Pacifica Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Palm Desert

My wife and I are visiting Palm Desert from the Austin, TX area. As senior citizens (I am 78 and my wife is 76) we don’t have the appetites we once did. We were attracted to Pacifica’s sunset menu due to the reduced portion size and the entree choices. The sunset menu ends at 5:00 pm, but on Open Table I couldn’t make a reservation before 5. So I made a reservation for 5 and headed over to the restaurant planning to arrive about 4:45. I reasoned that if the restaurant was full I would still have my 5:00 pm reservation.

When we arrived at the Pacifica it was largely empty. I explained we had a 5:00 PM reservation but had come earlier to take advantage of the sunset menu. We were immediately seated on the upstairs patio, very pleasant. The host engaged in some banter with us expressing his opinion he probably wouldn’t make it to 55 years in his marriage as we had. He mentioned in addition to the sunset menu, wine was 1/2 price before 5:00 PM. My wife asked him what about the drinks? Are they 1/2 off? He replied that yes, both wine and drinks were 1/2 for the sunset menu hours. With that in mind, when our server came by we ordered margaritas, normally $18 each.

The drinks came and were pretty big. Actually a very nice margarita, better than others we’ve had around town. We both ordered the salmon; I got the chowder appetizer and my wife got the caesar salad. All were acceptable (but not outstanding) and a good value. The service was good too, the waitress didn’t hover over us or ignore us even though she had several tables.

When the bill came we were charged $18 each for the drinks. I informed the waitress that we had been told by the host drinks were 1/2 for the sunset menu. She was pretty blunt when she told me that wasn’t right and stormed off to find the host. When she came back she tossed the bill back on the table with no explanation (sorry you misunderstood, etc.). I saw the host while leaving and remarked to him the drinks were not 1/2 price. He responded that he never said that; only full bottles of wine were 1/2 price. However we both heard him; my wife is a psychiatrist with 45 years in practice. She listens to people for a living and doesn’t forget anything in my experience. He was somewhat combative; he’s probably right about not making it to 55.

After we got back to the Westin I got an email from OpenTable asking if we had missed our reservation. I guess Pacifica didn’t take our name off the reservation list when we showed up a little early.

Overall we had a good dinner and I’d recommend it for the sunset menu. I was disappointed about how Pacifica staff responded; it was more the principle of the thing than the amount of money involved. We may go back but there’s other places we want to try too.If we come back I’ll definitely check with the waitress for any “specials” the host...

Came here for a special birthday dinner for my bf. When I made the reservations, the website did ask if it was for a special occassion. When we checked in the host handed me a birthday card to which I of course handed it to my bf. It was a card which also offered a $10 coupon off our next visit.

From the start everyone was so friendly. I can not stop gushing over our server. I wish i would have gotten his name to properly shout him out. He just had such a wonderful personality and checked in on us a perfect times. As this was a special occasion I decided to try one of their cocktails so I got the Blackberry Smash, which I believe the alcohol used was whiskey. Well I'll admit I'm not the biggest drinker, so at first taste... it was a no go for me. Very strong alcohol flavor. My bf recommended I send it back and request a different drink. But I'm not that kind of person, I've never sent anything back. So we continued on to order our meals. We got the mulligatwany soup to share. DELICIOUS! So good, I'm mad I was sharing it with my bf. It had a wonderful curry flavor. While we waited for the main course, our server came to check in on us and ask about our drinks, my bf was happy with his kettle one mule. And the serve could see my drink was particularly untouched. That's when my bf spoke up and mentioned that yes it was not to my liking. Without and hesitation my server said no problem we'll take care of you and he recommended their double berry lemonade. And my what a difference that was; it was light and refreshing and much more to my liking.

For the main course I got the full order (6oz) pan seared Chilean Seabass over bok choy and coconut rice. The seabass was perfectly cooked. So tender and flaky with a beautiful crust. The coconut rice right under the seabass was full of flavor. And the soy glazed bok choy added a nice earthiness to the dish. It was love at first taste. My bf got the full order of the swordfish. The first steak was so meaty! Again perfectly cooked and accompanied by a fresh corn salsa and vibrant avocado mash. Both dishes were phenomenal! As for dessert we shared the mocha semifreddo. It was light and decadent at the same time.

We truly enjoyed our meal and the exceptional service. This is definitely a place we will have to come back and try. Highly...

While I had already scarfed some scrumptious seafood a few days earlier, I was still craving the sold out seared scallops I had missed out on. So, Cavemom and I decided to make the short jaunt to El Paseo for a visit to the well established Pacifica Seafood Restaurant. Though, she had been there numerous times, it was my first voyage. We started with some cocktails: Cavemom opted for her usual Crater Lake up with blue cheese stuffed olives and an ice back, while I went for their new spicy “Red Hot” signature cocktail - Milagro Silver, triple sec, strawberry purée, lime, jalapeño, with a Tahin and salt rim. Served with some of their delicious warm sourdough and butter, and an order of the Oysters on the Half Shell which came with cocktail sauce, horseradish and a cucumber mignonette (sorry, no pics). It was a great way to start our meal. For our main courses, she chose a half order of their Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with a honey-soy glaze and sesame seeds, served over ginger sticky rice, bok choy, and a green curry-coconut sauce. Meanwhile, I finally got my Seared Sea Scallops with Carrot Puree, Baby Squash, and Sugar Snap Peas (full order). Both were as good as they sound and look! While we were both fairly stuffed, my matriarch insisted that we split their world famous Pacifica's Ice Cream Pie - Vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie crust, chocolate sauce, macadamia nuts and whipped cream (again, no pics. DOH!). Somehow, we found a way to polish it off completely, it was that delicious. My only complaint was the inattentiveness and behavior of our server which I wouldn't expect from a restaurant of this stature. Twice, I had to ask assistant servers for items I had requested from her. Plus, as I had a piece of bread in my hand about to soak up the remaining sauce on my dish, she grabbed my plate and then asked if I was done with it. My response was "I guess so" as she whisked it away. Obviously, my displeasure was reflected in her tip. Other than that, I highly...