunday brunch. this modern restaurant in the city’s uptown arts and antique district is a stark contrast to the retro diner-type restaurants that are commonly found around town. it’s evident once you walk in and see the cavernous space with concrete walls and tables (the space won a best restaurant design award from the james beard foundation last year).

poe service. inattentive and did not ask if all was ok. food is not good. the chicken for two was greasy and the white meat dried out. portions are small and price is very high particularly considering the quality. don't get me started about how uncomfortable the concrete booth benches are!! the manager was unprofessional so we should not be surprised by the problems they have!!

a former opera singer serves dinner at workshop kitchen + bar

a surprising new entry into the ps dining scene, workshop kitchen + bar pushes the foodie envelope with their farm to table approach. owners michael beckman and joseph mourani have realized a contemporary, somewhat austere modernist industrial design in a beautiful colonial building with cathedral ceilings, pillars, trusses and 17' high barn windows which offers a compelling staging point for their 'americana' style of food, offering everything from wood-fired pizza, sous-vide offerings, duck rillette, pan-roasted scallops, black truffle risotto, to large format plates that are great for a 'family service' style evening of shared food and conversation. and this is exactly what we ordered: whole grilled organic chicken diavolo, served with two sides of kabocha squash and red sage quinoa. not understanding portion sizes, we include a beet and quinoa salad with wild arugula, citrus and ricotta salata and craving some winter veggies, a shaved brussel sprout salad graced with toasted hazelnuts, persimmon and pomegranate, splashed with some aged balsamic and oil and a dusting of pecorino romano. we left feeling well fed with plenty left on the wooden groaning board if we chose to doggy-bag it.

i will probably try again. our dishes french fries, beet salad, roasted carrots, enchilada and duck. 2 virgin drinks and one ward 8. french fries: ok, not crispy enough, could i taste the duck fat? not really. an indulgence but i would not order again, not worth it. the carrots, a plate of carrot, various breeds, with dates, sounds delicious, average, the carrots were tasteless, well not all of them, but they did not wow me, i think their carrot source needs to improve. the beet salad, wonderful, not sure if they used the same carrots i ths salad but the carrots in this salad had flavour, and the strawberries, wow, what a combo with chevre, very impressed. the veggie enchilada was very tasty, and the most reasonable main on the menu, the duck, nice flavours, the lentils were also tasty, vegetable accompanient was a salsify ( like a turnip) but the sweetness of the duck did not match with the harshness of the salsify. all drinks were great, the virgins were creative the ward 8 was great ( yum home made grenadine), obviously a bartender ( mixoligist) who knows his/her stuff. if i were to return i would stick to the veggies they seem to be the strong suit, and to be fair, we have only been once so i have no idea how they do with fish and red meat, all of which sounded enticing.

impressive, cool. sophisticated architectural setting and creative menu backed by a kitchen that rocks. yeah!

after researching some fine dining restaurants on yelp , we decided to go to workshop kitchen + bar for dinner. it boasts a large open air enclosed patio and a large indoor dining room with booths along the sides and a long communal table running down the centre of the restaurant. the restaurant is an architectural masterpiece, with great decor and ambiance, and great food and service to match.

fabulous interior, but very average food & service!

a very sterile, uncomfortable, unfriendly mess! from the receptionists to the wait staff, this restaurant is a -10! we had reserved a booth, when we arrived there were two people in the restaurant but had to wait for one of the empty booths which was so tight that we had to keep our feet close to keep from kicking our friends on the other side.

we had to ask a busser, after being ignored for over 20 minutes, to please send a waiter. it took another fifteen minutes before our drinks arrived. the rib eye steak was tough, the asparagus salad and all dishes just average. the prices are high for bad service and less than mediocre food. we will never return!!!