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An Open-Armed Approach to Flavors: The Tropicale Restaurant Review



An Opened-Arm Approach to Flavors:  The Tropicale Restaurant Review





The chefs at The Tropicale offer a wonderful taste of international cuisine.  Menu items include organic, sustainable, vegetarian, and gluten-free options that are full of flavor.  An excellent restaurant for a date, meet up with friends, or birthday celebration.  

The Tropicale has a casual, yet sharp environment.  Founder Tony Di Lembo studied at The Culinary Institute of America, owned Indigo and Tahiti restaurants in Los Angeles, and was a personal chef to celebrities.  The Tropicale originated from Di Lembo’s experiences and appreciation for Mediterranean meets Far East eatery.


  



The experience of owning Tahiti, a kitschy homage to restaurants of the 1960’s, provided the foundation for Di Lembo to build upon.  The island-style restaurant and bar featuring seafood and Asian infusions would become the key elements of The Tropicale that Di Lembo opened with Rob Kuenzi and Ranz Wienert.  The Tropicale Restaurant and Coral Seas Lounge is located in the center of town and is the place to go on a Saturday night.

“Welcome to The Tropicale Restaurant and Coral Seas Lounge® where a chic and sophisticated décor provides the setting for our distinctive ‘world cuisine’, a provocative mix of zesty influences that creates a delightful dining experience in Palm Springs, California.

The Coral Seas Lounge, a hip mid-century style bar is lined with sexy black leather bar-stools and is reminiscent of the upbeat lounges of old Palm Springs.  It wraps around the dining room and leads outside to a lush, tropical, 2000 square foot dining patio where a variety of specialty cocktails and old-school favorites are mixed - an ideal place where friends gather and martinis are sipped under the starlit desert sky.”






Several items on the menu stand out after many years of dining at The Tropicale.


Brown Sugar-Brined Double-Cut Pork Chop with Jalapeño Jelly Bacon Grits, Collard Greens, and Southern Ham Hock Gravy



Crispy Boneless Southern Fried Chicken, marinated in Buttermilk, and Paprika, Corn Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Collard Greens, and Red Eye Gravy

The bread served to each table with olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a treat for the tastebuds.  

Organic Cucumber Martini:  Muddled Cucumbers, Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka, Splash of Saint Germaine

Fiery Dragon:  Grey Goose Orange Vodka, Cointreau, Tangerine, Cranberry Juice, and Lime Juice


Tips

The Tropicale is open for lunch, dinner, Saturday and Sunday brunch, and for happy hour.  Check the restaurant’s website or social media for weekly specials, such as Sushi Sundays.

Peak times occur on weekends and during special events in the city.  

Indoor and outdoor seating available.

Make a reservation and ask for a table on the beautiful, lush patio cooled with misters during the warmer months.  Eating on the patio at night is a personal favorite.

Location:  330 East Amado Road, Palm Springs, California 92262.  This address is within walking distance to shopping, hotels, apartments, bars, clubs, and much more.  Easily accessible by taxi or car service.  

Valet and a small parking lot is available.   




There are numerous dining options across the country.  From New York to ChelseaDallas to San FranciscoOrange County to Los AngelesBeverly Hills to Palm Springs.  Each community with a multitude of restaurants for good eats.  Here is where expert knowledge of cooking, restaurants, and trusted expertise comes in handy.  Many readers rely on Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven as a source for how-to and where-to regarding cookery, culture, and community.  Dine at The Tropicale and enjoy.

Disclaimer: no payment was accepted for editorial coverage.






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The Tropicale Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 


Credits:  facebook. com/pg/thetropicale, thetropicale .com 

Cooking Inspired by Julia Child



Cooking Inspired by Julia Child





No fuss and with a healthy respect for butter and cream.  That is the signature style of famed chef Julia Child.  Home cooks, chefs, and bakers alike were drawn into her television program out of curiosity for how to cook, French cuisine, and simply to learn from a fascinating character.  And people still do.  The continued interest in all things Julia is the foundation for Sur La Table, the gourmet store, to offer cooking classes based on recipes by Julia Child.

Julia Child was a California native from Pasadena.  She later went on to graduate from Smith College, joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II to gather intelligence information, and then attended the Cordon Bleu.  This culinary education gave impetus to write Master the Art of French Cooking and propelled Julia into a television program, The French Chef.





  

One of the reasons Julia Child remains an inspiration and great teacher is that she learned to cook late in life.  She grew up in a wealthy family with a cook.  It was not until her foreign travels and attendance of cooking school that she had to study and understand food, recipes, and cookery herself. 

