Hottest Spots in the Desert for Lodging, Food & Wine

by Frank Mangio
About two hours drive time from the hustle and bustle of the San Diego coast, spread out like a canvas panorama at the base of  Highway 74, lies a group of desert communities that includes:  Palm Springs,  Rancho Mirage, Palm  Desert, Indian Wells and La Quinta. In winter hues of pastel greens, reds, shades of brown, and blue skies that seem to be everywhere, the solace of the desert beckons.

Three restaurants and their attractive wine lists deserve star ratings.  All three have set a new table recently and are worthy of the excitement that fine wine and food brings to diners that demand a memorable experience.

Morgan’s in the La Quinta Resort and Club is an important piece of a bouquet of features at La Quinta. The Waldorf Astoria property has a resume of stunning features after its multi-million dollar restoration of the original 1926 glamour resort late last year. Five championship golf courses including PGA West, embrace the 45 acres.  The resort’s signature casitas cluster around 41 showcase pools.  Everything inside and out has been upgraded and made upscale. Morgan’s has an intimate, ranch appeal to it with contemporary American cuisine.

Jimmy Schmidt, considered the pioneer of the farm to table movement in restaurants, is the Executive Chef, who along with Brian Recor, the chef de Cuisine, have created the Morgan’s menus for some 14 years.  “We still work hard at providing produce that is fresh from the fields of the Coachella Valley just a few miles way,” said Recor.  “You will find sweet corn, baby artichokes, red peppers and other vegetables on the menu today, both as sides or featured dishes.” Morgan’s Festival Menus are a diner’s pleasure and I lucked out as their French Black Truffle Dinner was being spotlighted with its big, rich nutritious flavor.  It was served with a Foley Griffin Red Wine, with its Merlot, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet blend. Next Festival Menu is Dungeness Crab Jan. 24 to Feb. 8.  Learn more at morgansinthedesert.com.

Mitch’s On El Paseo Prime Seafood is a new restaurant in the middle of the svelte dining and fashion scene in Palm Desert .  The picturesque patios attract close to 300 diners a night to the Asian cuisine created by sushi master and chef James Holder.  A  Frequent diner is Mike Grgich, the wine pioneer of  Napa Valley who winters in the desert.  We met over a salmon salad, and he opened a menu-pleaser, his 2009 Zinfandel, a featured Zin on Mitch’s wine list.  Visit the smartly listed wines and menus at mitchsonelpaseo.com. With the Santa Rosa Mountain panorama, beautiful lakes and silent tour boat rides, what’s not to love about JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort! If you go, you’ll have to take in the Rockwood Grill and Blue Star Lounge, a lakeside indoor-outdoor combination with refreshing views that celebrate life in the desert.

Rockwood Grill serves Brandt Beef, considered the most elite of the prime
steaks.  My choice was the Filet garnished with plump grilled asparagus. My choice of sauce topping was the cured sweet onions that made for a dinner to remember.  The wine was a Grgich Hills Merlot with cherry, blackberry notes, aged to resemble a Grgich Cabernet.  Savor the details at desertspringsresort.com.

Wine Bytes
San Diego Restaurant Week is Jan. 18 thru the 24th, and most will have discounts well beyond those dates.  Best way to find your favorite deal at the restaurant of your choice is to access SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com.

Marina Kitchen at the Marriott Marquis Hotel brings back Wine Wednesdays with Sommelier Josh Orr presiding.  Next up, the Food and Wine Pairing event on Wed. Jan. 28 from 6 to 7pm, for just $20. pp.  Great perks to keep you there for dinner to follow.  Call 619-234-1500.

Pride Mountain wines of Napa Valley are featured in a wine dinner  at the Argyle Steakhouse, Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad , Wed. Jan. 28 at 6pm.  Cost is $120.  Call 760-603-6907.

Sanctuary Wines get the spotlight at the Barrel Room in Rancho Bernardo, in a dinner on Tues. Feb. 3rd at 6pm.  Call 858-673-7512 for price and RSVP.

