McDonald’s hosting McWrap parties in Fontana, Palm Springs

McDonald’s is fĂȘting its new Premium McWraps with a series of parties at Southern California restaurants.

The parties, which are being promoted on Twitter, begin tomorrow (April 2) and wrap up (get it?) on April 10.

Guests will be able to try Premium McWraps, play games, win prizes and hang out with friends and other McDonald’s Twitter fans.

Continue reading “McDonald’s hosting McWrap parties in Fontana, Palm Springs” »

New toy grants you food, drink at Trio

Trio Restaurant’s annual AIDS Assistance Program Toy Drive is Sunday (December 2).

All you have to do is donate a new, unwrapped toy worth at least $15 (or make a monetary donation of at least that much to AAP for toy purchases) and you’ll be treated to complimentary beer, wine and a sampling of Trio’s small bites.

The toys will be donated to children of AAP clients.

The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at the restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.

For more information, click here.

Palm Springs Props & Hops Craft Beer Conclave is tomorrow

Palm Springs Props & Hops Craft Beer ConclaveTomorrow (November 10), “Minister of Culinary Awareness” Cliff Young is bringing to Palm Springs his second Craft Beer Conclave.

Tomorrow’s event, the Palm Springs Props & Hops Craft Beer Conclave, will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

The event is also a fundraiser for the museum.

Several Inland Empire breweries will be represented, including:

Other breweries participating include Alaskan Brewing Co., Ass Kisser Hand Crafted Ales, Cosmic Ales, Drake’s Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Oceanside Ale Works, Ouroboros Ales, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Stone Brewing Co.

There will also be a few food trucks on hand: Devilicious, Short Stop BBQ, and representing the Inland Empire, our friends from Suite 106 Cupcakery and Where’s the Fire Gourmet Pizza.

Entertainment includes a set by “Food Tech” host Bobby Bognar and his band the Piper Downs, and a rare appearance by The Sedans.

Continue reading “Palm Springs Props & Hops Craft Beer Conclave is tomorrow” »

Palm Springs Food Truck Festival returns October 27

“Minister of Culinary Awareness” Cliff Young is at it again!

The second iteration of the Palm Springs Food Truck Festival is taking place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 27, at the Spa Resort Casino, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs.

Cliff is expecting to have 50 trucks at the event, and has already lined up 28 of them.

Advance tickets are available now by clicking here.

General admission tickets are $10 (plus $1.24 service fee). V.I.P. tickets (which grant early admission at 11 a.m., plus tented seating with free soda, water and snacks) are $25 (plus $1.62 service fee).

A special “Family and Friends” four-pack of tickets is available for $30 (plus $1.74 service fee) on the official ticket site, but Shorty’s Desert Deals is offering those same tickets at half price.

That’s an amazing $3.75 per ticket!

You can purchase up to two four-packs at $15 each.

Click here to take advantage of the Shorty’s deal.

For updates, follow the event on Facebook and Twitter.

Head over the jump to check out the list of currently scheduled trucks.
Continue reading “Palm Springs Food Truck Festival returns October 27” »

Craft Beer Conclave coming to Palm Springs

KVCR-TV’s Out To Eat host Cliff Young is at it again.

Last month, Cliff had a very successful first food truck event, with news accounts estimating the crowd at around 10,000.

This month, he’s turning his attention to beer. In fact, he is bringing together over 20 personally taste-tested craft breweries (including Hangar 24, Inland Empire Brewing Company, and Stone Brewing Co.) together for the event. About 100 different brews are expected to be available at the event.

The inaugural Palm Springs Craft Beer Conclave will be held from noon to 5 p.m. March 24 at the Spa Resort Casino, 401 E. Amado Road.

This event will benefit the Rotary Club of Palm Springs.

And with the food truck festival such a success, he’s invited a few trucks to participate in this event as well.

Eight gourmet food trucks are currently scheduled to participate, including Apple Valley-based Where’s the Fire? Pizza, Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Ludo Truck, and Great Food Truck Race season one winner, Grill ‘Em All.

There will be live music and DJs.

The event will also include a homebrew contest, details of which are forthcoming.
Continue reading “Craft Beer Conclave coming to Palm Springs” »

Palm Springs Food Truck Festival a big success, more to follow

Congratulations to Cliff Young!

News accounts estimated the crowds at Saturday’s (February 4) inaugural Palm Springs Food Truck Festival, curated by the KVCR-TV Out to Eat host, at nearly 10,000.

The event helped raise money for the Palm Springs
High School music program and marching band, victims of a burglary last
month.

The band played (beautifully) for attendees and students staffed the beverage stations.

The weather was plentiful and most folks seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I don’t expect this to be a one-off event. Cliff is hoping to make this a semi-annual event, and is thinking of incorporating food trucks into other events he organizes.

