Hoping Babe's Hits It Out of the Park

Babe's Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse

71800 Highway 111

Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Driving down to the desert brings back some really happy memories for me. When I was in elementary school, my aunt had a condo in Rancho Mirage that we would visit at least once every month, except when I was in fourth grade, and wouldn't let my parents take me out of school, because I had a perfect attendance streak going. Yes, I still have the certificate to prove it.

Anyways, when we would come down here in the early '80s, there was not much in the way of restaurants in Rancho Mirage. There was, and still is Wally's Desert Turtle, but my parents weren't going to spring for that with two kids under the age of ten. So we had to head down Highway 111 into Palm Springs to eat at Las Casuelas, Louise's Pantry, Hamburger Hamlet, or any fast food restaurant they let us kids pick.

Fast forward to today and this area is all built up. The most prominent shopping and entertainment area in Rancho Mirage is The River shopping complex. It offers many retail stores, along with a movie theater, and 13 places to get your grub on, including Fleming's, Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, and the place we were trying on this afternoon, Babe's Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse.

Babe's opened in 2002 and has been serving tourists and residents of the Coachella Valley ever since. They have won numerous awards for their beers and won a lot of accolades and mentions from numerous magazines for their barbecue. Founded by restaurant icon, Don Callender, yes, the same man who started Marie Callender's, this was one of his last restaurant endeavors before his passing in 2009. If you look closely at the menu, you will notice a few slight nods to his beginnings at Marie Callender's, whether it's the Callender's Corn Bread or the inclusion of a good variety of pies on their dessert menu. Katie's sister Emily and her husband Jason grabbed a seat in the bar before we got here, so we quickly made our choices, and this is how the food came out for us.

Not the most photogenic starter we could have chosen, but this Parmesan Garlic Bread was a good start for the four of us. Good garlic flavor flowed throughout this slice of bread, and I liked that they provided ranch dressing without having to ask for it. Even though this was lacking the bright yellow color of the Lawry's Garlic Spread we had as kids, this still tasted exactly like it.

Since we had just finished a big family breakfast a few hours before, Emily and Jason decided to split these Pulled Pork BBQ Sliders ($14). These were pretty good sized and filled with plenty of pulled pork, which was dressed with a sweet barbecue sauce. I'm definitely more partial to the meat coming out bare, so you can add the desired amount of sauce yourself, plus I sometimes feel restaurants try to hide their lackluster meat by drenching it with sauce. The pulled pork here was a little inconsistent. I had a few bites of this, which were flavorful and moist, but others were dry and rather bland. These big sliders came with two sides, and they picked the coleslaw and fries. The fries were pretty basic, run of the mill fries, but the coleslaw at Babe's contained a little twist. Don Callender reportedly had quite a sweet tooth, and it was his idea to add golden raisins to this coleslaw. I'm not really a big raisin guy, but this did kind of make this otherwise average slaw come to life.

Not usually something Katie and I do all too often, but we decided to share a meal between ourselves. Is the world coming to an end? Anyways, we had the one and the only combo offered on the Babe's lunch menu, the Baby Back Ribs with Boneless Beef Short Ribs and a Hot Link Sausage ($21). The best of the bunch was the Hot Link. It really popped with a mildly spicy flavor, although it did have an odd texture to it. The short rib was predictably tender and might be a little too fatty for some of you out there, but I didn't mind it. The ribs sadly were just average. Lots of meat on these, but the meat was a little tough in some places, while other parts of the rib were tender. The barbecue sauce was definitely on the sweeter side, and I was happy to see that they did not over sauce these ribs, even though I still would have rather of had them served sans sauce. We also got the pretty solid coleslaw here but went with the baked beans for our other side. These were just okay as well, with an overly sweet sauce that kind of just sat there.

Babe's was a decent barbecue spot, but nothing more than that. A quick Yelp search shows that this area does not really have a lot of choices when it comes to barbecue restaurants. There are four options in the Palm Springs area, including this, and no other spots in Rancho Mirage, so Babe's is really your only option around here. Again, the meat and sides we had here were fine, but nothing blew us away, and we'd probably try other restaurants when we were back in town. Service on this visit was a little spotty, as it sometimes is when you sit in the bar, and the bartender has to wait on you as well. With a full bar for the early happy hour on this Sunday, he had a hard time keeping up. Maybe taking one of the servers from the nearly empty restaurant would have helped this guy out. I'm glad to see all the dining options that have sprung up since the early '80s, but I'm hoping for more barbecue spots in the future for this area.