Raising the Bar on Wine Speak

by Frank Mangio
What do the “experts” really talk about when they ramble on about the qualities of a wine varietal.  You’ve heard the drill on the language of wine-speak: “crispy, grassy, okay, velvety, smooth, tannic, spicy,” etc. etc. In the effort to de-mystify wine, a lot of nouveau riche wine “experts” spew garbage descriptions that really have no place in the lexicon of wine.

Rather than get creative and cute in voicing a sipping description, the taster is far better off learning the basic terms of what wine is all about.

To start out, most of the labels on wine bottles will contain some basic notes from the winemaker and other required information to give the taster a running start in the understanding of wine. I give great credit for my start-up knowledge to Karen MacNeil, the author of the Wine Bible.

Karen MacNeil has written an important guide to the wines of the world with her Wine Bible, 

a 900 page essential book for wine lovers.

My copy that I purchased in 2002, has taken on dog-ears and is filled with post-its of my notesas I was inspired by and returned to what I had learned.  The publisher, when he read the original 4,000 page manuscript, excitedly declared “Oh my God, this is the Wine Bible”!  And the name stuck, even as it has gone through a number of editions.  MacNeil is an easy to understand translator.  Her biggest challenge, she says is to “stand between the producer and consumer of wine and have it all make sense.”  Her advise is to “taste as many wines as you can, with as many groups as you can where thoughts can be exchanged.”

A more focused, much smaller  book is How to Talk about Wine, by Bernard Klem.  The first part of his book gets into what wine is, where and how it is made and a primer on the Four S’s: sight, smell, sip and swallow. The 2nd part helps the reader in getting the words and basic terms together on how to compare the wines to distinguish quality. It’s less than 100 pages and a quick and concise read.

So relax, you don’t’ have to be eloquent and exact.  If you’re getting tongue-tied, just say you like it.  Don’t complicate your wine experience.

Morgan’s Rises in the Desert
La Quinta Resort has always been quiet, private and with the ambience of a sophisticated hacienda .  Nestled against the Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Desert, its casitas bring guests back to the spirit of a storied past. The resort’s guest villages encourage strolling through gardens, several pool patios and the pampering spa.

Jimmy Schmidt is Executive Chef of the resort’s Morgan’s in the Desert, the quintessential farm-to-table fresh cuisine menu that is all the rage in restaurants today. Jimmy is an award winning  chef and pioneer of the healthy dining trend that embraces flavor in his technique.

A 30 year Executive Chef, Jimmy Schmidt has built the farm-to-table menu at Morgan's in the Desert.

He has several books on this subject.  His 30 year career is impressive and evident in the Morgan’s menu.  I build my choices around my selection of wine and this night it was the Grgich “Miljenko’s” Old Vine Zinfandel 2007.($85. at the winery) This wine is a tribute to the winemaker who lives at La Quinta Resort & Club in the winter, Mike Grgich himself.  Taste it with the hand cut pasta and the generous array of steak choices. All are Certified Angus Beef.  Access more information at www.laquintaresort.com.

Wine Bytes
A big Orange County night with big wines is planned at the Balboa Bay Club Fri Nov. 2 from 6 to 9pm.  Trinitas Cellar Wines plus dinner and Valet parking for $100. pp. RSVP at 949-474-7368 x 213.
Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas pours the World of Pinot Noir Wines Fri. Nov. 9 from 6 to 8pm.  Cost is $20.  Call 760-479-2500.

Holiday Wine Cellar of Escondido presents German and Austrian wines Mon. Nov. 12 5:30 to 7:30pm.  $5. charge.  Call 760-745-1200.

The Westgate Hotel downtown San Diego celebrates the annual French Beaujolais Nouveau wine tasting Thurs. Nov. 15 from 6 to 9pm.  It’s a 3 course French dinner plus 2 glasses of Beaujolais.  RSVP at 619-557-3655.