Dream Escape to Palm Springs--but Ditch the Kitchen (and the TV!)

Takeout is a better option--especially if you have a great deli close by, but beware of turning on the news (particularly if there's an attempted coup going on!)

Jeff’s favorite lunch from Sherman’s Deli & Bakery in Palm Springs

It seemed like a good idea at the time—a rented Airbnb in sunny Palm Springs with a hot tub and a fully equipped kitchen. My husband could bask in bubbly turquoise waters to his heart’s content while I stilled my nerves and skirted COVID-19 fears with meals composed of carefully curated food, mostly imported from home.

The kitchen of our rented Airbnb after a good scrubbing.

But, as they say, beware of best-laid plans; they tend to go awry. My “easy” meal of Trader Joe’s pasta and jarred tomato sauce, augmented with onions, mushrooms, red wine and ground turkey, didn’t work so well as a TV dinner. Balanced precariously on Jeff’s knee (no indoor table), it threatened to empty into his lap as we watched aghast the repeated images of domestic insurrectionists storming and sacking our Capitol and terrorizing our legislators on CNN.¹

Donald Trump supporters storming the Capitol, one of the images we saw on TV in our rented Airbnb as we choked down our food. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

The wine I was so looking forward to imbibing with the meal went flying across the spotless kitchen floor, leaving a lake of crimson spirits topped with smashed green glass to mop up before dinner. Then, there was the grand finale—a sink full of dirty dishes— not exactly a romantic centerpiece in my vacation fantasies.

“I said we should have gotten takeout,” Jeff said.

Obviously!

Waiting with a crowd for our takeout order at Sherman’s in Palm Springs.

Just down the street from our rented condo was Sherman’s Deli & Bakery, a Palm Springs institution since 1964. The Sherman’s website says the original owner, Sherman Harris, whose children now run the deli, had moved to Palm Springs from the Midwest in 1953 and at one time had five restaurants/delis in the Palm Springs area. Today there are just two—this one and another in Palm Desert.

On previous occasions, we’d dined well on matzo ball soup and pastrami on rye, sitting comfortably at one of the many tables inside. With California’s strict ban on indoor and outdoor dining,² everything had switched to takeout. But, unlike so many businesses we observed on Palm Canyon Drive that were either vacant or struggling, Sherman’s seemed to be the most popular place in town, with lines of people waiting either to order food or for pick-up.

Still, as we’ve heard many stories about the death of the Jewish deli in New York and elsewhere, and, more broadly, the permanent closure of so many restaurants in the midst of this pandemic, my heart (and my stomach!) did a little dance as we waited for our food and watched the anomaly (these days anyway) of what appeared to be a thriving business.

We opted for takeout lunches by the pool—twice—with Jeff going for his favorite meal both times, grilled cheese, fries and a pickle. A kosher hotdog on a egg bun with baked beans was my pick one day, chicken noodle soup another, and, of course, there was room for dessert—and the temptation of a pastry case full of freshly baked desserts easily overcame a few weak New Year’s resolutions.

Some of Sherman’s wide array of pastries.

I skipped the delectable looking eclairs, tarts and Napoleons—all baked in-house, I was assured—for some rugelach, feeling somewhat competitive after baking my own. After heating them up briefly in the microwave, I had to admit Sherman’s were delicious—and expertly shaped! Clearly I’ll have to work on my technique.

We tore ourselves away from the TV to visit Indian Canyons, ancestral home of the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians and a lovely hiking spot. With few visitors, it was easy to stay physically distant and, for a moment, enjoy a welcome respite from the drumbeat of shocking news.

Indian Canyons, Palm Springs

Then it was back to our digs for more nonstop “entertainment” from CNN and MSNBC—news of the election of two Democratic Senators from Georgia turning the Senate blue, drowned out by the ongoing drama of terror and mayhem at the Capitol. Will violence be the new American norm when election results don’t go the way some voters expect? No, never! As so many have said, America is better than this. I certainly hope and believe so.³

Meanwhile, I definitely needed more wine (white this time), more hot tub soaking and some matzo ball soup before we headed back to LA!

Ah, if only food, drink, glorious scenery—and a good long soak—could solve the world’s problems!

Jeff taking a final soak before we traveled back to reality.

Thanks for reading this edition of Ruthtalksfood. If you enjoyed it, please hit like to let me know, or leave a comment or suggestion for future topics. To receive these posts in your inbox, don’t forget to subscribe.

1. Of course we had no idea on that January day that this attempted coup would turn into an ongoing lie that the election of Joe Biden was illegitimate and end 232 years of the peaceful transfer of power in the U.S.

2. I’m rereading this on Jan. 6, 2025 and remembering how worried we were about COVID and how isolated. For a time, there was a ban on both indoor and outdoor dining, which was soon eased after vaccines became widely available.

3. After the re-election of Donald Trump, I’m still hoping I’m right about this.