Dining Around the Desert: Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar, Rancho Mirage
There are restaurants you enjoy, restaurants you recommend, and then there are places where, before dessert has even arrived, you’re already discussing when you can come back.
Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar in Rancho Mirage landed very comfortably in that third category for us.
Michael and I recently joined our friends Lauren and Aaron there to celebrate Lauren’s birthday, and from the moment we walked through the door, the evening just worked. Great atmosphere, terrific service, cocktails that deserved our full attention, excellent food, good wine, decadent desserts, and the sort of genuine hospitality that can turn dinner into an occasion.
And speaking of hospitality, our evening began with Danny Fabulous.
Yes, that really is what he goes by, and after meeting him, frankly, anything less would seem inadequate.
Danny V., aka “Danny Fabulous,” is Foxy’s maître d’, and the restaurant describes him as the person who helps put the “legend” in its motto, “make it legendary.” With decades of experience in hospitality and guest service, his job is clearly about far more than locating your reservation and pointing toward a table. He greeted us warmly, made Lauren’s birthday feel special from the start, and set exactly the right tone for the evening. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
A Little About Foxy’s
Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar sits on Frank Sinatra Drive in Rancho Mirage and was created by husband-and-wife owners Tim and Teri Fox.
There’s quite a bit of restaurant experience behind the place.
Teri grew up in Palm Springs in a family involved with several local boutique hotels. Before opening Foxy’s, she spent 15 years as a general manager with The Cheesecake Factory and another 13 years as a managing partner with Outback Steakhouse. Tim brings more than 25 years of hospitality and management experience of his own, including time at mister parker’s at the Parker Palm Springs, Morton’s Steakhouse, The Cheesecake Factory and other hospitality businesses. The name “Foxy” actually comes from Tim’s time in the U.S. Navy, when members of his unit gave him the nickname. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
In the kitchen is Executive Chef G. “Manny” Manuel, who spent more than 25 years with The Cheesecake Factory and previously worked with culinary teams at Louise’s in Brentwood and Asakuma in Santa Monica. His background shows up in a menu that’s polished without becoming fussy, combining seafood, steaks, pasta and very good versions of familiar favorites. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
Foxy’s describes its atmosphere as an old-school speakeasy experience, and that’s pretty accurate. It’s warm, clubby and just glamorous enough without feeling like everyone needs to whisper into their martini. The restaurant also features live jazz on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and the bar program is overseen by Antonio Martinez, whose background includes Mister Parker’s and other high-end desert venues. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
We loved the ambiance. It feels like a place where dinner is supposed to take a while, which is exactly how dinner with good friends should be.
Cocktails First. We Have Standards.
We started properly.
I had an Aperol Spritz, Lauren chose a French 75, and Michael and Aaron went with Old Fashioneds.
All were excellent.
There is a surprisingly large gap between an Old Fashioned and a good Old Fashioned, and apparently the guys were happy to conduct the necessary research.
Foxy’s takes its cocktail program seriously. The restaurant’s signature drinks are developed by Bar Director and Head Mixologist Antonio Martinez, so cocktails aren’t an afterthought here. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
With drinks settled, we moved on to the important business at hand.
Food.
Italian Meatballs to Start
We began by sharing the Italian Meatballs, served with Foxy’s house-made marinara sauce. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
Simple? Yes.
Something I’d order again? Also yes.
There’s something reassuring about a kitchen that can take a familiar dish and make you stop talking long enough to pay attention to it. The meatballs were flavorful, comforting and exactly the sort of appetizer that works when four people are settling in for a celebratory dinner.
Although “sharing” appetizers among four hungry adults is always an interesting interpretation of the word sharing.
The Scallops Won Me Over
For my entrée, I chose the Pan-Seared Scallops in Creamy Champagne Sauce, and Aaron apparently has equally good judgment because he ordered them too.
