Catalan Mediterranean CuisineRepurposed buildingWe liked the Thai restaurant that used to be In this building but Catalan is a worthy successor. We loved the food and liked the environment. We also loved the guitar player although we heard nearby patrons complaining that the music was too loud. I guess music is never too loud when you are enjoying it as we were.6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMPleasant and tastyOverall, my partner and I enjoyed dinner at Catalan very much. The bread, pâté, and olives were delicious, as was my blood orange margarita. My gazpacho and his mussels were excellent, although he commented that other restaurants in the desert give you more for your money than Catalan. My scallops were excellent in their unusual vegetable concoction bed. However, my partner found his paella too salty. In all fairness, though, our server graciously offered to have the kitchen provide him with a replacement paella, which he declined to do. My passion fruit sorbet and his custard were appropriate desserts after such a copious meal.6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMRestaurant week romanceMy boyfriend and I were in Palm Springs for a quick getaway mini-vacation, timed to coincide with restaurant week. We separately picked out Catalan as our dining choice, and were not disappointed. We were seated in the inner courtyard, but could still hear the flamenco-playing guitarist. There was a half-price wine menu as well as the prix fixe meal - we were happy! The gazpacho was incredible and we hope to recreate it at home - made with fennel, roasted heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers... soooo good! The chicken jidori was moist; the trout wrapped in bacon with a corn relish was tasty but the bacon was mainly fat and could not be eaten. The passion fruit sorbet and molten chocolate cake in combination for dessert were great.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat mealCame for restaurant week on May 31, 2013. Got $38.00 special. Fantastic! HUGE portions!!!!!!!! We had the paella and the duck wrapped trout and we have enough food for an whole second meal.5/31/2013 12:00:00 AMfood with a flairchicken liver appetizer was a bit unusual, however the taste and crunchiness was delectable. paella was terrific, with lots of shrimp, mussels, calamari, chicken and sausage. my wife had trout for her entree and it was also delicious and somewhat different with a corn dish with pancetta - excellent! desserts were to die for - rice pudding with pistachios and catalan cream topped off an excellent dinner experience.5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMA memorable Birthday DinnerCatalan is a wonderful place to eat a delicious meal with friends. The food is wonderful, the staff attentive, and a wine list for very good wines under 25.00 is a great deal. We visited the bar for the first time, and it was busy with most of the bar stools and tables filled. A list of tapas that are very true to the Spanish roots of the restaurant were excellent.
This was our second time at Catalan and we will be back.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMBeautiful dining experienceCatalan has a wonderful ambience with an original and eclectic menu. The staff is very friendly and attentive and the decor is bright and airy, all combining to create a beautiful dining experience.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMTrying a bit too hardThe chef is sourcing great ingredients and is presenting them in creative imaginative ways. Many of the dishes suffered from maybe one too many ingredients. The gazpacho was an exception, it was perfectly executed.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMBravo!Amazing place and it's going to go on our list of favorites! The Catalan Paella for two was better than any we had in Spain. Service was impeccable. Staff was very friendly.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMThere were three couples celebratinThere were three couples celebrating three birthdays. Service was outstanding...each course served by three servers at the same time and to the correct diner. Food was great...Four of us had the delicious Veal Skirt Steak, one Scallop entree and one pasta entree. All of us enjoyed everything... We'll be back!!!4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious food, great service.Delicious food, great service. Just a delightful evening.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWe liked the ambiance andWe liked the ambiance and appreciated the friendliness as soon as we stepped in the door.
The bar area was busy and looked inviting, but we went directly to our table. The hostess and waitress were both very helpful and knowledgeable, and our paella, sangria, and desserts were all excellent and plentiful.
