Your Desert Questions, Answered — Restaurants, Rooflines & Retro Kitsch
Hello and welcome to another edition of Ask Lindsay! This time around, we’re talking underrated eateries, hidden architectural gems, whether the iconic Elephant Car Wash actually does a good job, and where to find some old-school Mexican restaurant kitsch in the desert. Let’s dive in!
XO, Lindsay
What do you think is the desert’s most underrated restaurant?
My friend Nicole asked this recently and my answer was immediate: The Local on 50th (pictured). I’ve sung the praises of the Indio eatery countless times in this newsletter, across social media and on my website—so much so that you’re probably sick of hearing about it by now. But it’s just that good! The place serves what I consider the tastiest chicken strips in town (made fresh in-house and never frozen), my husband swears by the tacos, and the Sober Donkey is hands down one of the Valley’s best mocktails. Then there’s weekly trivia night, one of my favorite desert activities. I know, I know—I must sound like I’m on the payroll by now. But I promise, I’m just a fan. A really big fan!
A few more underrated desert gems:
Neil’s Lounge – Another Indio establishment, and one of the nation’s top dive bars, I’ve long loved Neil’s for its Murph’s Gaslight-style Fried Chicken (IYKYK). But I only recently ventured in to sample the regular menu after no fewer than three people raved to me about it in the span of a week. And it did not disappoint. The chicken strips are genuinely excellent (are you sensing a theme here?), as are the burgers, which my mom, husband, and friend Cherry practically wolfed down.
Kitchen 86 – This spot has quickly become one of my favorite local restaurants. The menu runs the gamut from pizza to tacos to burgers, and somehow they manage to do all of it really well. The Boom Boom Chicken and Boom Boom Shrimp are not to be missed.
D’Coffee Bouteaque – More hidden gem than underrated restaurant, this fanciful coffee shop is one of the most unique spots in town. The more-is-more decor is wonderfully over the top and the food follows suit (Bananas Foster Belgian Waffle and Prosciutto Avocado Toast, anyone?), while the coffee offerings are unparalleled.
The Sandbar – Don’t let the rough exterior fool you—this restaurant is one of my favorite fine-dining spots in the desert. It’s old-school in all the right ways, with a beautiful patio and excellent food. For anyone familiar with L.A.’s restaurant scene, The Sandbar is very reminiscent of the Vitello’s of yesteryear (before the Studio City staple’s interior was modernized and its menu overhauled, much to my dismay).
Keedy’s Fountain & Grill (the original Palm Desert location) – While this spot is certainly a desert institution, it sometimes gets dismissed as just a greasy spoon. But it serves up genuinely excellent classic comfort food and is my pick for the best breakfast in the Valley. One of the desert’s oldest restaurants, there’s a reason it’s been going strong since 1957!
Does Elephant Car Wash actually do a good job?
Yes! Though the place may be a tourist attraction and a major desert photo op, it’s also my favorite car wash in the Valley.
The retro neon sign, which features a pink elephant showering itself with its trunk, is, of course, the star of the show—and there’s a fun bit of history behind it. The sign was originally built for the Portland outpost of the Pacific Northwest-based Elephant Super Car Wash chain. When one of the owner’s daughters relocated to the desert to expand the business, she brought the enormous sign with her, and it was installed here in 1966.
Today, the elephant is a historic landmark and one of the Valley’s most recognizable pieces of roadside nostalgia. But ironically, it wasn’t always beloved. In 1991, the very same city that would eventually designate the sign a historic landmark actually tried to have it removed, with one councilwoman arguing that Rancho Mirage shouldn’t “look like Las Vegas.” (Thankfully, the elephant won.)
Pro tip: If you’re there for the photo op, the best views of the sign are from the office complex just northeast of the car wash, off Indian Trail.
And yes, as for the wash itself, it’s great, too! I regularly pop in and have always been happy with the results. In fact, I stopped by again just this week in the name of newsletter research, and my vehicle came out sparkling. There’s also some fun elephant merch for sale in the lobby, so be sure to check it out while you’re there.
Go for the photo op—stay for the clean car.
Favorite local under-the-radar architectural gems?
