The Divine Dish

New Menu at Citron Palm Springs Adds Zest to Desert Diningaol

Posted on Jan 22, 2009 under Archives, Food and Travel News | No Comment

The Viceroy Palm Springs is the perfect location for a weekend tryst.  Grecian urns, classical statues, marble covered surfaces and floors and a crisp white, black and vibrant yellow color scheme run throughout this 68-room boutique hotel.  The best rooms for getaways are the white-washed villas featuring brick fireplaces, abstract paintings, black and white gingham sofas,  bold geometric wallpaper and large extra-comfortable beds with Italian linens, situated around the stunning lawns and poolside cabanas.

The signature restaurant, Citron, is vibrant yellow and white with French windows opening to the main courtyard patio and pool.  I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Viceroy and dining (with my friend Paul) on a tasting menu from new Executive Chef James Bailey.  Here is the delicious menu that Chef Bailey prepared for us:

I started off with a Bellini and Paul chose the restaurant’s signature drink, Le Citron Blue, made with Hypnotic “Tiffany blue” liqeuor and Ketel One Citron, shaken and served in a sugar rimmed glass.  Both were tasty.

Chef Bailey then brought us a nice amuse buse of a single oyster with leeks and topped wit caviar.

Next we sampled a delicious roasted baby beet salad with arugula, pine nuts and a nice sherry vinegar.

Then came a small cup full of potato leek soup with truffle shavings on top.  We really loved this soup.

Next we sampled a seared scallop with squash puree and a brussel sprout salad.  Paul and I both aren’t fond of brussel sprouts, but we loved this dish.

This beautiful dish was almost too pretty to eat.  We marveled at the chef’s chopping skills, with each layer having uniform shaped pieces of each component.  The stack includes yellowtail tuna, red onion, hearts of palm and avocado.  It comes with some fresh potato chips.  This was also very good.

Next came this tasty seared bass with asparagus and hen of the wood mushrooms and bacon. yum.

Then we sampled this perfectly cooked New York strip steak, which came with blue cheese, Swiss chard and some tasty french fries.

Our favorite of the night was the veal cheek, which was similar to a short rib but more tender.  It came with a wonderful potato risotto, watercress salad and a truffle veal reduction.  At this point we were getting pretty full, but we ate every last bite of the plate.

Out came dessert, a homemade vanilla ice cream with berries.  Chef Bailey came out and poured balsamic vinegar over the dish as a sauce.

The waiter brought out Citron’s signature dessert, the Kit Kat, which features lots of chocolate and strawberries.  It was also delicious.  We thought we were finished, but one more surprise came out:

Out came this grand plate of beignets and a lovely strawberry soup.  I ate most of the soup and Paul tried to finish the beignets, but at this point we were stuffed.   The entire meal was the best I have eaten in the desert and the service was excellent.  I highly recommend visiting Citron and experiencing Chef Bailey’s delicious food and the new menu.

Viceroy Palm Springs (415 S. Belardo Road, 760.320.4117, www.viceroypalmsprings.com, rooms range from $289 – $569)