Be Extra At Modernism Week

Modernism Week does a great job curating special moments for you, but you can also create your own. Here are some spots that have the ring-a-ding to go full-metal Rat Pack. Some of them are on the Modernism Week website, and some of them are me making sure your trip is, as Frank Sinatra would say, 18 carat. 

Eat like Sinatra in Palm Springs

Johnny Costas — Frequented by Sinatra, they opened in 1976 — a little late for the mid-mod era, but it’s gangster. High class gangster that is. White shirts and black ties for the waitstaff, dimly lit, it’s 100% old school Italian. And it is good. Sit inside in the main restaurant for the full effect. You will leave happy and satisfied.

Wang’s in the Desert — Formerly Jilly’s, the club was owned and operated by Sinatra’s right-hand man, Jilly Rizzo. From Palm Springs Life: “Rizzo, a restaurateur and entertainer from New York City, owned Jilly’s Saloon in NYC, a celebrity hangout in the 1960s. Rizzo was a frequent guest on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In and had bit parts in the Manchurian Candidate, Tony Rome, The Detective, and the television show Kojak.”

 Even after Jilly’s became Wang’s, it maintained a good reputation for having decent food and solid entertainment. The pandemic took it out, and in 2023 the Desert Sun announced that it would be closing for good. Surprise! It’s back, and still offering pan-Asian food. (Also right next to it is Bit of Country, my favorite “no frills, just good food” breakfast.)

Melvyn’s — Inside the historic Ingleside Estate (rebranded from Ingleside Inn), Melvyn’s bar is always swinging. This is old Palm Springs at its finest. Martinis are de rigueur, and they have a house pianist/entertainer. Sunday afternoons feature jazz jams. The dining room still serves Sinatra’s favorite dish, Steak Diane.

Bar Cecil — A mid-mod Hollywood crossover, many consider this the hippest spot in the Valley. Pronounced “Sess-ill,” there have been abundant celebrity sightings and it made the Michelin Guide in 2022.

Food and fun 

The Purple Room — The Judy Show is a must see in this Rat Pack supper club. Classically, the show has been on Sunday evenings, as it is the hottest ticket in town. I promise you’ll have a blast but you gotta book it now.

Entertainment

V Wine and Martini Lounge — Wonderful spot in an architecturally significant building designed by Hugh Kaptur. Right next to Koffi on Tahquitz, the fact that I am putting this under just entertainment is misleading. They do have food, and it is delicious, but it’s not exactly a meal meal, more like tapas. Also, the Opal Lounge features some of Palm Springs’ finest entertainers. Minimum cover, delicious cock and mock tails, tasty snacks, and great entertainment in a spot where it looks like Doris Day bumped into Rock Hudson during a 1960s rom-com.

Revolution Stage Company — Not sure if they have a Modernism Week event yet, as they’ve only been around for a year, but man do they have a wide variety of entertainment. Not just relegated to musicals, dramas, and new works, the Revolution brings in cabaret acts from all over the country, and gave us a couple of knockout shows last season. Make sure to check out their website.

 If you’re looking to sample some of Palm Springs local eateries, book Desert Tasty Tours and tell them I sent you. It’s a three-hour walking and eating tour covering four blocks of downtown Palm Springs. You get a little history (downtown is lousy with it), visit Marilyn, drink a couple of cocktails, and leave with a very full belly.

About eight years ago, the owners of the Camelot Theatre (built in the 1960s and the first cineplex in Palm Springs, still with the biggest screen and the best technical abilities in the Coachella Valley) donated the building to the Palm Springs Cultural Center, who turned it into a terrific entertainment complex while still retaining the original blueprint. They’re the premiere spot for film festivals, and it’s where the International Film Fest was born. So, check out the schedule; they’ll have some Modernism Week programming. They are also the home to two theatre companies, and five days a week have live entertainment for happy hour upstairs from 5 to 7 p.m. (look for The Mod Squad — so much fun!).

And that’s what’s cracking. Make sure to make reservations and your trip will go from 18-carat to platinum, pussycat.