Out of five desert bighorn sheep, (because that's the official animal for the city if Rancho Mirage), five being best to zero being worst, Babe's Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse gets 2.5 desert bighorn sheep

For more information about Babe's Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse, head to their website here: https://babesbbqbrewery.com/

This Deli Is No Mirage

Sherman's Deli and Bakery

73-161 Country Club Dr. 

Palm Desert, CA 92262

Katie's family likes to do things together. They gather for every holiday, they see each other at least three times a week, and they even like to take vacations together. A Foreign concept for some, including myself. Last year the ten of us went 26 miles across the sea to visit Catalina. and for this year's family excursion/extravaganza, we went the opposite direction and headed to the heat of the desert, Palm Springs.

What to do when it's 107 degrees outside in August? Well if you're Katie and me, you show your advancing age by slathering yourself in 100 SPF sunblock, and aided by a list of addresses of celebrity homes, you get some much-needed space from the rest of the family. We saw the homes of Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Liberace, and Peter Lawford's former residence, a historical house because this is where it was reported that JFK first met Marilyn Monroe. Yes, now we really do seem old. All this running around in the desert sun really built up quite an appetite, so we met up with Katie's parents and sister at Sherman's Deli in Palm Desert.

I had done some research before we came out this way, weeded out all the restaurants that close for the summer, and was pretty impressed with the reviews of Sherman's, which was pretty near to where we were staying. Sherman's is definitely a Palm Springs institution. Founder Sherman Harris at one time had five restaurants in operation in the Coachella Valley, including running the concessions and Alpine Restaurant at the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway. His deli across the street from The Spa Hotel in Palm Springs was a magnet for old Hollywood stars, like Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Bob Hope, and others.

Now there are only two locations of Sherman's Deli left, this one, and one in Downtown Palm Springs, right near the Hard Rock Hotel. Sadly, Mr. Harris passed away eight years ago, but his cuisine lives on, as his children now run the business. They must be doing their father proud, as we had about a twenty-minute wait for lunch at 1:30 on a recent Saturday afternoon. The parking situation at this end of this awkward shopping plaza, which also features Bristol Farms and Papa Dan's Italian Restaurant can be a little tricky, but we persevered and found a spot.

Once inside Sherman's, the front of the restaurant is dominated by a huge bakery case, which featured numerous baked goods, which were hard to resist as we waited for our table. Once seated, the menu at Sherman's, along with any good delicatessen, can be a little overwhelming with all of their choices. They offer tons of sandwiches, appetizers, full-on dinners, soups, salads, and as if all that was not enough, they offer breakfast all day. We made our choices as quickly as we could and waited for our food to arrive.

It's almost a sign that when you're in a deli, and they serve you a platter of pickles and kraut, that you're in for a real treat, and I was hoping that was going to be the case at Sherman's. I'm not really a big pickle fan, but everyone else enjoyed these. The kraut was more to my liking, and I had more than my fair share, but I had a big sandwich on the way out for me, so I stifled my cravings for the kraut and waited for my sandwich to arrive.

Both Katie and her sister Emily got the lite lunch special, which comes with your choice of soup or salad. Emily, to no one's surprise, went with the Garden Salad option.  This was a pretty big side salad, which included mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumbers, and some very good herb encrusted croutons. She only ate half, (surprise, surprise), but shared the rest with her husband Jason. Also not shocking, Katie had the Matzo Ball Soup. She calls this Jewish miracle medicine, something that will cure whatever ails you. She really enjoyed this version at Sherman's. It was a very traditional preparation as the matzo ball rested in a chicken broth with sliced carrots and celery. I thought the matzo ball here was just okay on its own but was made much better with the inclusion of the chicken soup.

Knowing Katie's dad Dennis for over seven years now, I've noticed that he really has an affinity for Chili ($3.65), and he held true to form here by ordering a cup at Sherman's. This chili looked pretty tasty, with plenty of beans and cheese added, along with a mound of chopped white onions. In these seven years, I've also become accustomed to him not really being too descriptive when it comes to his food, but he did say this was a decent bowl of chili, but not the best he has had.

Entrees were out next, and we might as well stay with Dennis's choice, the Hot Corned Beef ($14.75). This basic sandwich was not what Dennis had ordered. He had said he wanted pastrami, we got charged for pastrami, but this was definitely corned beef. Unfortunately, this was a pretty dry corned beef. This sandwich definitely needed some cheese and maybe some thousand island dressing to help this out. Dennis was not too excited by this sandwich, and after allowing me to try the corned beef, I see what he means. One positive note, the potato salad was probably one of the best I have had. Good smooth texture to it, with a great flavor. If this sandwich had been mine, I might have even added the potato salad to the sandwich to make it better. It was that good.