Julia’s enjoyment of food and revival of home cooking in the 1960s is a lasting legacy and reason for celebrating her birthday through cooking classes by Sur La Table.  “America’s favorite chef, Julia Child helped bring classic French cuisine to the States and in turn inspired a generation of cooks to expand their skills.  August 15th would have been Julia’s 100th birthday, and we’re celebrating her life with this fun, hands-on cooking class.  Our instructor will walk you through the steps of some of Julia’s most popular recipes, including timeless classics from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

The class was a wonderful taste of French food by Julia Child.  Chef Sean Kilpatrick two sous-chefs, under-chefs, brought to life Julia’s cookery.  It was an enjoyable experience to talk about Julia, French cooking, menu planning, and recipes with Chef Sean.  We conferred on changes that could be made to some of the recipes, such as cooking asparagus for less time than Julia recommended, and what items could be served along with what we cooked in class.

In the class of sixteen, it was gratifying to be paired with three others that were such good team players, had good senses of humor, and displayed impressive culinary skill.  As a team we shared in the chopping, stirring, and whisking.  We created very flavorful food through good collaboration.  Chef Sean used our dishes as examples for the rest of the class.  Not only were the dishes delicious, each item had a delectable appearance and had great aroma.

Here is what was on the Sur La Table cooking class menu from the recipes of Julia Child.






Cheese Soufflé (recipe from The Way to Cook by Julia Child) made with finely grated Parmesan cheese, butter, flour, hot milk, paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper, egg yolks, egg whites, and Swiss cheese.

Coquilles Saint Jacques a la Provençale:  Scallops Gratineed with Wine, Garlic, and Herbs (recipe from The Way to Cook by Julia Child) made with yellow onions, butter, shallot, garlic, scallops, salt, pepper, flour, olive oil, white wine, bay leaf, thyme, and Swiss cheese.

Asperges au Naturel avec Hollandaise:  Asparagus with Hollandaise (recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child) made with asparagus spears, salt, butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, butter, and pepper

Chocolate Mousse (recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child) made with egg yolks, fine sugar, orange liqueur, semi-sweet baking chocolate, strong coffee, unsalted butter, glazed orange peel, eggs whites, salt, and granulated sugar.




Click the play button below to watch a video about Julia Child, her place in the history of cookery, and the purpose of her foundation.




Sur La Table is one of the best resources to purchase cooking utensils, “[in] 1972, the first Sur La Table store opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.  It was a place where serious cooks found a surprising selection of culinary tools from around the world, with helpful, knowledgeable employees who loved cooking, too.  We’ve now grown to more than 100 stores across America, with a website and catalog viewed by millions of people each year and a highly regarded cooking class program.  But some things haven’t changed: we’re still the place for an unsurpassed selection of exclusive and premium-quality goods for the kitchen and table.  We’re still passionate about cooking and entertaining, eager to share all we know.”  Taking a class, such as Celebrating Julia Child, at Sur La Table is a wonderful experience.  Bon appetit!







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Credits:  surlatable. com, facebook. com/pg /JuliaChild/about, youtube. com/watch?v=WPoCyag19Wc

A Cool Answer for Where to Eat: Spencer’s Restaurant Review



A Cool Answer for Where to Eat:  Spencer’s Restaurant Review





Spencer’s Restaurant has impressive origins.  The restaurant neighboring the San Jacinto Mountains began with businessman and philanthropist Harold Matzner.  Not only did Matzner open Spencer’s, he assisted with the rebirth of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Palm Springs Tennis Club, and he has received much recognition for his support of charities and foundations such as the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) Assistance Program, Desert Symphony, American Cancer Society, and the Desert Cancer Foundation.  Matzner was also honored with a star that is located near a statue of singer and former mayor Sonny Bono.  

Spencer’s Restaurant is a gem, as it was voted “Best Outdoor Dining, Best Sunday Brunch, Best American Continental Restaurant, Best Breakfast, Best Wine List, [and] Most Romantic.”  The elegant outdoor dining is a majestic experience.  Diners enjoy the site of large trees within a temperature controlled patio.  The ambiance and scenery makes dining at Spencer’s an excellent experience year round.






Spencer’s offers an array of multi-cuisine, continental American favorites.  Items on the menu include such dishes as banana stuffed french toast, spinach and wild mushroom frittata, braised beef "Wellington" sandwiches, apple-walnut salad, wild mushroom risotto, and eggs Benedict.  The service is attentive, making for a good all-around restaurant.  The bonus is the terrific setting, as the restaurant is situated next to a soaring mountain and shaded by tall ficus trees.






Several items on the menu stand out after a couple visits.  


Spinach and Wild Mushroom Frittata with broiled herbed tomatoes

Vegetarian Burger with mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, avocado and mushrooms on a wheat bun.  Served with your choice of bread (including gluten free) toasted or not.  Choice of homemade potato chips, french fries, onion rings, mixed greens, or fruit.

Benedicts are also available with gluten free bread.  All Benedicts are served with roasted fingerling potatoes, broiled herbed tomato, and Hollandaise sauce.

Traditional Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon


Sunday Brunch:  see the drink specials, such as the Cuba Libres made with rum, Coca-Cola, and lime—perfect for summer, the Rose Kennedy made with vodka, cranberry juice, and lime, and mimosas made with champagne and orange juice.

