Café/Restaurant Review: Norma’s, The Parker, Palm Springs, California, USA

What’s the Curbappeal?

- An uber-hip all-day diner within The Parker hotel 

- Designed by famous US-stylist Jonathan Adler whose motto is 'colours can't clash'- a point beautifully illustrated around the diner and the hotel: it’s a divinely-done temple to kitschy-camp mid-century interior design.

- Inside – the brown leather chairs and booths work with the white-washed exposed brick walls to create a calming environment. Set outside is a chic patio with a colourful orange, red and white canopy with hanging white Chinese-style lanterns. Sat here, you overlook the large lush gardens of the Parker hotel - well worth a stroll after indulging in Norma’s delights…  

- The menu focuses on indulgent comfort food. Come hungry to appreciate the generous but delicious portions!

- Even after a fantastic ‘Norma’s Eggs Benedict’, the 'Norma's doughnuts' (filled with lemon custard or blueberry jam) were just too hard to resist: soft and fluffy with a generous gooey filling. Mmmm! I also tried ‘McCann’s Irish Oatmeal Brûlée with Sautéed Green Apples and Red Pears’: sweet sautéed fruits and just the right amount of ‘Brûlée’ topping, heavenly.

- If you want to spoil yourself, there are some truly decadent dishes. Ones that caught my eye include ‘Seared Rock Lobster and Asparagus Omelette’, ‘Foie Gras Brioche French Toast With Asparagus and Mushrooms’ and ‘The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata with 10 oz. Sevruga Caviar’. It’s not your normal kind of diner…

….perfect for a long, lazy and indulgent brunch

It’s on my shortlist for Curbappeal’s ‘Most Fabulous’ 2013 awards: ‘Most Fabulously Uplifting Hotel Diner’

Some photos from my Canon SLR…

Polite notice: all photo’s copyright Curbappeal 2013 

Hotel Review: The Parker, Palm Springs, California, USA

Keeping It Short…

What’s the Curbappeal?

- It’s a temple to kitschy-camp mid-century design

- The glamour… the fame: popular with Hollywood stars, past and present

…it feels like how a movie star should live….

- I absolutely loved it here: the interiors are just so incredibly uplifting!

Oh, and it’s on my shortlist for Curbappeal’s ‘Most Fabulous’ 2013 awards – for ‘Most Fabulously Uplifting Hotel Interior’

The Wordier Piece…

Hidden behind a huge white breeze-block retro facade, The Parker is an achingly-stunning hotel. From the minute the pink-jacketed doormen swing open the huge bright orange entrance doors you realise this is no ordinary hotel.  The light and airy lobby combines white-washed exposed brick walls with a colourfully eclectic decor (Italian chandeliers, suits of armour, a zebra print rug, glitzy cushions & a red tapestry hanging on the wall) and it all works together to create a wonderfully chic and decadent  look.   

Continuing through into the lounge area the uber-hip vibe continues... funky lights of differing styles, colourful vintage vases, sofas covered with Uzbekistani throws, an indoor fire pit...it’s just soooo Jonathan Adler (the US designer responsible for the quirky but wonderful decor).  Adler's belief that 'colours can't clash' is illustrated around the hotel and his imaginary Mrs Parker (a fictional 'favourite elegant Great Aunt' who he created for inspiration in styling the hotel), is certainly an Aunt I’d love to have, and move in with…  

Venturing outside into the beautifully manicured grounds, you can enjoy a game of croquet, relax in a hammock between palm trees, sit and enjoy fresh lemonade from The Lemonade Stand or swim in one of the two outdoor pools. In the evenings, if the temperature gets a little chilly, you can wrap up warm and sit snugly by an outdoor fire pit under the stars.

The rooms are well-sized and the use of neutral paints creates a calm feel but, to brighten things up a bit, Adler has added colourful cushions, rugs, cubistic 4-poster beds and other quirky touches. 

Dining is either casual, at the brightly-coloured, retro-styled, Norma’s or more formal at Mister Parker’s.  And, if this wasn't enough, the hotel also houses a simply stunning nautically-themed spa...putting all this together – I think The Parker is pretty near perfect...

Some photos from my Canon SLR...

 Polite notice: all photo’s copyright Curbappeal 2013