Tag Archives: Palm Springs

Shag: The Store – Palm Springs, CA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Shag, Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , ,

EDITOR’S NOTE: Shag: The Store is now located at 745 N Palm Canyon Dr.

Last year, the folks at M Modern gallery opened Shag: The Store in Palm Springs—the first permanent retail space dedicated to the artwork of Josh Agle. It appropriately keeps some pretty swank company, with Trio Restaurant right next door and vintage and mid-century design stores nearby.

The store has an impressive stash of prints, mugs, books and other stuff, with many items that were previously sold-out. From time to time they also have prints that are exclusive to Shag: The Store, like the one coming up for their first anniversary.

During our visit they were featuring Shag’s collaborations with Disneyland from 2002 to 2010, including the much-coveted mugs inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room.

They also had merch from the Haunted Mansion and Disneyland 50th anniversary series. I was sort of startled to see a stationery set I own (and apparently foolishly used) going for nearly $200. (Though that price includes the cost of not having to time-travel back to Disneyland five years ago when it was originally being sold).

It was fun to marvel at rarities like these “Japanese exclusive” mugs from 2006. (In this case, the price of the set includes the cachet of coming from Shag’s own collection…plus the peace of mind of not having your mugs arrive in pieces due to the carelessness of an eBay seller.)

There was at least one deal to be had, though. For five bucks, I picked up a Shag vinyl CD case. (You know, for those almost obsolete shiny round things that play music?)

The neatest part of the store is this groovy backdrop wall with a Shag-style tiki where you can pose like you’re in one of his paintings. If you ask nicely they’ll even bring out a box of fun props like fezzes!

The Shag Store
725 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-322-3400

EDITOR’S NOTE: Shag: The Store is now located at 745 N Palm Canyon Dr.

Trio Restaurant – Palm Springs, CA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

Although big on most things mid-century, Palm Springs is somewhat lacking in terms of tiki bars and restaurants. Well, aside from the bachelorette party fave/gay tiki bar Toucan’s. I’m more interested in a good cocktail than dancing the night away so we hit up Trio, where Rory “Wildsville Man” Snyder has created a few tiki drinks for the menu. (Editor’s note: These cocktails are no longer available.)

Trio, which just happens to be located right next door to the Shag Store, made its debut on the dining scene a year and a half ago and has attracted quite a following. The design is very mod, with interesting light fixtures and lots of white, mauve and mellow orange tones.

It was a bustling Saturday night, but we were able to be seated right away at a tall table in the bar area. If you’d prefer something a little more formal, I’d recommend making reservations.

There were three tiki-style rum cocktails on the menu: the Uptown Mai Tai, Palm Springs Punch and Rory’s Tiki Monkey. I opted for the latter, which was made with Appleton rum, pineapple juice, St-Germain, Canton ginger liqueur, creme de noyeaux and simple syrup. Absolutely delicious!  (Editor’s note: These cocktails are no longer available.)

Trio specializes in what’s grown to be my favorite kind of cuisine: creative, upscale comfort food. The rich and hearty crawfish étouffée pot pie was right up my alley.

My date Mr. Baseball also picked a winner with the baked Rigatoni Al Forno with chicken, spinach, mushrooms, fontina, mozzarella and parmesan. Mmmm, carbs and cheese.

I’m thinking a return visit is necessary next time we’re in town. There are so many more tempting dishes to be tried, like fried artichoke hearts with caper aoili and macaroni with five cheeses and bacon. Bonus: Their web site features specials like a 10% off dining coupon and $19 three-course prix-fixe menu from 4 p.m.-6 p.m., plus there’s happy hour in the bar until 7 p.m. with discounted drinks (though not any of the specialty cocktails, alas).

Trio
707 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-864-TRIO (8746)

 

Trio Restaurant on Urbanspoon

A Retro Retreat in Palm Springs – The Riviera

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , , ,

We had some time to spare in Palm Springs before “The Book of Tiki” anniversary art exhibition, so we made a quick side-trip to check out The Riviera hotel. This old-school stunner made its debut in 1959 and counted Frank Sinatra and Elvis among its high-profile patrons. It re-opened to much fanfare in 2008 after a year and a half of renovations.

It’s super swank all the way, and there’s nothing very tiki about it except the Shag prints hanging up along the Starlight Lounge just off the lobby.

Some parts of the resort are sort of mid-century modern meets Lady Gaga (or Liberace, if the thought of Lady Gaga makes you gag). Anyway, it’s very Vegas.

One of the walls in the gift acknowledges another desert hotspot for Old Hollywood: the Chi Chi. That nightclub is now, unfortunately, a shopping center but in its heyday it hosted Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, to name just a few.

That they featured so many jazz greats is already interesting to me, but the Chi Chi was also a Polynesian-style restaurant that at some point was decorated with thatch and tapa cloth. This menu borrowed from Edgar Leeteg’s black velvet painting “Hina Rapa,” an image they also co-opted for cocktail napkins and plates (Images from PalmSpringsLife.com/Palm Springs Historical Society).

The gift shop also had some rad art by Chris Reccardi, who’s worked on tons of cartoon projects including “Spongebob Squarepants,” “Powerpuff Girls,” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” I really dig the futuristic mod style.

If I had my pick of places to stay in Palm Springs, The Riviera would be it. That pool was just made for lounging, and the rooms look pretty snazzy too.

The Riviera Resort & Spa
1600 N. Indian Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-327-8311