The bread served to each table is a treat for the tastebuds.  


Tips

Spencer’s is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, coffee, and drinks.

Peak times occur on weekends and during special events in the city.  

Spencer’s is a popular place for Sunday brunch.   

Indoor and outdoor seating available.

Make a reservation and ask for a table on the climate controlled patio.

Location:  701 West Baristo Road, Palm Springs, California 92262.

Valet and street parking available.  If parking on the street, beware of the high sidewalks and seek shake during times of high temperatures.




There are numerous dining options across the country.  From New York to ChelseaDallas to San FranciscoOrange County to Los AngelesBeverly Hills to Palm Springs.  Each community with a multitude of restaurants for good eats.  Here is where expert knowledge of cooking, restaurants, and trusted expertise comes in handy.  Many readers rely on Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven as a source for how-to and where-to regarding cookery, culture, and community.  Dine at Spencer's and enjoy.





Disclaimer: no payment was accepted for editorial coverage.


Join the Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven circle:


Spencer's Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 


Credit:  spencersrestaurant. com, facebook. com/pg/Spencers. PalmSprings, https:/instagram. com/spencers _ps/, haroldmatzner. com/

What Constitutes a Good Life?



What Constitutes a Good Life?





Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [Me-High Chick-Sent-Me-High] presents us with an intriguing topic, “What constitutes a good life?  Few questions are of more fundamental importance to a positive psychology.   Flow research has yielded one answer, providing an understanding of experiences during which individuals are fully involved in the present moment.  Viewed through the experiential lens of flow, a good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.”

The human mind is powerful.  Brain study, philosophy, and religion tell us about significant values, reflect a legacy and story of a time and space, support communication, and are complex.  

Studying and executing what you learn can liberate and inspire yourself and others.  You do not need to be a professional scholar to start, although a background in Liberal Studies, the classics, or science is beneficial to provide context to what others have to say about what creates a good life.  

It takes time each day, reading books, experience, and practice to understand and develop a good life.  The research of Csikszentmihalyi, quotes by others, and life experience reveal how we can get into the flow of a good life.  Not that the flow can always be constant.

“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, ‘What makes a life worth living?’  Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of ‘flow.’  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has contributed pioneering work to our understanding of happiness, creativity, human fulfillment and the notion of ‘flow’-- a state of heightened focus and immersion in activities such as art, play and work.




Click the play button to see Csikszentmihalyi’s TedTalk.




Research on flow contributes knowledge to several topics that are of central importance to positive psychology.   In the first place, it illuminates the phenomenology of optimal experience, answering the question, What is it like to live fully, to be completely involved in the moment?  Second, this perspective leads to questions about the long-term consequences of optimal experience: Does the sum of flow over time add up to a good and happy life?   Or only under certain conditions, that is, if the person develops an autotelic personality and learns to enjoy high challenges?  

Furthermore, this line of research tries to unravel the conditions that act as obstacles or facilitators to optimal experience, focusing especially on the most prominent institutions such as the family, schools, and the workplace.  Although it seems clear that flow serves as a buffer against adversity and prevents pathology, its major contribution to the quality of life consists in endowing momentary experience with value.”


Food for Thought

What conclusion can you now draw about living a good life and its impact on your world today?

What books, videos, or articles have you read or watched that support Csikszentmihalyi’s research or provide another perspective?

How would you adapt to some of Csikszentmihalyi’s suggestions about living a good life?







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Credit: www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=social-science, eweaver .myweb.usf.edu/2002-Flow.pdf, youtube.com/watch?v=fXIeFJCqsPs 

Take Inspiration from “Silent” - An Award Winning Short Film about the Power of Kindness



Take Inspiration from “Silent” - 
An Award Winning Short Film about the Power of Kindness





The personal stories of triumph, hard work, and genuine achievement do not always make headline news.  Yet, we take notice when a person is able to break through the minutiae of what often constitutes news.  Lindsey Hunter is one of those rare individuals that makes us take genuine notice.

Award-winning director Lindsey Hunter created “Silent” because she felt close to the topic—as her father is blind.  The film was originally created to enter for a contest.  Unknowingly, Hunter’s father shared the film with her school and from there the film was shared rapidly on the Internet.  

Through “Silent”, Hunter demonstrated how a film can touch many hearts and get many people to pause, reflect, and think.  The message of kindness is conveyed without dialogue, yet through the power of acting and music the message is clear.

Click the play button to watch the film below.  




The last frame of “Silent” is mighty enough to re-read a few times.

“If you’re going to say something mean, don’t say it at all…just stay Silent.” –Lindsey Hunter

For more about Lindsey Hunter and Acorn Productions see:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuR2al878YVSC6q4ILDPVXw





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Credit: https://www. youtube. com/channel/UCuR2al878YVSC6q4ILDPVXw

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Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.