We will gladly return.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMA really unique menu withA really unique menu with a wonderfully imaginative take on dishes. The staff were extremely friendly and courteous. The prix-fix menu was a great value with copious portions. Can't wait to return!4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMThe facility is georgous!The facility is georgous! The food very tasty and presented beautifully.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMPaella is to die for. ThePaella is to die for. The absolute best we ever had. Patio is great.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent food. It was veryExcellent food. It was very nice to meet the chef/owner. Service was not as good. We had to ask for water several time, cocktails/wine took a long time to arrive, and our waiter never returned to the table after taking our order.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of our favorites! GreatOne of our favorites! Great patio dining with music. Inside is beautiful too but so nice to sit outside. The food is Spanish with great Spanish wines. Favorite dish is the seared scallops. Chef Drew Davis combines great flavors. Our party had the Jidori Chicken and the skirt steak also.. Also loved their meals.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of the best in Rancho Mirage.We hosted a small meeting at Catalan Restaurant and the wait staff was amazingly aware of when to disrupt us and when to hold back. The food was superb (I had the trout), the service was very receptive to our needs and the bar provided a perfect bonus to our meeting and meal. All in all, an experience I will repeat and recommend.4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMA truly Mediterranean diningA truly Mediterranean dining experience. Very well prepared dishes, very good service. The paella, as well as the bronzino were outstanding dishes. Worth a second visit.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMIt has vastly improved fromIt has vastly improved from our first visit last year. Kudo's3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways great!Love this restaurant. Family run and food is marvelous.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect PaellaAs always, the food was superb. If you love Paella, this is the place! The special coctail of the night - Pear Mojito, was great. Our server was stunning, delightful, knowledgeable, but not intrusive. (I don't remember her name, just that she used to be an investment banker!) I was there with my most improtant customer and his wife. She informed us that one of the dishes we ordered was going to take about 20 minutes more, and so she offered us olives and pate to tide us over! That was brilliant; the mark of a top notch restaurant. Thank you Catalan for a perfect evening.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a wonderful evening.We had a wonderful evening. Seated in a booth with guitar music coming from the patio,we had excellent service so good that we never experienced any pause in the smooth orchestration of the meal.
First course chicken liver was to die for and the steak and scallops were cooked just right. Accompanying vegetable were delicious-spininch and a medley of perhaps endive and mushrooms.
Best meal we have had in the Desert in many years!3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMFinally a restaurant is hereWhile dining in the desert for over 40 years finally a restaurant that has connected all the dots, the food coupled with the service and a very prompt reservation system that gets this restaurant a 5 star for knowing what they are doing. The only complaint was the Paella was absent the Saffron. We are eager to get back and try the Tappas.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMThis is high quality cuisine:This is high quality cuisine: both the classical paella and the veal skirt-steak entrees were exceptional, as was the garlic/fried spinach soup. Staff were out-going, relaxed, confidant, competent and friendly without being intrusive. This was my first time there; it is quite expensive, so I won't be able to go very often; but price scale is not unreasonable, given the quality/creativity/originality of the cuisine. The chef + manager/owner must be especially knowledgeable & worked in or lived in Catalon~ia.: a region of the world not known by name to many of my friends! For northern end [kind of] of Valley, this is a rare, exceptional restaurant. Acoustic quitarist was first-rate too...3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent restaurant. We'reExcellent restaurant. We're up for it every 2 weeks or so.3/11/2013 12:00:00 AMVery enjoyable, relaxing,Very enjoyable, relaxing, unusual and delicious menu choices.3/11/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful happy hour dealsWonderful happy hour deals IN THE BAR. Delicious food. Great service. Enjoyed the evening sitting at the bar. Yummy sangria. We had the 3 course prix-fixed dinner (in the bar). Osso bucco was savory and generous - brought some home. The paella was absolutely stunning. Loaded with all the good stuff. Brought some of that home also. Generous portions.3/4/2013 12:00:00 AMMarvelous!This was our first time here after Bangkok Five in this location closed, and we will definitely be back. The four of us each had a different entree, and all the food was amazing. I shared the flatbread with chicken liver and pears with one of the others (the other 2 don't care for chicken liver) and it was incredibly delicious and would have been a meal for one person and perfect to share with the whole table as an appetizer. I recommend the rainbow trout with the spinach, can't wait to go back and have it again!1/24/2013 12:00:00 AM