Dinner at Circa 69 at The Riviera Resort & Spa

Last night we went out to dinner at Circa 69, which is the fine dining restaurant at the ultra hip and glam Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. I've written about this hotel several times; it is one of my favorite new destinations in town. Back in its heyday, "The Riv", as it was known locally, hosted many great music legends who performed here, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, etc. It was a hangout to the stars to see and be seen. Its multi-million dollar renovation two years ago restored the glamour and made it chic once again. As a local, I've frequented the Riviera numberous times for dinners, cocktails, or parties. These first few photos here of the interior I "borrowed" from the web, but I've taken many photos and posted in other posts here previously.

I've dined at Circa 69 several times previously-the food has always been delicious. Its one fault had been service. One time I pitched a fit, as I was entertaining important business associates and the service was downright dreadful. So last night we thought we'd give it another shot. I had heard they had a new General Manager, so we wanted to give him an opportunity to redeem himself. Much to my delight, the service was excellent! Our server was professional, appropriately speedy and knowledgable about the menu. Circa 69 is back on my "recommend list"! Its been awhile since I've posted a restaurant review, so I'm out of practice.

We started out in the "Sidebar Lounge", a sophisticated, hip, cozy room with fun mirrored accents and crystal chandeliers.  I ordered my signature Blue Raspberry Martini. By the way I am happy to report that this shirt I am wearing fits me again. I bought this in Hawaii several years ago; it was made by the locals and I just loved it. I filled it a bit too much for a few years, and now I can wear it again. Ok, back to Circa 69. The dining room is very dimly lit for the ultimate ambience. The servers provide tiny little flashlights that clip onto the menu. I tried to take photos of a few dishes, but my flash was too bright and I was too hungry to fiddle with the settings, so these are a bit washed out. Anyway, here goes:

left: Organic, grass fed filet of beef, with Roquefort crust, short-rib ragout, on a bed of mashed potatoes and asparagus. The top piece was a fancy cut potato crisp.

left: Sea Salt Roasted Organic Chicken, with wild mushrooms, midnight tomatoes, goat cheese dumplings and madiera cream.

left: Red Snapper, served with sauteed shrimp, spanish chorizio, steel-cut oats and piperade sauce. And for desert:

left: Warm  chocolate cake, oozing with warm dark chocolate, servved with sauteed banana on a caramel sauce, with ice cream, garnished with raspberries and fresh mint. Wow it was delish! So Circa 69 redeemed itself and I am pleased to recommend it to anyone visiting Palm Springs. Thanks for reading today.

-Rick Rockhill 

Musical Profusion & Confusion: Sinatra to Lady Gaga

Lately I’ve been swept up in the world of popular music. I’m referring to a broad swath of music genres typically favored by the youth of America. On the surface it is hardly blogworthy, except that for the past ten years the majority of my interest in music has been exclusively limited to standards, smooth jazz, and a little 80’s stuff. So why the sudden interest in this new fangled popular sound? I jokingly refer to electronica as "that electrical music"; its all part of my move to render all that current sound as irrelevant, citing the Rat Pack era as real music. I still prefer a martini with Frank Sinatra crooning in the background, yet I find myself interested in the likes of Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, T.I. and Rihanna. I am even excited about Paula Abdul’s new single "I’m Just Here For the Music", it has a great energy and is reassuring to hear an 80’s pop queen re-emerge to a new generation.
My sudden shift in music taste had me completely foxed. What was it that triggered this musical flirtation? Like a research scientist, I methodically dissected these past few months and believe I’ve identified the origin of this seemingly out-of-character musical deviance.
It was something I caught while at an uber hip and trendy club in Hollywood a few months ago. It was a night that I went to dinner at one of the hottest spots in Hollywood called "One Sunset", and had no idea what was in store. One Sunset is the sort of place where the beautiful people go. For many patrons. the notion of eating is viewed a necessary component of going out for the evening. You see, these are girls wearing size zero dresses, and guys in really nice fitting jeans. They are so busy flirting with each other, giggling and sipping cocktails that the food course seems like an interruption. Nevertheless, it is part of the evening; I watched several tables as the girls picked at their tiny food and claimed to be full. I wolfed down everything, including a side order of some gourmet mac-n-cheese that I am sure I paid too much for. Eventually the restaurant converted over to a night club, while scores of hot girls utilized every open space to dance and sip cocktails; while the guys plotted their moves.
Watching this scene unfold, I recalled my years as a youngster living in NY when I would go out to clubs with friends. Just then, there. Right there, that was it. It hit me…the thumping music. I was mesmerized by the music and how it affected my mood. It made me feel great. I don’t miss going to clubs and dealing with all that chaos. It was just the music that I missed. I had forgotten how pop/dance music made me feel. It was an awakening. That evening I stayed out way too late, and was so exhausted the next day, but it was worth it.
Ever since, I’ve found myself re-connecting with all this new-fangled music.. With all the time I spend driving between Palm Springs and San Diego I now find myself scanning the pop channels on the satellite radio. I’ve been satisfying my thirst to stay a little more current with music. This brings me back to Lady Gaga. She has exploded onto the pop music scene and is everywhere I look. A few weeks ago she was the featured act at two back-to-back weekend dance concerts in Palm Springs. I’ve even added her to my iPod. So it’s official: I am a Lady Gaga fan. I think I need to get to know her. She might be interested to know she is attracting a broad fan base, not just young people, but even an ascot-wearing, martini-sipping desert rat from Palm Springs.

-Rick Rockhill

Welcome to Philatelic Friday!

Today is the first installment of a new mini series called "Philatelic Friday". For those of you who may be unaware, philately is the study of stamps, which often, but not always includes stamp collecting. There are philatelists who look for very rare stamps to study them, with no intent to actually own copies. I have long been fascinated by this hobby. It started when as a youngster my dad would take me to the main US Post Office in Providence, Rhode Island. I would stand in line with my dad, looking around for any distraction. Not surprisingly, the Philatelic window always had the most interesting stamps on display. I can't say I have a serious collection of stamps, but I do have a number that I've picked up over the years. This inaugural post will feature several US postage stamps that featured Hollywood legends. This first one, above left of course is the great Bette Davis. Before I show you the rest, here is a bit of trivia for you.

You might be interested to know that only one country in the world is permitted to issue their postage stamps without including the name of the country. It is Great Britain because it was the first country to ever issue postage stamps starting in 1840. They are permitted to simply show an image of the ruling monarch, either as the main image, or a small image in the corner. Here is a stamp showing a youthful profile of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I thought it would be fun to show a variety of stamps of mostly Hollywood stars; next Friday I'll pick a different topic.

I hope you enjoyed Philatelic Friday. Have a great day!

-Rick Rockhill