We had a great time chatting with Inland Empire food truck operators, including Yucaipa-based Stella Pierre’s Gourmet Grub (offering a caramel-Sriracha sauce with chocolate-covered bacon is sheer genius), Apple Valley’s Where’s the Fire? Gourmet Pizza (regulars at Redlands Market Night and the High Desert Farmers Market) and Suite 106 Cupcakery (which had yet another sell-out).

More food truck events are on the horizon, including three later this month. Click the jump to see a list.
Continue reading “Palm Springs Food Truck Festival a big success, more to follow” »

Groupon offering two-for-one tickets to the Palm Springs Food Truck Festival

Thanks to our friends over at [Desi]gn Cakes & Cupcakes for alerting us via Twitter of this:

58126-psfoodtruckfest-thumb-250x130-58125.png

For all you Palm Springs Food Truck Festival fencesitters out there, this deal should push you over the edge.

For the next day and a half, you can get two tickets (general admission or V.I.P) to the festival for the price of one via Groupon.

That’s a savings of either $10 (general admission) or $40 (V.I.P.).

The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (February 4) at the Spa Resort Casino, 401 E. Amado Road.

V.I.P. ticketholders get early admission (10 a.m.), free water and soda, participation in a meet-and-greet with some of the truck operators and entry into drawings for a Las Vegas weekend.

The festival is being curated by Cliff Young, host of KVCR-TV’s Out To Eat, who has lined up 58 trucks (so far) for the event.

This is going to be a big event!

Click here to purchase the deal.

Follow the jump to see which trucks (including I.E.-based Stella Pierre’s Gourmet Grub, Where’s The Fire? Gourmet Pizza, Suite 106 Cupcakery and E & E Pel’s) are scheduled to participate.
Continue reading “Groupon offering two-for-one tickets to the Palm Springs Food Truck Festival” »

Palm Springs Food Truck Festival less than a month away

Pining for a little food truck action?

Willing to take a drive out to the desert?

Then mark your calendar for Saturday, February 4.

That’s when the Palm Springs Food Truck Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Spa Resort and Casino, 401 E. Amado Road.

The event is being created and curated by Cliff Young, host of KVCR’s Out to Eat show.

Cliff is planning to book over 40 trucks to the event. He’s already got an impressive truck lineup in place, including the Ludo Truck, Calbi, Crepes Bonaparte, the White Rabbit truck and the Border Grill truck.

V.I.P. tickets are $40 (plus a $1.99 service fee) and include 10 a.m. early admission, two “free food” vouchers, free water and soda, a post-festival meet and greet mixer with the food truck vendors, and entry into a drawing for a free weekend in Las Vegas.

General admission tickets are $10 (plus a $1.24 service fee).

Tickets are available online by clicking here.

For updates and more information, visit the event’s website, Facebook page or follow on Twitter.

‘Champagne’ on tap at Trio anniversary

Trio Restaurant, 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, will celebrate its second anniversary with a party on Monday (November 7).

An open bar and appetizers will be available from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by regular dinner service and a special musical performance by R&B songstress Evelyn “Champagne” King.

The restaurant is also giving back, with 10% of the dinner service proceeds benefiting the AIDS Assistance Program and the Palm Springs High School Arts Institute program.

Reservations, which are required for dinner, may be made by calling 760-864-TRIO (8746) or at www.triopalmsprings.com.

With a legendary disco diva joining the fun, to miss this party would be a …shame.

Have a Chocolate Affair on Saturday in Palm Springs

Calling all chocoholics!

The Spa Resort Casino Hotel’s newly-renovated Canyon Conference Center will be the place for you from 6 to 9 p.m. this Saturday (October 22) as Cliff Young’s Out To Eat television show presents the Chocolate Affair Palm Springs.

The event will feature tastings and samplings of the finest chocolate desserts, baked goods, confections, beverages and specialty items from some of the best artisan chocolatiers, businesses and restaurants in Southern California.

Your $25 ticket grants you unlimited samplings from such famous names as Los Angeles’ Choclatique, Brandini Toffee, See’s Candy, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, ChocoVine, Over the Rainbow Cupcakes, Kiss My Cakes, Azul Restaurant and Lounge, Lulu California Bistro, Red Tomato, Sherman’s Deli and Bakery, The Steakhouse, Billy Reed’s Restaurant, David Bacco Chocolatier, Harry and David, Java Caliente, Lindt Chocolate RSVP, Marsatta Fancy Chocolates, MetroMint, Sisters Cupcakes by Design, Three Sixty North and Xoai Healthy Chocolate.

Proceeds from the event will benefit AIDS Assistance Program, a non-profit organization that feeds low-income men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS in the Coachella Valley.

Tickets are available online by clicking here.

The Canyon Conference Center is at 100 North Indian Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs.