A little over an hour’s drive east-northeast of our base in Lake Elsinore was the fabled area of Palm Springs, playground of the rich, home to Rat Packers Frank and Dean, and based on social media posts a favorite resort for a couple of California people I know. The city is pop culture famous, having been mentioned in countless TV shows, and quite sure in more than a few films, and I looked forward to seeing what the reality was for myself. We got there around 1 p.m. still in time for lunch and late enough to avoid the noon rush, and went straight to the much-reviewed Farm for a decent Palm Springs meal.

With its polished Main Street and gorgeous, forbiddingly private estates, Palm Springs was beautiful on the surface. As outsiders with little time and perseverance, however, it was hard to dig deep into what made the city tick and after driving around the deserted neighborhoods surrounding Main Street we called it a day.

As for lunch, Farm was one of the better ones in this trip so far, not extravagant in the least and relaxed as any leisurely lunch could be. The service level of the places we’ve been to so far, from IHOPs to bistros to out of the way eateries, has been consistently friendly, I’m sure mainly because of the service tip factor but to be fair I think as well due to the genial nature of the people we’ve met – far and away much nicer than in most places in Europe. Farm wasn’t any different, and if Palm Springs were in the horizon again, it would surely be a contender for a leisurely lunch any day.