| About: | Those who love the distinctive flavor and healthful attributes of lamb are often left out, but this restaurant is determined to change that. Case in point: the Albanian Lamb shanks blend Middle Eastern flavors with Euroamerican tastes. The restaurant also offers plenty of mainstream Italian choices and what some have called "The Best Pizza in the Desert," receiving three and one-half stars from the Desert Sun newspaper. Try the "White Pizza" for a pale but delightful change from tomato-heavy versions. Dine inside or on the large, smoking-friendly patio, and enjoy cocktails from the bar. It is open daily at 4 pm. |
| Hours: | Open 7 Days At 4pm,Sunset Dinners 4-5:30pm |
| Categories: | Italian Restaurants, Continental Restaurants, Restaurants |
| Payment: | MasterCard, Visa, American Express |
| Specialities: | Veal, Serving, Seasonal Patio, Pizza & Pasta, Lamb Shanks & Racks, Full Bar, Children's Menu |
| Cuisine: | Business, Italian |
| Ambiance: | Romantic |
| Reservations Policy: | Suggested |
First and last visit. I had the supposedly thick lamb chops. They were not thick and looked and tasted burned. One of our friends had the eggplant parmesan which was tough and over cooked. The other friend had the veal parmesan which was tough. I never in my life saw tough veal until tonight. My wife had the lamb shank which she enjoyed. The vegetables and rice that were served to both my wife and I were cold. Right now all menu items except pizza are on sale for $9.99 for a three course dinner. As for my lamb chops, had I been charged the menu price of $19.99 I would have sent it back based on appearance alone and walked out.
After hearing rave reviews and recommendations for this place, we finally tried it.
The good.
Upon arrival we were promptly seated and were provided with our drinks and bread. A few minutes later Bill (the owner) came to the table and greeted us. Very friendly and the ambiance was fantastic.
The not so good...
After two refills of drinks (approx. 15 minutes...), the waitress finally came over and took our order. The Ranch dressing was apparently the supermarket envelope stuff mixed with sour cream - great for a veggie dip, not so much so for a salad. I ordered the Chicken Madelena. The chicken was overcooked and very dry. The sauce was excessively salty, to the point of being inedible. My companion had their 'signature dish' the Meatloaf Parmesan. It was adequate but I wouldn't choose it as a signature dish. No sign of the wait staff until the end of the meal - at which time they quickly cleared the table, brought us the check, and made no mention of dessert. Nor did anyone at the restaurant inquired about our meal - to include why I didn't eat mine.
They did provide us with a card for the owners real estate business...
Heard about this place from several people at our resort who have visited Palm Springs for many years. Well worth the short drive on the 111/Palm Canyon to get there. We had great tasting Italian and lamb dishes. The marinara sauce is really sweet, we asked for more to dip our bread baskets. Dessert special is enough to split between four people, which is what we did, and still could not finish. Restaurant does not open till 4 PM.