workshop kitchen + bar

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 quinoasaladwith wild arugula, citrus and ricotta salata and craving some winter veggies, a shaved brussel sproutsaladgraced 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 thssaladbut the carrots in thissaladhad 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.

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 asparagussaladand all dishes just average. the prices are high for bad service and less than mediocre food. we will never return!!!

too soon to tell.... we were excited at the prospect of trying a new palm springs restaurant featuring a seasonal menu prepared by noted chefs amid an interior that is unlike anything in palm springs. while the food is good, the presentation is, hmmm... quirky. to say the least. the fact that the bar does not have bombay saphire gin dissappointed one of our martini-drinking friends right off. once seated at our table, our waitron brought our party of five four pieces of what looked to be fresh-baked bread. (i wouldn't know; i never got a piece. we requested more bread, but that never came.) she insisted that the small plates were large enough to share. (maybe, for an anorexic super model from los angeles, but not for five men.) the portions were generous for an individual diner, but hardly big enough to share. two of our diners took her word for it and ordered a ceasar salad. when they asked forsaladplates, our server brought them two more bread plates. (4" x 4"). the restaurant has a wood-fired pizza oven but, while the crust looked delicious, only one pizza option was offered on the menu the night we were there. don't get me wrong; the food is good and the place is still trying to find it's footing in a very competitive market. i will give it a couple of more chances; especially want to try brunch here. once they hit their stride, workshop may well become one of the hottest new restaurants in palm springs. if you do go, ask for michelle or richard as your server.