Azúcar Palm Springs — Restaurant in Palm Springs

We had a table of 4 booked for last nights Independence Day on the roof terrace at 6.45pm. We arrived slightly early and the reception, greet staff and host were all very professional and friendly. Not sure I am a huge fan of the walk past the pool and hotel guests but if no alternative route it is what it is. We were shown to our table and the server came over introducing himself as Michael.

After perusing drinks we settled on 2 Santa Monica White beers, to be told I probably don't have those will an alternate suffice (for us both this just sends out a negative), check firstly then inform us you don't have it. Michael, before leaving once again introduced himself and returned to say we don't have the beer, we decided to stick with water until friends arrived, Michael as he left the table once again stated 'my name is Michael' we both thought 3 times in 3 minutes was a little much so we pointed out this to him.

Friends arrived and we ordered drinks, drinks returned cucumber martini nice flavors but not alot of alcohol for $14.

We ordered hummus and pitas to share followed by Cauliflower Risotto, Shaved Brussel Sprouts, House Salad and Ahi Bruschetta. Entrees were Escolar, Crab Stuffed Poblano and 2 x Beef Tenderloin 1 very rare and the other Med Rare. A friend asked what Escolar was we informed him it was a meaty white fish, to which Michael interjected it was Swordfish like. Escolar, Rudderfish or Butterfish isn't like that nor would ever be, certainly a training issue there in relation to the menu.

Personally my shaved sprouts and beef tenderloin were flavorful and cooked correctly. My partners Risotto and Escolar were again cooked well and tasted good. Friends ahi was superb but the Poblano not very tasty - cheese and crab and a little sloppy??? House salad was good, but then the Med-Rare Tenderloin came out WELL DONE. It got refired but by the time it was returned three of us had finished our entree's and we had to sit and watch our friend eat - kinda kills the Independence Day party vibe.

Our server didn't apologise but another brunette lady did and offer us complimentary dessert to make up for the mistake. We ordered the brownies which were not that good. Time to get the check, all the desserts were on there and so we checked and 2 got removed. We then said that we were lead to believe all 4 were comp'd but were told I can only do 2, eventually the other 2 got removed. Total bill $310 plus tip.

In my opinion when you look at the all round experience of what should've been a special night with friends, it was spoilt by very poor service, poor communication and poor execution by the kitchen. I personally feel, if it was just for my food would've given 4/5 but coupled with the whole experience it warrants 3/5. There are other places in the area at a similar pricepoint that I feel offer a superior all round dining experience.

SIDE NOTE

Escolar cannot metabolize the wax esters naturally found in its diet. These esters are called gempylotoxin, and this is what gives the flesh of escolar its oily texture. The downside is that these esters are are very similar to castor or mineral oil, and when full portions of escolar are consumed, they can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. My partner has been very ill over night and this morning...

I was part of a group of 5. I called to make a reservation and when I told them the group's size I learned I'd have to fill out a Googledoc. document to make the reservation. I had difficulty, I'm not an IT guy but I know my way around, with the form. I couldn't save it so I filled out online, print, hand sign, scan and email it back. In short, ALOTTA WORK to make the reservation. Plus I had to provide my credit card info and guarantee I'd spend $75/person. I figured that wouldn't be a problem so I did. By their prices, we went way over $75. Additionally I'd been advised to sit on the roof to take full advantage of the magnificent views. The view is fabulous which was a major reason they got 3 stars. I specifically asked for the rooftop which I was told wouldn't be a problem. We arrived on time, spoke to the hostess who said, Oh no your party is too large for upstairs. I thought to myself, no way are you going to put me through that reservation "process", tell me you're OK for upstairs and then tell me nope. I asked for the manager so I could remind him of my conversation and told her as much. She left, came back and said, follow me upstairs please. Our server, Rachel, appeared shortly to welcome us.... . She was great!!! She was very attentive, pleasant and the other reason Azucar got 3 stars. The menu was very interesting but priced high (but so isn't everyplace else). The food was very expensive, very slow in arriving and when it was finally brought the temp was tepid at best. We'd all been waiting so long we all accepted it as was. It got chilly and we asked for the heaters to be turned on. Our server apologized but explained that they'd run out of propane and would a blanket be alright? How do you have outdoor dining and run out of what runs the heaters? The word we all agreed that properly described Azucar- underwhelming..... The venue and view is beautiful, our server fabulous but the rest was...

I ate dinner here with two friends on Tuesday, May 20th. We reserved a spot on the rooftop but for some reason it was closed for dinner that night (my friends arrived before I did and they were told it was something to do with the electrical system). We were seated by the pool which was beautiful.

First—the location and the atmosphere are great. Such a pretty restaurant and location. The servers were attentive and talkative, even when I had to go sit at the bar inside to cool down because it was still hot outside.

Drinks/food. The cocktails were delicious. I Tried the blood orange margarita and the other drink that’s like an espresso martini but made with tequila. The food—was not good. I ordered the potato chip-crusted halibut which sounded delicious but it literally had zero seasoning on it. I thought that with a potato chip crust it would at least have some salt from that but no—it truly tasted like nothing. And it was $45 for just a piece of fish on the plate with a sauce that also tasted like nothing, and some purée, also flavorless. $45 is a high price to pay for just a piece of fish (if I had to guess I’d say it was about 6oz) but if it had tasted amazing I’d have thought “well that’s the price you pay for really good food.” I also ordered the patatas bravas potatoes for the table and they were fine. The only part that was good was the dessert, which was a dish with churros and pudding. That was delicious.

The three of us each ordered an entree, three cocktails each, two sides total (the patatas bravas and the Brussels sprouts, which were not cooked nearly enough), and the one dessert to split. The total for three of us (including tip) was $417. OUTRAGEOUS. But I wouldn’t complain if the food had any seasoning at all. Such a disappointment. I will not be returning,...