Iron Chef opens eateries in Palm Springs
Iron Chef Jose Garces, the culinary mastermind behind some of Philadelphia's most frequented food concepts, hopes to capitalize on the old Hollywood glamour in Palm Springs with the debut of his first two California restaurants.
"Being here, you feel the elegance of years gone by, when Old Hollywood would vacation here and escape the hectic pace of Los Angeles for a few days," said Garces, founder of the critically acclaimed tapas restaurant, Amada, in Philadelphia.
El Jefe and Tinto debuted Friday at The Saguaro – a former Holiday Inn renovated by the chic hospitality chain, Joie de Vivre. El Jefe is a modern Mexican restaurant and margarita bar with a Wild West-inspired decor. Tinto serves Spanish tapas – the type of small plates cuisine that made Garces a national food talent.
Both concepts target the city's broad mix of residents – from young cosmopolitan foodies to upper-middle class retirees.
In Palm Springs for President's Day weekend, Garces talked about entering the Southern California tourism scene.
Q. Why Palm Springs for your first California restaurant?
A. This project actually came about very naturally. I've thought before about expanding into California, because I think that the state has one of the most interesting and diverse food scenes in the country. And my partnership with Joie de Vivre and The Sydell Group at The Saguaro in Scottsdale was such a positive experience that all three of us sort of decided, "Hey, let's do this again." Palm Springs was their next location, and I was happy to get on board and bring Tinto and El Jefe to the area.
Q. It looks like Palm Springs is trying to reinvent itself, in terms of food and nightlife. How do you think your restaurant will fit in?
A. There's a glamour to Palm Springs that I don't think it will ever lose. I think that more and more, restaurateurs and resort owners are capitalizing on that spirit of restful playtime and bringing a renewed vigor to this amazing oasis, and I hope that my restaurants will be a part of that, both a terrific place for visitors to enjoy themselves and also the kind of places that locals will want to experience.
Q. What demographic are you shooting for?
A. I think that between Tinto, which is a Spanish tapas bar inspired by the Basque country in northeastern Spain, and El Jefe, which is a modern Mexican restaurant and margarita bar, we have a pretty broad appeal. There's a youthfulness to El Jefe, a sense of fun that makes it a great place to meet friends for a drink or grab a snack before a night on the town. Tinto's charm is more refined, more understated – it's elegant, and our focus on Spain, rather than other more nearby Latin cuisines, is something fresh and exciting here.
Q. Tell us about the menu.
A. El Jefe focuses on Mexican street food. We've got a terrific house Guacamole with mashed avocado, jalapeño, cotija cheese and house-made tortilla chips, fresh ceviches such as Ceviche de Huachinango, red snapper ceviche with green olive, red fresno chiles and tomato-lime vinaigrette, and of course, tacos: Carnitas, pork tacos with smoky black beans and pineapple-habanero salsa; and Camarones y Chorizo, shrimp and chorizo tacos with refried beans, tomato and radish. At Tinto, we're serving my interpretations of Basque tapas, such as Cheese and Charcuterie Selections typical of the region, Duck Montadito with duck confit, Serrano ham, black cherry and La Peral spread; Short Rib Bocadillos, braised short ribs with bacon, asparagus and celery root aioli; Prawn Brochetas, shrimp and chorizo brochettes with grape tomato and espelette chile; Moules Basquaise, mussels and chorizo with frites and lemon aioli; and Bomba Rice with white asparagus, maitake mushroom and Manchego
Q. Do you plan to add any other Jose Garces brands/concepts to Southern California?
A. I'll tell you what I tell everyone: never say never.
Q. While in Philadelphia last summer, I grabbed some sandwiches for takeout from your Garces Trading Company. I would love to see something like that in Orange County (hint hint!) Seriously, do you see expanding that concept out West?
A. Garces Trading Company is probably the one concept that has grown the most and that I feel is ripe for expansion, but in a variety of interesting ways. What started out as a European-style market-cafe has become a brand in and of itself, and the GTC label now includes my custom-roasted coffee beans, chef-inspired chocolate bars, artisanal olive oils and vinegars and much, much more. I would love to expand our shop to other locations, as well, but for now many of the products we carry there can be purchased online at shop.grg-mgmt.com/
Q. What has been the most challenging "secret ingredient" you have worked with and why? And, most importantly, did you win the challenge?
A. Two of the most difficult ingredients I've worked with have been challenges that I ended up winning: Blue Cheese and Passion Fruit. Both are tough because their flavors are so distinct. But I relish a challenge, and coming up with unusual and exciting ways to interpret such a potent ingredient was great fun, and ultimately, very rewarding.