Last month, I posted an Instagram carousel chronicling some of my favorite lesser-known local architectural gems. With tickets for Modernism Week — October recently going on sale, I thought I’d share a few more.
Trinity Lutheran Church (Indio, pictured) – Not much information about this Indio church is available online, which is surprising considering its incredible A-frame roofline that sweeps from the steeple all the way down to the grassy ground below. According to a historic postcard, the building’s stonework was “laid according to ancient Aztec design,” only adding to its mystique.
27 Grande View Court (Rancho Mirage) – Sadly, this one sits behind the gates of Mirada Estates, but it’s currently for sale, so keep an eye out for any upcoming open houses! Designed by architect Ana Escalante, who consulted with the legendary Donald Wexler, the steel, concrete and glass marvel is one of the Valley’s most unique dwellings with one major showstopping feature! A 75-foot lap pool runs straight through the middle of the residence, offering underwater glimpses via a series of portal windows.
Tamarisk Ranchos (Rancho Mirage) – This historic enclave of 16 homes, designed by William Krisel in 1958, is like a little slice of midcentury heaven. Arranged around gardens and a central pool, everyone from comedian Groucho Marx to TV producer John Guedel to filmmaker Lawrence Weingarten have called it home. One step onto the historic grounds and you can almost hear the echoes of martini glasses clinking from decades past.
Las Palmas Liquor Store (Palm Springs) – Although somewhat nondescript at first glance, I can’t drive by this Googie-style market without slowing down to admire its fabulous curvilinear roofline. Originally opened as a Germain Bros. Liquor store in 1960, the building was designated a Class 1 historic resource by the city of Palm Springs in 2020.
Ranchito Chiquito (Rancho Mirage) – Tucked away in Rancho Mirage Community Park sits the city’s oldest residence. Built in 1934, the tiny stone-walled home initially stood on Follansbee Street before being relocated to the park when its original site was slated for redevelopment. Not necessarily an architectural marvel, but an unexpected little nod to the desert’s early days.
Is there a local Mexican restaurant with the same kitschy vibe as El Coyote?
This question came from my friend Scott Michaels, who runs the popularFind a Death website and Dearly Departed Tours YouTube channel, and is something of an expert on the darker side of Southern California history. I first met Scott years ago when I was writing about filming locations in L.A., and as a fellow true-crime enthusiast, we hit it off immediately. So I was thrilled when he eventually moved to the desert, although I have to admit we don’t get together nearly as often as we should.
Earlier this summer, Scott told me he was putting together a dinner to honor Sharon Tate on the anniversary of her horrific 1969 passing. For the setting, he enlisted my help finding a desert equivalent of El Coyote, the famously kitschy and historic Los Angeles Mexican restaurant where Tate and her friends ate their last meal.
My suggestions? El Patio, Las Casuelas (either the original or Terraza), El Mirasol, Loco Charlie’s, La Tablita, and Sancho’s Restaurant & Cantina (pictured) at the Caliente Tropics Resort. Scott ultimately chose the latter and a group of us gathered there on August 8.
Given the subject matter, you might not expect me to describe the evening as lovely, but it genuinely was. Scott regaled us with stories about Sharon’s life and talked about what we know—and what we don’t—about the events of that night. It was fascinating to hear him put some long-standing rumors to rest, as well as to learn more about his consulting work on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
And I have to say, the food was excellent—easily some of the best chicken taquitos I’ve ever eaten, hands down.
So if you’re looking for a Palm Springs-area Mexican restaurant with a little old-school kitsch, Sancho’s is definitely worth a visit—even if you don’t spend the evening talking about the Manson murders.
Thanks for reading!
I hope this issue inspires you to try a new restaurant, seek out a hidden gem, or snap a photo with a certain pink elephant. Have a question for the next Ask Lindsay? Hit reply and send it my way!
One More Thing . . . If you or someone you know is looking for a long-term rental in Palm Springs, I currently have a pretty special one available! Just minutes from downtown and within walking distance of Desert Regional Medical Center, the condo features mountain views (as evidenced above!), a built-in bar, a balcony, two ensuite bedrooms and —my favorite part—a private fenced yard with an in-ground fire pit. It’s offered at $4,500/month. Take a peek here.