The dish features wild-caught North Atlantic scallops with bacon, shallots and spinach in a Champagne cream sauce, served over linguine and finished with shredded Parmesan cheese. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
This was rich without being overwhelmingly heavy, and the scallops were the star, exactly as they should be.
Bacon, Champagne cream sauce and Parmesan aren’t exactly shy ingredients, so there’s plenty that could go wrong here. Instead, everything worked together beautifully.
It was one of those dishes where you’re technically full before you’ve finished, but quitting would feel disrespectful to the chef.
I soldiered on.
Michael’s Osso Buco
Michael went with the evening’s Osso Buco, which appears on Foxy’s current menu as a generous, fall-off-the-bone pork shank served over the stew in which it has been braised, with grilled carrots and red mashed potatoes. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
“Fall off the bone” can sometimes be restaurant menu poetry.
Here, they mean it.
It was tender, hearty and exactly the sort of entrée Michael gravitates toward. He was very pleased with his selection, which also meant there wasn’t much chance of anyone else getting more than a courtesy taste.
Fair enough.
Lauren’s Lemon Sauce Salmon
Birthday girl Lauren chose the Lemon Sauce Salmon, and Foxy’s version features fresh Atlantic salmon with capers and mushrooms in a lemon butter sauce, served with mashed red potatoes and broccolini. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
It’s a classic combination, but there’s a reason classics become classics.
The brightness of the lemon and capers worked beautifully with the salmon and buttery sauce, and Lauren gave it very enthusiastic approval.
Which was important.
It was her birthday, after all. Sending the birthday girl home disappointed with her salmon would have been a rather significant mark against the evening.
Fortunately, no crisis management was required.
And Then There Was Lola
Our server, Lola, was wonderful throughout the evening.
Attentive without hovering, friendly without becoming intrusive, and on top of everything from our cocktails to wine to dinner and dessert.
That’s a harder balance to strike than it sounds.
Really good service often seems effortless precisely because somebody is quietly making sure everything happens when it should. Lola did that beautifully.
Between her and Danny Fabulous, Foxy’s hospitality was every bit as impressive as its kitchen.
Wine? Obviously.
Once dinner arrived, we all enjoyed a nice glass of wine.
Foxy’s has an extensive wine program and even operates its own Fox Den Wine Club. The restaurant clearly gives wine the same attention it gives its cocktails, which made it very easy to find something appropriate to accompany dinner. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
And yes, we probably could have stopped there.
But there was a birthday involved.
Dessert was therefore not optional.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Chocolate Cake and Turtle Cheesecake
We shared two desserts.
The Chocolate Layer Cake consists of layers of rich chocolate cake with fudge frosting. Foxy’s also offers it à la mode for anyone who feels chocolate cake and fudge frosting alone show an unreasonable degree of restraint. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
We also had Amelia’s Amazing New York Turtle Cheesecake, a creamy New York-style cheesecake with caramel, pecans and chocolate. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
Both were excellent.
Did four adults who had just finished meatballs, cocktails, wine, scallops, Osso Buco and salmon strictly need two desserts?
Let’s not ask questions that could damage a perfectly good friendship.
It was Lauren’s birthday.
Case closed.
The Verdict
Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar delivered one of those evenings where everything came together.
The greeting from Danny Fabulous immediately made us feel welcome. Lola took terrific care of us. The cocktails were well-made, the wine was lovely, every entrée at the table was a hit, and dessert finished things off exactly as it should.
Add in the warm, sophisticated atmosphere and you have a restaurant that feels special without feeling stuffy.
Foxy’s says its philosophy is to “make it legendary.” That’s a fairly ambitious promise for a restaurant.
Based on our evening, they’re making a pretty good run at it. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)
We thoroughly enjoyed Foxy’s and will absolutely be back soon.
There are still quite a few things on that menu requiring further investigation.
It’s demanding work, but somebody has to do it.
Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar
69-950 Frank Sinatra Drive
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-424-8615
Dinner is currently served Tuesday through Sunday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with Happy Hour from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday. (Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar)