Why Dining at the Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill of Palm Springs’ Bar is a Must, but Skip the Restaurant

 

Dear Polite Travelers,

Many of us from the ‘60s grew up with the Rat Pack as our idols.  I was no different.  So, when the opportunity arose to visit Palm Springs—home to their playground—my hubby and I jumped into the car for the nine-hour drive. 

Once in the much warmer climate, we found Covid had closed our hotel’s restaurant, which meant a daily search for dining possibilities.  Luckily, Palm Springs is drenched in dining excellence.  

Since we were beat from the drive, the first night, we settled on Sherman’s Deli directly across the street from our hotel.  Excellent, but not something I wanted more than once.

Go Early & Sit in The Bar Area

Through our daily scouting, we came upon Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill.  I was especially impressed with their ample outdoor seating area and quaint interior.  Due to Covid, we didn’t want to sit near others, so we chose a secluded table in the corner of the bar.  It was near enough to people watch and yet far away enough to feel safe. 

Checking out the varied bar menu, we shared the personal size Florentine pizza, $11, and the sirloin burger sliders $8.  The pizza was simply dressed with spinach, crumbled feta and cremini mushrooms. And the burgers were lightly charred, juicy, and perfectly cooked medium-rare.  Delish!  As we finished our wine and prepared to leave, we were surprised with a plate of almond biscotti and two small glasses of Amaretto.  Neither of us tolerate higher-alcohol beverages, so we couldn’t drink much.  But dipping the biscotti into the Amaretto and tasting the heavy, sweet almond essence was dreamy. 

Our dinner cost reflects happy hour prices.  Add the two $6 glasses of house Chardonnay, and the total cost with tax and tip was under forty dollars.  Not bad for a resort town dinner.   Best yet, we enjoyed it so much, we returned to the bar a second night.  The only change we made was in the pizza choice.  This time, we chose the Margherita for $10 and paired with those yummy sirloin burgers.  Why mess with excellence. 

Uh...Could we get some water over here??

But we did.  We wanted to make the third night special.  So, we made a reservation for a secluded table in the restaurant.  We eat earlier than most, so we felt safe eating inside.  Plus, we sat much farther away than most others who might dine as we do. 

The seating was elegant, with white tablecloths and waiters in more formal attire than the bar setting.  Within minutes of sitting, we received fresh hot bread with a small bowl of the yummiest tapenade I’ve had in years.  So far, so good. 

But, of course, we wanted wine with our Italian dinner.  Signaling the waiter—it appeared he was busy chatting with a colleague—we ordered two glasses of Chardonnay, $11 each, and found that happy-hour pricing is not available in the restaurant.  Hummm.... Not a positive especially since it was the same wine the bar was serving.  

Many of the items on the menu appeared to be more than two older people could stomach, so we settled on pasta.  My hubby chose the Chicken Giuliani—pan-fried, breaded chicken breast topped with a white wine lemon sauce for $25—and Chicken Carciofo for me—pan-seared chicken topped with artichoke hearts, capers & a lemon cream sauce for $26.  Both sounded yummy.   Reality often disappoints as was the case here.   Both dishes were swimming in sauce that seemed more like flavored bechamel (a simple white sauce).  My sauce was lumpy, and I was unimpressed.  It is unfortunate since the combination of the artichoke hearts, capers and lemon was a good start. 

Worse yet, our waiter never visited our table during dinner or offered us more water.  When it was apparent we were finished, he finally arrived to suggest dessert—yep, let’s pad the bill a bit—and huffed when we declined.  Pity.  The bar setting experience was a sharp contrast to the more expensive restaurant setting.   

Will we return?

If in the Palm Springs area again, we will definitely stop in, but we’ll only sit in the bar.

Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill

www.sammygsrestaurant.com

265 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262

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