Tag: Indio

  • The Local on 50th

    The Local on 50th

    I’m something of a chicken strips aficionado, and this place serves the best ones in town! Made fresh daily in-house, crisped to perfection, and served alongside homemade ranch and the most divine shoestring fries, I crave them like almost nothing else. So much so that they’ve officially become my celebration meal of choice—from my birthday and wedding anniversary to the closing of my first real estate deal. And while I’ve yet to venture beyond ordering anything other than the chicken strips, my husband swears by the tacos and nachos, and I’ve heard the Happy Hour grilled cheese is next level. Bonus: Trivia Night here each Tuesday is one of my favorite activities in the desert.

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  • Clark’s Travel Center

    Clark’s Travel Center

    This roadside pit stop is where Reverend Jimmy Swaggart picked up a lady of the night before being promptly pulled over by the police on October 11, 1991. The scandal (Swaggart’s second such offense) led to the temporary shut-down of the televangelist’s ministry and a massive media blitz, which then Indio Police Chief Jerry Graves told “The Desert Sun” garnered “the most intense interest in a news story that I’ve been involved in.” In an only-in-the-desert twist, a bronze plaque now marks where the incident occurred, quite fittingly displayed just outside of the travel center’s restrooms.

  • George’s Men’s Store

    George’s Men’s Store

    A sleepy block of downtown Coachella was transformed into 1940s Las Vegas for the filming of the 1991 gangster classic Bugsy. This stepped-roof storefront portrayed George’s, the “canker sore” of a casino that sparks Benjamin Siegel’s (Warren Beatty) ambition to build the Flamingo Hotel. The site originally housed George’s Men’s Store, a longtime Coachella Valley staple that first opened in 1946 and served the community for more than four decades. Fun fact: the movie signage remained in place until just a few years ago—and is still visible today via Google Street View. Elsewhere in the desert, the film’s Flamingo Hotel set was constructed on a dusty patch in nearby Ocotillo Wells, while the cast and crew made La Quinta Resort their home base during the two-week shoot.

  • Italica

    Italica

    This speakeasy, hidden behind an unassuming door in downtown Indio, is one of the desert’s best – and sexiest! – restaurants! Offering such inspired dishes as Pinsa Romano (flatbread with prosciutto, goat cheese, fig jam and calabrian chili oil), Carciofi Alla Giudia (fried artichokes with yuzu roasted garlic aioli) and Bolognese (pappardelle with wild boar and fennel sausage ragu), as well as artisanal cocktails like the signature Mediterranean Sour (Bulleit Bourbon, Italicus bergamont, house-made lemon juice, burrata foam, bitters and a rosemary sprig), all served with true theatrical flourish , dining here is a full-blown (not to mention delicious) experience!

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  • Papa Headz

    Papa Headz

    This popular food truck now operates out of the side window at Gabino’s Creperie each Wednesday through Sunday from 6 to 10 PM, offering up the best smash burgers in town. I’m talking perfectly crisped, with oodles of melted cheese and signature PH sauce! The fries, loaded with various toppings, including cheese, chicken, buffalo sauce, and ranch, are also not to be missed!

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  • Everbloom Coffee

    Everbloom Coffee

    This chicly minimalist coffee shop features some of the tastiest java and friendliest baristas you’ll find in the desert! Widely known for its specialty house-made syrups (as per the myriad glowing Yelp reviews), which include butterscotch, Madagascar vanilla, mocha and honey lavender, sadly, I am diabetic and, as such, haven’t been able to partake. But I’m happy to report that the standard lattes are nothing short of heavenly and certainly warrant a visit. (The sister location, just up the road at 81730 CA-111, is smaller, but serves up the same fabulous fare.)

  • The Vintage Coffee House

    The Vintage Coffee House

    A strip mall with a grocery store as its anchor tenant may seem an unlikely place to find some of the best java in the Coachella Valley, but that is most definitely the case with The Vintage Coffee House. Known for being one of the only sites in the area with bulletproof coffee on the menu, all of the offerings are, in fact, fabulous. The café is adorable to boot, and the service is stellar! Even Sylvester Stallone and Justin Bieber are fans! Vintage is also situated in extremely close proximity to the Coachella concert grounds, so if you are in town for any of the festivals, this is the spot to grab your daily joe!

  • Sumo Dog

    Sumo Dog

    If you’re into franks, Sumo Dog is the place to be! Offering beef, pork, and vegan varieties accompanied by such accouterments as wasabi relish, miso mustard, guacamole, and katsu, the options are imaginative and delicious! My preferred order is an Angus beef frank, bacon wrapped with togarashi cheese sauce, but even the basic Chicago-style dogs make this spot worth a visit.

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  • Gabino’s Creperie

    Gabino’s Creperie

    This beloved eatery started serving up savory crepes (or what owner Marcel Ramirez describes as a “French burrito”) in 2020 and quickly became a sensation, with Guy Fieri (who popped in to shoot an episode of his popular “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”) deeming the BBQ chicken crepe a “destination dish.” And Gabino’s truly is a destination! Offering little slices of handheld heaven, Marcel’s crepes consist of incredibly tasty (not to mention hearty) fillings like pesto chicken and rib-eye cheese steak enveloped in a perfectly crunchy wrap crafted from flour, eggs and cheese. A meal at Gabino’s is truly like nothing else in the world! Bonus – there is also a sister location in Palm Springs for those on the west side of town.

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  • “Heavy Metal” Sculpture

    “Heavy Metal” Sculpture

    This aluminum statue, modeled after a rocking-out Saguaro cactus, was created in 2022 for the Power Trip heavy metal festival by sculptor/ frequent Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival contributor Don Kennell and his wife, Lisa Adler. The following year, the piece was relocated to a grassy patch in downtown Indio and now acts as a cheeky attraction, beckoning visitors to pose for photo ops beneath its prickly foliaged fingers.