Jason was the only one of us to take advantage of Sherman's all-day breakfast policy, and he sure was happy that he did. He could not stop raving about this Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($12.95). He felt that this is the best version he has ever had of corned beef hash. It was crisped on the grill and had an excellent meatiness to it. He missed the boat by not getting his eggs served with a runny yolk, which always makes things taste better, but he was completely satisfied with this meal. This also came with some seasoned potatoes and his choice of toast. Glad to see Jason so happy with his meal.

Next up, with an assist with the excellent hand modeling by my mother in law, was the Chicken Albacore and Egg Salad Sandwich ($14.95). This sandwich was served open-faced, with plenty of garnishments placed around so Lynn could customize her sandwich. I'm not a big fan of tuna or egg salad, but she seemed pretty pleased with this plate. I thought this was an odd combo. She claimed that the tuna was fresh, and the egg salad was dressed simply, exactly how she enjoys it. She selected coleslaw as her side item and was pretty excited by it.

Both Katie and Emily ordered the Lite Lunch Special ($13.95), which included the soup and salad above, along with their choice of a half a sandwich. As fate would have it, they both ordered Turkey and loved it. The turkey was peppery, moist, and sliced thin. It came with plenty of produce, deli mustard on the side, and some very solid rye bread. This was a great lunch for lighter eaters.

Of course, I had a big dilemma as to what to have at Sherman's. So many choices and I knew I only had one chance to make the right selection. A lot of pressure, but I'm happy to report that I got it right. Quite simply, this Grilled Reuben ($15.95) rocked. One of the better sandwiches I have had in some time. Let's start with the pastrami. It was spiced nicely, had a little fat included here, which added even more flavor, and it was moist. The Swiss cheese melted into it wonderfully, the tang from the sauerkraut really balanced this sandwich out, and the toasted rye added a nice crunch while maintaining the integrity of this magnificent sandwich. Probably one of the top Reuben's I have had. This was a legit sandwich, and right up there with some of the greats. As if the sandwich was not enough, the cottage fries that came with this were fantastic as well. These little fried discs of spuds might not be to everyone's liking, but for me, they invoke a memory of when I was a kid, and we'd go to breakfast at this restaurant in Anaheim Hills called Betsy Ross, which later turned into MacArthur's. Both places had these same kinds of potato chip/french fry mash-up, and I loved them then, as I do now.

I should have put a dollar bill next to this Sticky Bun ($6.75), that I got to go, so you could see how big this really was. It was almost the size of my head. I got this sticky bun because they sold off the last cinnamon roll about ten minutes before I got to Sherman's. This sticky bun was good and buttery but really needed some added sweetness to take it to the next level of greatness.

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with my meal Sherman's. Yes, I was not really into the corned beef, I thought the sticky bun needed more, and the matzo ball could not stand on its own, but the rest of the meals here really shined, with my Reuben taking center stage, and nailing it. A month later, and I still look back on that sandwich with fondness, and that says something since we are out to eat almost every night. If you're a fan of classic delis and find yourself out in this area, this is a definite must-try. I did not catch our server's name, but he was right on top of all of our needs and kept things moving along smoothly. Prices might seem a little high for sandwiches, but well worth it for pastrami of this quality. Eating here made this family trip a little more tolerable. Just kidding family.

Out of five roadrunners, (not only because this desert community is full of them, but also because the College of the Desert, which is nearby, has this fast running bird as its mascot), five being best to zero being worst, Sherman's Deli and Bakery gets 4 roadrunners.

For more information about Sherman's Deli and Bakery, head to their website here: https://shermansdeli.com/

Another Fast Casual Fish Option in Aliso Viejo - CLOSED

Fish District

26541 Aliso Creek Road

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

It used to be that you had to get all dressed up, get a sitter for the kids, and fork over half of your life savings to have a seafood dinner. Not so anymore. Almost every large strip mall has a casual fish restaurant occupying it. There's California Fish Grill, Spike's Fish House, Baja Fish Tacos, Rubio's, Wahoo's, about a hundred poke places, with many more on the way, and my favorite fast casual seafood-centric restaurant of all time, Slapfish. My uncle talked up one of his favorite fish spots, so we joined him at Fish District in Aliso Viejo.

Fish District has been open in this spot, sandwiched between Panera Bread and T-Mobile, since February. Thankfully, this part of the large Town Center shopping complex is a little less hectic than the rest of the center, so parking and getting around this area are a breeze. From what I can gather, this is Fish District's fifth location, with three of them located in San Diego County, and the only other OC outpost is in Irvine.

As you would expect, the menu is seafood-driven, with options including tacos, bowls, plates, wraps, sandwiches, and more. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The menu board type above the register is a little on the small side, so I grabbed a paper menu and made my selections from that. The restaurant itself is spacious, with plenty of tables, which are nicely spaced apart. It's a bright dining area with white tiled walls, light wood flooring, and plenty of overhead lighting. Enough of the atmosphere; let's see how the food treats us.

My aunt Hiroko got the East Hampton Clam Chowder ($3.50). From my vantage point across the table, it looked like a runny version of a clam chowder. It did not appear to have too much chunk to it, but my aunt did not complain about this.

Here is a little riff on one of my favorite items at Slapfish: Fish District's version of Chowder Bacon Fries ($6). This, unfortunately, was not as good as the one at Slapfish. As I had seen from across the table, the chowder here could be better, but it needs thickening. Positive points for the fries staying crisp under the weight of the toppings and plenty of bacon included here, but that was about all I could say about this starter. It's not awful, but when compared to others, it could have been better.

My aunt and uncle are not big eaters, so it was no surprise that they split this Two-Piece Fish and Chips ($9). Again, I did not try this, but it looked pretty good from across the table. It had a good-looking batter around it and lacked the usual greasiness that sometimes accompanies fish and chips at other places. Again, they had no complaints about this plate.

Much like at a barbecue or Mexican restaurant, I almost always get a combo meal to try as much of the menu as possible during one visit. There were no combo plates here at Fish District, but I selected three different tacos to try; the Traditional Fish of the Day Taco ($4), the Battered Fish Taco ($3), and the Marinated Skirt Steak Taco ($4). It's not good news for a seafood restaurant, but the steak taco was the best of the bunch. The steak was tender and came with plenty of greens, tomato, and sauce, which the menu said was Sriracha, but I know it wasn't. Whatever it was, it boosted the flavor here, making this an above-average steak taco. The battered Fish Taco ($3) was my next favorite. The outer casing had a nice crunch, while the inside was moist and flaky. The taco could have been made better with extra sauce and fewer greens. The weak link here was the Catch of the Day Taco ($4). I did not note what this fish was, but it tasted plain, and the sauce and greens did not save this. The tortillas on all of these kept everything together, but not much else in the way of taste. I'm definitely asking for more sauce on future visits.

Closing out our entrees, Katie selected the Fish of the Day Plate ($15). This comes with two sides, grilled fish, and your choice of sauce. Mahi Mahi was the chosen fish on this particular day, and Katie could not have been happier with this plate. She loved this grilled fish, which was flaky and fresh and made even better with the lemon tartar sauce provided with this. She completed her meal with quinoa and asparagus as her side items. Both got glowing reviews from her, and she loved the healthy aspect of this meal, which eliminated any guilt that she usually feels when she eats out. She's excited to return to Fish District to repeat this meal. 

My uncle Jerry raved about the dessert at Fish Camp, so we tried their one and only offering, the Bread Pudding ($5). This bread pudding came out scalding hot and was topped with nuts and a whiskey sauce. I liked this, but I wish that the sauce had a little more sweetness to it.

Fish District was fine for what it is, but it will not replace Slapfish or any of my other go-to spots when I crave seafood. I'm excited that there's another seafood casual restaurant around, but I thought the food here was average. There was not really anything here that popped except the steak taco. Everyone we encountered at  Fish District was friendly and made us feel welcome. This is another seafood restaurant option that won't break the bank.

Out of five drumsticks (because my favorite fictional fish of all time is Jabberjaw, and in that 70's cartoon, he played drums in his band, The Neptune's), five being best to zero being worst, Fish District gets 2.5 drumsticks.

For more information about Fish District, head to their website here: http://www.fishdistrict.com/

A First and Last Trip to Jason's - CLOSED

Jason's By the Circle

513 E. Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92866

I wasn't even sure that I was going to write this review. I used to have a rule that I would wait until a restaurant was around at least a year before visiting them. My reason for this was because I did not want a long list of restaurants featured on the blog that had gone out of business. The restaurant industry is a tough one, and it claimed another victim, Jason's By the Circle.

Last week it was reported that Jason's had closed for good, just a few weeks past their one year anniversary. From what I can gather, they are still doing catering and will hold special events at this space through the end of the year. This building, east of the Plaza in Orange is one of those cursed spots that almost every city has. It's been a Coco's, Spiros Greek Restaurant, Ways and Means, and finally Jason's.

I'd like to say that I didn't see this coming, but when we visited on a Wednesday, a month before their eventual closure, there were monstrous signs that something was amiss. The reservations I had made were not even close to being needed. The 4,700 square foot restaurant, with seating for up to 155 customers that they were so proud to trumpet on their website, was empty except for me and my friend, along with six other diners, and about a half dozen staff killing time until their shifts were mercilessly over. Even our waiter, after we commented on the lack of traffic here said, "I think the catering business is what keeps this place open." Guess he was right at that time.

The Jason behind this restaurant is Jason Kordas, who's had a very successful catering business for years. If you've been to a good number of weddings in OC, you probably have been to one catered by Jason's Catered Events. He's prepared food for events where President Clinton has attended, and done dinners for Depeche Mode and Van Halen.  He's also dabbled in the restaurant business before, with Jason's Cafe in Tustin, and also Jason's Downtown in Santa Ana, which lasted over two years before the economy tanked, and people were not going out nearly enough. This was his latest attempt at the restaurant business, and we know how it eventually turned out for him but was it this supposed cursed location or the food? Let's find out.

The first of our two appetizers on this evening, this Spanish Tortilla ($8.50) was not what I was expecting when Ryan ordered it, but it ended up being delicious. I learned that a Spanish tortilla is a frittata layered with potato, caramelized onion, garlic, Fontina cheese, and rosemary. This version was then topped with a garlic aioli and garnished with a corn relish. I really enjoyed this unique item. It had a soft texture and was full of flavor. It could have been served a little warmer. I really liked the aioli topping this, which I felt brought this all together. The corn pepper relish was fine, but kind of an odd pairing for this appetizer.

If there was a trademark item at Jason's, it was probably these Monkey Bites ($7.50). A plantain wrapped in bacon and then drenched in a rum maple glaze. Kind of like the rumaki my mom used to make when we were kids, but she wrapped that bacon around a water chestnut. These were good, but I actually enjoyed the Spanish tortilla more. These were a little too sweet, and the bacon was not as prevalent as I would have liked. The sauce really overpowered here. I can see why these were popular, but I'd skip them.

Ryan went big here at Jason's, with the most expensive thing on their menu, the Dry Aged Rib Eye ($32). This sixteen-ounce hunk of meat had Ryan singing its praises. Very tender, the normal marbling which makes the ribeye the best steak of all, and the added bonus of having this steak topped with a tasty Gorgonzola pine butter, made this dish a winner. This also came with grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. A very impressive meal.

As is my usual, I was torn between a few things on this menu, but eventually went with the Anne Marie's Meatloaf ($18). This meatloaf, which is named after Chef Jason's mom, did her proud. Thick slices of tender meatloaf, which is made up of a trinity of meats; ground chuck, Italian sausage, and ground turkey. It's then covered in a tomato and basil sauce, which I kind of detected the tinge of maybe some curry, but I might be wrong about that. One of the better meatloaves I have had in recent memory. This was also served with some mixed veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. Both were pretty solid and contributed to this very comforting meal.

If the monkey bites were the most popular item at Jason's By the Circle, then this Sticky Pudding ($7) dessert is a close second. This toffee sponge cake was so good, that Ryan immediately ordered an extra one to go for his family at home. A very sweet dessert, which had a sharp richness to it. I would not hesitate to have this again.

I know that the sticky pudding gets a lot of love from people, but you should not overlook this underrated Carrot Cake ($7). This was a very solid piece of cake, with some good cinnamon spice flavor to it. The cream cheese frosting was a little thicker than I usually like but still added a nice sweetness here.

Both Ryan and I left Jason's By the Circle completely satisfied with our meals, but of course, they are no more. I can only assume that being this far from the busy OC Plaza is kind of a tough spot to operate from. I did not think that the prices were too outrageous, and the food was definitely not the reason this place closed. I really liked Chef Jason's kind of down home, globally inspired cuisine, and hope that he may give it a go again. Maybe this time in a better spot. For now, I'll just have to hope that he caters the next wedding I'm invited to.

Out of five skateboards, (because I learned that actor, Jason Lee, who was born in Orange, was a professional skateboarder before he made a name for himself in the TV show, "My Name Is Earl"), five being best to zero being worst, Jason's By the Circle gets 3.5 skateboards.

For more information about Jason's By the Circle, click here for their website: http://jasonsbythecircle.com/wordpress/