Sheri’s Palm Springs Area Blog

Dining Around The Desert: Nobu At The Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Dine While Watching Professional Tennis

One of the biggest events in the desert is the annual BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. My husband Bill and I attended a night match last Friday evening, and we chose to try one of the three new pop-up restaurants overlooking the new Stadium 2 facility. In fact, Stadium 2 is the only Tennis Stadium in the world where you can watch professional tennis while experiencing ‘foodie dining.'

We chose Nobu as I was always a big fan of Nobu’s original restaurant in Los Angeles, Matsuhisa, which was always outstanding and one of my favorites. This concept is a little different for the desert as it’s essentially a pop-up restaurant in that it’s temporary and will only be open during the tennis tournament.

Jam Packed Upon Arrival

We arrived at 6 PM, and Nobu was jam-packed with a line out the door. Nobu doesn't accept reservations at this special pop-up location. It’s first come first served and for our visit they had a two-hour wait both for tables and the popular sushi bar.

They did have several seats available along the window overlooking the new smaller “center court” and we took those even though they were down a long hallway leading to a service exit. Not the greatest location but the view of the court and the players were great.

Service left a lot to be desired as they were just slammed. The wait staff was very knowledgeable about the menu and very personable so I have to think that if the place wasn’t so crazy busy it would have been a different experience service-wise.

The Nobu Food Experience

We started off with a California Roll and a Bigeye Tuna hand roll. Neither one was anything that I’d order there again. Not that it was bad; it just wasn’t anything special or even above par considering the high price tag. We did enjoy a couple of Nobu Tacos made with tuna that were very tasty, one bite wonders. We’d have those again.

Our waiter suggested we try the Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno and the Fluke Sashimi with Dried Red Miso and Yazu Sauce. These items are clearly the stars of the menu. The fish was exquisite, and the sauces were delicate and flavorful, enhancing the fish and not over-powering it.

We had Columbian ATP tennis player Alejandro Falla and his wife seated on our left, and they were very interesting to talk to as we all enjoyed our meals. We also met another couple seated on our right that it turns out has been on our web site for a long time to keep up with the desert real estate scene.

Check Please

Overall I'd say that Nobu at Indian Wells Tennis Garden was a fun experience, and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden setting is highly recommended. That said; Sushi and wine for two was about $400 without the gratuity! Nobu is open February 28th to March 16th and you must have a tennis admission ticket for entry to the restaurant.

Photos courtesy Nobu® and Watkins Landmark Construction®

Dining Around The Desert: il Corso, Palm Desert

Italian Fine Dining, Bar, Pasta & Wood Oven Pizza On El Paseo

My husband Bill and I had a return visit to newcomer Il Corso this week. Open just shy of a month, we tried it the first week, and there were a few issues at that time to be worked out mainly with regards to the staff knowledge of the product.

The interior is very inviting, and hip that you would expect since the chef’s partner is developer John Wessman who is well known in the valley. They used a variety of materials and textures such as reclaimed wood, metal and glass. The bar has large flat screen TV's that are well placed and don’t distract from the space itself.

Dining In The Stylish & Busy Bar

Part Of The Dining Room (A Small Patio In The Front)

This visit was a much better experience overall. We sat at the busy bar and it was packed as usual, as was the inviting dining room. The bartenders were attentive and helpful with suggestions when we asked. We had a bottle of nice chardonnay called Notes from California in a style that we like which is un-oaked. The last visit I tried a Maison Premiere Absinthe Colada, a mouthful to pronounce, but very refreshing!

I started with a spinach salad featuring mushrooms, nuts, dry ricotta and warm pancetta in a balsamic dressing. Good size, fresh ingredients and the dry ricotta was a nice touch.

Time To Enjoy Our Main Courses

Sheri At A Bar Table. Decisions, Decisions!

I then had the gorgonzola and pear pizza from the wood oven which was perfectly cooked. The crust was about as thick as a tortilla with a very thin layer of gorgonzola and then very thin slices of pear. It was not at all heavy and very tasty. Bill had the pork chop in a juniper sauce, and it was about three inches thick. Perfectly cooked, moist and served with heavenly mashed potatoes.

We followed it up with a cannoli because we have no will power. As usual, the pastry was crisp, and the ricotta filling was tart and sweet at the same time.

We’ve heard that Il Corso's bar menu is likely in the works. That will be a good addition for some smaller bites. We’ll be back!

il Corso is located at 73520 El Paseo, Suite B, Palm Desert (760) 341-6700. Complementary valet parking out front. Note: We arrived at 5PM to take photos, and the bar was packed by 5:45 PM and the dining room by just after 6 PM so reservations are suggested.