- The Vada Guide to Palm Springs, California - 19 July, 2016
- Hotel review: V Palm Springs, California - 15 July, 2016
- Review: Eight4Nine, Palm Springs - 14 July, 2016
Situated in the heart of Palm Springs’ design district is Eight4Nine, a striking restaurant offering West Coast modern cuisine. If you’re looking for a place to eat that goes above and beyond to give you a memorable dining experience, look no further than here.
The chic-whimsical interior is black and white, mainly white, with bursts of fuchsia pink throughout. The restaurant is spacious with super high ceilings and has various dining areas to suit your needs. The lounge, meanwhile, is swanky and offers plenty of seating whether you want a bite, or simply an evening drink. Finally, the bar has a happy day menu, offering dishes ranging from the chilled gazpacho consomme to a half grilled lamb flank steak to a half cobb salad. All dishes are priced at $9.00 or less so guests can say they ‘ate for 9’.
There’s plenty of choice when it comes to seating: there’s a private dining room and a second room which features a delightful farmhouse table. A third dining area is filled with original photography by Michael Childers and, for those who want to dine outside and enjoy views of the mountains, there’s a patio too. But it’s the grand corridor that serves as the main dining area, which stretches from one end of the restaurant to the other.
The menu comes courtesy of chef Chuck Courtney, and naturally there’s plenty of choice here too. If you’re vegetarian, prefer gluten-free or want a burger, you’ll find it on the menu. The four-course dinner allows you to sample some of the fabulous offerings from across the board.
The first impression varies on a daily basis. Manchego cheese wrapped in a local date and prosciutto ham was the offering when we visited and it certainly tickled our taste buds. The date didn’t overpower, the cheese wasn’t too strong and the bite was perfectly portioned, leaving plenty of room for the next course.
The second impressions include roasted beets, ahi tuna poke (a deconstructed tuna poke bowl) and the shoyu pork belly. The main event offers a choice of the seafood linguine, the ever popular poblano chile relleno and the beef tenderloin. There’s a good balance of dishes here, so you can be sure to treat your palate to all manner of culinary wonders.
Whatever you do, make sure you save room for the finale, though. The Coachella lime pie and raspberry, dark chocolate and almond nanaimo bar come highly recommended and are deliciously divine.
The options – whether you choose to order from the superbly priced $44 four-course menu or from the à la carte – are outstanding. The food is to die for in taste and exquisite in presentation.
Owned by Willie Rhine and John Paschal, the restaurant is a simply gorgeous spot where the food, staff and drinks are all outstanding and exceed expectations. Scottish-born Rhine has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years and that experience shows. Little touches such as the massive pepper mill to the handbag hangers show how much care and attention this duo has taken in crafting their restaurant. And it works, because they’ve made Eight4Nine the go-to spot when you’re in Palm Springs.
For more information and bookings, visit eight4nine.com.
Images © John Paschal/snapshotpalmsprings.com.
More information
Share your holiday moments and take part in the conversation at @Palmspringsca or with #visitpalmsprings.
For more information, visit Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism for their assistance.
