Kestrel A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge — Restaurant in Indian Wells

We went to Kestral with a party of 6 friends last night. I’ve followed Richard Blais’ career for many years so I was thrilled that he opened right down the road from my house. The restaurant itself is gorgeous and the menu looks really fantastic. Our server let us know the two specials of the night, one of which we were told was angel hair pasta with blistered tomatoes, pesto cream sauce and spinach. He actually repeated the specials for a friend who had arrived late. I ordered the pasta as angel hair is my favorite but when it got to the table it was covered in shrimp. I assumed it was a mistake so I asked our server if it was supposed to include shrimp. He said “yes it comes with either shrimp or chicken”. I told him that he did not mention that either of the times that he told us the specials nor did he ask me which I would like when I ordered. Rather than apologize or offer a resolution he simply replied “yes I did” which insinuates that I ordered shrimp, which I’ve never ordered in my life, then lied about it. He then asked if I would like him to remove the shrimp from my dish and my husband told him to get me a new order instead. Unfortunately I didn’t notice that it was linguini, not the angel hair that our server had told us it was, until he came back 15 or so minutes later with the new plate. I decided to just eat it even though I dislike linguini but the pasta was gluey, the sauce was flavorless and overall it was just bland and heavy. The fact that he didn’t tell us the correct information about the specials then refused to take responsibility was really just horrible customer service.

Meanwhile on the other side of the table my friend had ordered a medium well steak and it had come utterly blue rare sitting in a pool of its juices. He didn’t want to send it back so he tried to eat a bit of the meat from the edges where he thought it would be cooked more but left over 90% of his steak on his plate as it was far too rare for his taste. Any decent server would have looked at that plate and inquired as to whether there was an issue with his meal given that he hadn’t eaten it. Our server instead asked if we wanted a take home box for it and when he was told no he simply cleared the plate. Again, this is unacceptable for a restaurant like this.

The food in general was hit or miss. The chips and guacamole, were delicious but the skinny fries were hard and didn’t have a speck of salt or seasoning. The cauliflower fondue was overcooked cauliflower covered in cheese that was sitting in a pool of water.

This restaurant needs to really work on developing their staff. From start to finish the evening was so disappointing especially given who the owner is and what a beautiful space was created for it. I feel like this has the potential to be an amazing restaurant but they won’t get there if they don’t train their employees...

After watching Richard Blais with Gordon Ramsay on Next Level Chef and how good he was, this wasn't our experience at this new restaurant venture. We've dined at the Vue restaurant for years before this and was happy. Unfortunately our first try did not have the same outcome.

I set up a date-night with my wife and was hoping this place would fit that bill when I looked on-line at the type of food and the pricing and the supposed upscale vibe it had undergone. Upon arrival the greeter asked where we'd like to sit, after I gave a pretty detailed note on my reservation stating a date-night and would like special indoor booth or table and that there is a nut & peanut allergy. We then were brought to our table in the middle of the dining room. Unfortunately the lighting as well was so bright, like a cafeteria, no mood was possible. There are cool table lamps so not really a need for bright overhead lighting. To boot there was a wedding rehearsal dinner in the private dining room that sounded more like a Bachelorette party! The doors wide open mind you and even staff trying to close them they could not fully close. Then party goers kept opening to leave anyway. Then the food. The waitress came out and proceeded to tell us the prime rib, that is available on Thursday's, is not available as well as the prime Tomahawk steak. We decided on the fresh farm pork chop and asked for medium rare. My wife went with the seared Ahi that stated "caught yesterday". Also asked about the cauliflower fondue and asked if it was pureed and she said yes. We also asked if they served bread and she said she didn't believe so but would go ask. Didn't see her for 40 minutes, guess no bread. When the food finally came 40 minutes later, a long wait for dinner. Unfortunately what came out was a medium well cooked pork chop. Cauliflower that was not pureed but just chunks in cheese sauce. My wife's "fresh" seared ahi was definitely dense as if it was previously frozen. Always can tell when Ahi is fresh or frozen. Warm inside also so ends up tasting like tunafish from the can. Already not feeling like the date-night like I had planned we were visited by what I believe was the manager who said they could remake the pork chop but I didn't want to wait longer. She very nicely offered a dessert, so at the end we asked about the Date Carrot Cake which didn't show any nuts on the menu or from the waitress. We decided to get the cake to go just to hopefully enjoy the rest of the night at home, only to find out the Carrot Cake was covered in walnuts. Ugh.... .Moral of this story is much more training is needed and some revamping of staff, Chefs and overall ambiance if the upscale pricing is...

At Dining with The Davids, we don’t just try a dish or two—we bring a group of food lovers, known as our Taste Buds, and order a wide selection from the menu so we can truly experience what a restaurant has to offer. At the end of the night, everyone votes for their favorites. Our reviews reflect the collective opinion of the group, not just one person’s take. With that in mind, here’s our experience at Kestrel in Indian Wells.

We were excited to visit Kestrel, the newest restaurant from celebrity chef Richard Blais. Given its location in one of the wealthiest towns in California, we expected an elevated dining experience with bold, creative flavors. While there were certainly some standout moments, a few elements fell short of expectations.

The highlights: • The restaurant itself is stunning, with multiple dining areas and a welcoming atmosphere that’s great for groups. • The liquid nitrogen margaritas were a hit—fun to watch and well-balanced. • Two appetizers stood out: the Fromage Blanc with Wild Mushrooms & Truffle and the Hamachi with Blood Orange Ponzu & Pickled Serrano—both beautifully executed. • The best entrée was the Pan-Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Coconut Rice, perfectly cooked with a flavorful tomato-ginger sauce. • For dessert, the Carrot & Date Cake was the clear favorite—moist, well-spiced, and a great way to end the meal.

Where things missed the mark: • Service was slow. Our dinner stretched to five hours (these events normally take 2.5-3 hours to complete), with a significant delay in sorting out the checks for drinks.

The verdict:

Kestrel has a beautiful space, a fun cocktail menu, and some fantastic appetizers, but there are still some kinks to work out in both execution and service. Would we return? For drinks and small bites, absolutely. But if you’re expecting a flawless fine-dining experience, it’s worth managing...