Melvyn’s at the Ingleside Estate — Restaurant in Palm Springs

This highly celebrated spot in Palm Springs was a bit of a letdown. There were 6 of us and we arrived early for cocktails and wanted to take in some entertainment at the piano bar. Since we were a larger party it was most logical to sit closer to the back of the lounge (which reads like a dark basement with no artwork on the dark walls) but I think ideally go in small parties and get a spot at the lovely bar. Our server in the lounge was attentive, lovely and cocktails were excellent. When we sat in the dining room, the room was lively and well appointed with upholstered dining chairs and beautiful portraiture art on the walls. Our server (name began with a B I think, and was one of the only employees masked - simply mention as an identifier, but no issue for us if he was masked or not) was quite bizarre. After he read us the specials and made a few recommendations, it went downhill with his level of service. We ordered three bottles of wine and aside from the first pour, we served ourselves every time after that - which is unacceptable in a dining establishment of this kind; our server failed to check on us when our entrees arrived so the person who ordered Steak Diane had to wait 5 minutes longer for the tableside finish (he seemed completely unaware the station was set up and ready to go with my partner’s steak sitting there). Also, the ribeye steak was was not a traditional ribeye; when we asked our server what it was he said it was ‘inside’ ribeye but the cut looked more like a baseball steak - really disappointing for that diner. The halibut special was tasty, French onion soup was lovely, and another guest thoroughly enjoyed the risotto (which was recommended by the server). The seafood tower was a standout and adequately gave us all a taste of everything - the sauces that accompanied the tower were exceptionally balanced and offered variety. I would skip the Caesar salad, key lime pie and bananas foster; the ladies at a table nearby said they loved the cherries jubilee. The room is a scene and the ambiance a vibe that feels a bit ‘of a time’ but based on the way this establishment is talked up, it truly was not worth the hype. It may be a better option to pop in for a quick drink and snack, and move on elsewhere. No issue paying top-dollar for a beautiful meal, but this spot didn’t quite deliver; perhaps with a different server it would’ve have been a far better experience (he was noticeably surly to his coworkers though we felt the supporting cast of characters were far superior than the server assigned to our table). We can now say we did it, and at the very least we enjoyed each others company and made the most it. I’m not sure I would return again in future, but the property is worth checking out in some capacity if expectations are calibrated...

With so much anticipation we were so excited to dine at the iconic Melvyn's, but came away with sub par food for my entree , as well as the service. However, partly was to blame was not enough serving/wait staff as well as our very nice, young server was inexperienced in timing of service. We sat down with our BYOB, red that we brought in & was asked about decanting it, which we greatly appreciated, but was not ask about H20. Thought maybe it was on request only, we asked for H20 with no ice. He brought the decanter, wonderful... but thinking he would be back with water....he was not. Came back to ask if we'd like a cocktail...yes...& water ...no ice plz...Being in the desert, ypu would think no matter what..it's automatic, but wasn't sure if it's on request...so he got our cocktails...no water:( Again requested Water, no ive...this time we got it...but it was soooooo warm...not even chilled...sigh...REALLY??? Didn't complain as I know he had other tables to attend... & we noticed ...he suddenly got very busy.... So we ordered our app, Oyster Rockefeller...served lukewarm...was a bit surprised by this...but flavor still good..husband was not happy about the lukewarm as we have had this at other restaurants & it wasn't served like this!! When I sipped my 1 st sip of Champagne I was hoping for a chilled lovely bubbly...except NOT!! It was also somewhat warm...still didn't say a thing. I myself am in the service industry, so wanted to give our server & the others behind the scenes every opportunity to come correct . Hubby ordered Rib Eye, I & was unhappy with the type of meat....not PRIME...he could tell...and it was just slightly overcooked. I ordered their signature dish of Steak Diane, & again it was overcooked, but it was becuz it was tissue paper thin slices of Fiket. This delicious entree is served using MEDALLIONS of Filet Mignon, this was waaaaay sliced too thin. Finally we had desert, my husband had Key Lime Pie he said it was delicious...I had their chocolate molten cake, that was either microwave toooo long or Sous Vide tooo much...either how they prepare it...it was like Rubber, with NO melted chocolate lava!!! Still didn't complain to the stafff. Becuz every restaurant can have a BAD nught & I pkan on giving them a 2nd chance. The decor. piano man, other waiter who'd been there ForEver & served THE FRANK SINATRA, was Fantastic!!! So, YES...I will give them another chance, but will be watching and judging & will this time speak up...if they do t...

We’ve stayed at Ingleside Inn at least a half dozen times over the last 5 years +, and every time we drink in the bar ($$$) and have at least one meal at Melvin’s during our visit. ($$$) We have also introduced our friends to Ingleside and Melvin’s. In other words we’ve spent several thousand dollars at this place, as have a couple of our friends.

Today we rode over from San Diego with another couple on our motorcycles for brunch. We ran about 20 minutes late for our reservation at 1:00 pm, but the restaurant was very quiet and we were seated immediately by Brian the Maitre’d, who wasn’t his usual cordial self, but certainly wasn’t rude. I did apologize for being late and explained we were on bikes, so calling wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, but Brian said it was no problem. We noticed the changes to the decor almost immediately, but didn’t put two and two together until we sat down and looked at the menu; that’s when we realized - the former owner Mel Haber had passed away and the business had been sold. Bummer.

Our Server was simply awful. He was unfriendly, had zero personality, made us feel rushed throughout the meal and, quite frankly, could not have been a worse person to represent Melvin’s Restaurant and The Ingleside Inn. This was our friends second visit to Ingleside and Melvin’s with us, and they decided on the spot they’d not be returning. Why would they? There are dozens of charming inns, restaurants and bars - from one end of the valley to the other. Why return to a place with crappy, unfriendly service?

From the Ingleside we rode to La Quinta Resort; our first visit (although it’s been on our “let’s check this place out someday” list for a couple years). Wow, what a difference. Everyone; from the valet to some of the housekeeping people we happened to pass by, to Pool Attendants to the Server at Twenty 6 who happily and appreciatively served us some beverages and an appetizer which was shared four ways (just so we could try the food and spend a little more money while taking up a table...La Quinta has their act together. La Quinta? We’ll be back for sure. Ingleside Inn? Probably not. And that’s too bad, because we really enjoyed Ingleside...