The Barn Kitchen — Restaurant in Palm Springs

I’m really torn writing this review, as I so wanted a different experience, and felt it was possible.

When we arrived at 8 pm, it was dark. The parking lot is barely lit, and entrance door has no light, but has I window next to it, and as we looked through- into the lobby I said “I think we are at someone’s home”…. As we saw people around a book or canvas. I thought they were painting. My partner opened the door and the feeling of discovering a secret place washed over me- very charming - but I think unintentional.

The property is deep, so we passed through what we now understood was a reception area we then went to a lounge area. The bartender was everything, and charming. She was host, bartender, and Server. She brought us to our table and I have to saw it was the definition of quaint. Two seats- side by side facing the pool. So we were promptly seated, points gained! Semi quickly served drinks- ok, but then the wait began. We ordered our food when the drinks were served to eliminate the server needing to come back and forth unnecessarily.

The china they use is Matt finish- so greasy finger print show. Enough said? Points lost.

The menu is limited in size and I I always assume that to mean that what they do they will do well… but when we ordered the Rib Eye for 2…. They were out. I understand- things happen, but it didn’t seem busy, and 8 on Saturday night. We placed that order when our drinks were delivered… I had ordered pineapple juice with ginger beer… they didn’t have pineapple juice. So I was offered other non alcohol options. I ordered cranberry juice.

The food was alright, but not Wow level. We had the pasta dish, the sea bass dish, and a salad adding chicken. We opened with the meal I and burrata and melon- that’s always a winning combo.

Imagine my surprise when I asked for a refill of my cranberry juice, to find out they were out! Of cranberry juice! A basic bar mixer!!!!! Points lost.

To sum up my experience- this place is replete with character and charm, the server/bartender was amazing- but overtaxed in responsibilities, which made the server times lag. We were on time, drinks ordered, received drinks at 8:30, food shortly began slowly thereafter, and by 9:45 we’re feelings bit of a polite push toward the door. I think she may have also been managing their room rentals. The food- average. When we left- and opened the door into the poorly lit parking lot… I thought… a trip and fall hazard waiting to happen.

Palm Springs is an oasis of magical experiences- this establishment promises, but...

We dined at the Barn Kitchen for dinner on Monday, lunch on Tuesday, desert on Tuesday night, and lunch on Wednesday while we were staying at the Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs. We only ate elsewhere once with our friends who live locally and we took them back to the Barn for a scrumptious dessert of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, literally baked when we ordered them served with a sweet and rich vanilla ice cream. Service was exceptional at all times provided by a rotating staff who were all a delight. The food looked and tasted like it was organic and locally sourced. The Barn Burger with served with crisp lettuce and sweet tomatoes and crispy bacon was delicious and rated in my top 5, probably tied for first place with one other burger. The salads were fresh and delicious and made a great meal with the tasty, grilled chicken. The hummus and locally sourced pitas was delicious along with black olives, pickled red onions, and cucumber slices. The chicken salad sando was enjoyed by our friend who truly liked it and the tasty house made salt and vinegar chips that accompanied it. My absolute favorite dish was the Burrata! Now I was first disappointed and then oh so happy with this dish! Let me explain. I am used to the more traditional burrata that is usually served on large, thick slices of heirloom tomatoes drizzled with virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar and basil leaves. But, the Barn has a cool dude of a Chef that thinks out side the box! This dish came with a healthy serving of fruit and a large portion of so fresh and creamy burrata all drizzled with an incredibly sweet tasty honey (addicting!) and the most incredible crispy tasty toast I have ever eaten! You could eat the Burrata for breakfast with a couple of poached eggs! I could go on, but I think you get the point. We will be back! Can’t wait to see the what the creative chef and his crew comes...

The restaurant’s atmosphere is undeniably beautiful, but the space felt uncomfortably warm for the summer evening.

Service, however, was where the experience fell short. Our server seemed unfamiliar with the menu, yet we still took her recommendations. While the food itself tasted good, the execution around service and pacing was disappointing. At the server’s suggestion, we placed our full order at once to accommodate the chef’s direction. Unfortunately, the flow of courses was poorly timed: appetizers arrived, one dish with severely burnt bread points, and before the replacement even came we were already halfway through appetizers when the entrées appeared. The new bread only arrived after the entrées had been served, which undercut the intention of enjoying the courses as designed.

Adding to this, we brought our own wine with full awareness of the corkage fee, yet once it was opened our glasses were left unattended. We had to refill our own glasses throughout the meal, which is not the level of attention one expects at this caliber of restaurant.

The evening ended abruptly when the hostess dropped our check at the table without a word and walked away.

While the food itself was enjoyable, the disjointed service, lack of attentiveness, and poorly managed pacing left us disappointed. For a Michelin-recommended restaurant, the standard of hospitality was far below expectations. Unfortunately, despite the good flavors, we will not...