Salt Flats - Cathedral

This is a stunning addition to the Palm Springs dining scene and totally unexpected. It calls itself classic American food but it has a decidedly Middle Eastern flair (think lamb, zatar, hummus, etc. which is a good thing when you are tiring at the same menus at every restaurant. It is a small restaurant space to the side of a restaurant and bar complex on 111 in Cathedral City. It is opened limited days and hours and for dinner only, so be sure to make a reservation. The service was extraordinary for such a casual place from the moment you step inside. The menu is not extensive but there is something for everybody. The avocado and corn salad had an excellent dressing and the calamari consisted of the entire squid and had a delightfully light batter. It was actually tender. The lamb burger was an enormous platter with a brioche bun, spicy cole slaw and sweet potato fries. The meat was very rare typical for lamb which may not be to everybody's tastes so be sure to inquire and have it cooked to your liking. For desert I had the pavlova which filled an entire dinner plate. The date cake was fantastic as well. All the dishes are large and have an enormous amount of food, so you may want to share. They do not serve liquor, only beer and wine. We had a hibiscus ginger beer which was not unlike sangria. In the end it only came to about $60 per person including drinks and tip. This is very reasonable considering the current escalating restaurant prices in Palms Springs. We really appreciated the attentive, friendly service. We will be back again and again.

We were skeptical of a newish small restaurant with uniform 5-star reviews. But we were even more surprised to find the reviews completely deserved. We arrived 10 minutes early for our reservation. We were greeted warmly by Vince, one of the owners, who gave us a comfortable chair to wait in, and a glass of ice water to counter the 106 degree outside weather. He took the time to chat for a few minutes, despite the restaurant being completely full. He exuded warmth, generosity, and friendliness. That set the tone for a wonderful evening. Most seats are at booths, with a few at an open kitchen counter. Once seated, the waitstaff continued the friendly welcoming vibe. The menu was not large, but had a wealth of interesting and varied choices. A starter of hummus with fresh light fluffy pita bread and crudités was among the best we have had anywhere, including the Middle East. Sprinkled with pistachios and olive oil, the humus was beautifully textured, had a lovely garlicky spiciness, and citrus tang. A split salad with corn, avocado, black beans, a few thin tortilla chips, and greens was a pleasure to look at, but even better to taste. The dressing made the salad. It was lemony without being too tart, but fresh and vibrant, bringing out out the flavors and textures of the salad components. My wife had the Butter Chicken and Rice, which had a delightful complexity of flavor, without being overwrought. The rice, usually a platform for this chicken dish, was itself fantastic with coconut, cranberry, and middle eastern spices. I had the Thai salmon, which was perhaps the best salmon I have ever had. It was piping hot, glazed in a lovely red miso, but was neither under nor over cooked. the fish had a buttery texture that literally melted in the mouth. The side of cold glass noodles with green papaya with a light Thai dressing was reminiscent of traditional Thai green papaya salad, with just enough heat and flavor to complement, but not overpower the salmon. We were way too full for desert, all of which we were told are home-made. That, itself, is unique in a world in which few upscale restaurants have desert/pastry chefs. We look forward to trying deserts on our next visit. The wine selections were very good and, like the remainder of the items on the menu, reasonably priced. With restaurants becoming more expensive during this inflationary period, going out to eat ordinary food at high prices is unappealing. But eating great creative food, at a regularly approachable price point, in a friendly and welcoming environment, will never grow old. That is Salt Flat.

This is one of our few favorite restaurants in the desert. We always over order knowing the food is absolutely incredible.No alcohol only wine and beer at this point. Though you can get a drink around the corner while waiting for your table.

What a great place! They characterize it is modern American cuisine, but it 's so much more than that. We started off with ginger/carrot soup. When I asked the chef about it, (who thoughtfully came out and was interacting the the diners) he said: oh, I 'll bring you a sample! And like that, he was gone and right back with a nice sample. It 's yellow, like Union, and served cold, like gazpacho. I ordered it! It was very refreshing and delicately spiced. We also ordered the beet root salad. One could call it beets three ways , with pickled red, spiced yellow, and raw pink and white beet slices on top of a delicate bed of greens, like perhaps, water cress? My wife had a traditional tomato and Buffala mozzarella salad and called it excellent. She said it had a. Layer of salt and seasoning that made it particularly favorable. She also had the salmon salads, which she deemed fresh. I ordered a butter chicken main , which the chef characterized as a Bahrainian dish. I must admit, I 've never before eaten anything similar enough to this as BM needed to be able to draw a comparison. I asked if it was like Indian curry Makani chicken before I ordered it, and he said nothing like it. He was certainly correct. It was very tasty, not sweet,and featured polished rice, dry apricot pieces, pistachios and possibly, spinach or kale. Certainly an exotic dish, with a refined, understated, somewhat mysterious air about it! The service and attention paid were perfect. Just the right amount, at the right time. Also all of the team members that iknteracted with us had nice collectible watches on. I noted a Panerai on one and a Rolex paired with a couple of bracelets. If you 're a watch person, you 'll appreciate it! For desert, we will be having a berry cardamom pavlova . But I won 't be takings picture of it. You 'll have to come to this place to see it! Thinks baked Alaska covered with rich berries in sauce! I 'm really glad we came here and will return again.

Angela is a good work and was very helpful. She was sweet and nothing more. I loved her attitude and she was a great server.