It took us nearly half a year after Desert Rose on Hillhurst opened to set foot in the place. Why? Well, how can one keep a straight face eating at a restaurant adorned with the tackiest 15 ft. glass rose ever in front? So, as I said, it took roughly six month before we decided that we might have seen that oddity often enough to get used to it and not burst out laughing just at the mere sight.
Now comes the surprise: The place is nice. The service is charming. The wine list is interesting. The food is good. One might even say, the food borders on being excellent. I am quite game to go back and investigate some more whether I can uphold that last impression.
Baked Brie
Tabbouleh Salad
Linguine with Sirloin
Plus, they have an extensive variety of whiskeys; maybe one day they’ll print out a list for the servers to read from, so that customers do no have to toddle up to the bar to check out the goodies themselves.
The biggest plus however is – no, they do not light up that rose thing out in front. At least not glaringly so. So I managed to keep a straight face and did not burst out laughing at the only thorn at the Desert Rose.
You didn’t take a photo of the tacky rose? I really want to see this monstrosity.
Oh no – it probably would break my camera’s sensor. 🙂
But if you click on “Desert Rose” in the first line – the link should take you straight to the web site.
Holy guacamole. That thing is just hideous. Do you suppose someone actually believed that it was tasteful and attractive?
Speaking of whiskey, I’ve had two different recent experiences with restaurant bars not having a clue what goes in simple drinks. In one upscale restaurant in Tempe, AZ, I ordered an Irish coffee. The waiter came back and asked me what kind of liquor went in an Irish coffee! In a restaurant in New Iberia LA, I ordered a mimosa. The waitress came back and asked me would white wine be okay in the mimosa. “No.” was the answer. I skipped the mimosa.
Well, somebody must have imagined that it would be tasteful and attractive. I wonder what he or she had been smoking.
Your experiences with the drinks sound horrible! It took me a while to learn that people here who offer “wine margaritas” are not just dumb, but simply have no liquor license. Hence the wine and no tequila. But it always helps to ask – sometimes one gets a wink and a smile. In those cases I never inquire more deeply, but order. Without the wink, I don’t. 🙂