Would you like Frites with that?
After spending a leisurely afternoon at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, we were very much looking forward to our last dinner in Palm Springs. We knew FARM was fully booked, and in wanting to stay within the theme of being transported to a café in [insert European town here], luckily for us, there was still a reservation available at Pomme Frite. After reading several stellar reviews regarding their French & Belgian cuisine, we eagerly settled into the outdoor patio seating (thank goodness for heat lamps).
The complimentary bread came with the most delicious garlic herb butter and I told Tim that this definitely bodes well for the rest of the meal. At this point in the evening the sun was starting to set and there wasn't much lighting on the outdoor patio, so thank you for bearing with these subpar photos and using your imagination.
Close up of the deliciousness:
Pomme Frite is known for its delicious mussels (the restaurant serves approximately five tons of mussels a year in 10 different styles from around the globe) and of course its namesake - pommes frites. Because of its namesake, a lot of items on the menu were paired with pommes frites, which we were more than happy to indulge in. Our waiter approved of the salmon tartare and helpfully let us know that even though their menu said you can choose salad or frites, it actually comes with salad automatically so pick frites and you'll get both.
SALMON TARTARE: diced raw salmon served with shallots, cucumber, avocado, and ponzu sauce:
This was easily the best salmon tartare I've had. It was so packed with flavor that it reminded me of Hawaiian poke, and the pommes frites were perfectly seasoned and cooked - addictively crispy on the outside and pleasantly squishy and hot on the inside.
On to our very excellent entrées!
CHICKEN "VOL AU VENT": golden puff pastry with chicken and mushrooms, creamy white sauce, and served with (you guessed it) pommes frites. Several reviews mentioned the Chicken "Vol au Vent" and it was absolutely delightful. I'm a sucker for anything with buttery and flaky pastry, the cream sauce was deliciously savory with a hint of sweetness, and all so comforting on a chilly evening.
BRAISED COLORADO LAMB SHANK: tender lamb shank with dried prunes, apricots, raisins (sultanas), on top of a bed of mashed potatoes. Perfectly cooked and also on the sweet side due to all the fruity accompaniments, but the fruit very effectively neutralized lamb's natural gaminess.
It's a shame we didn't get to enjoy the restaurant's interior seating because (a) it was chilly on the patio even with heat lamps, and (b) from the website photos, the inside of the restaurant is much more spacious and well decorated. Fingers crossed Pomme Frite can continue to weather the COVID storm, and we'll be able to revisit during a non-pandemic environment.
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