Hot New Dining Destination Hits Palm Springs
Author:Lindsey ShookOriginally an O.C. boy, chef Michael Beckman completed his culinary training in Lyon, France, before working in some of the most elite kitchens in Berlin and Burgundy. But he eventually found his way back to the West Coast, and after a successful stint as a private chef in Los Angeles, he headed out to the desert. He’s been a Palm Springs transplant since 2005, and last September he opened Workshop Kitchen+Bar, arguably the hottest dining destination east of Idyllwild.
In addition to the phenomenal food (farm-to-table fare with ingredients fresh from the Palm Springs, La Quinta and Palm Desert farmers markets), the striking design has tourists and locals alike clamoring for a table in the usually fully booked space. Beckman and his business partner, Joseph Mourani, hired Soma Architects to transform the interior of a historic Spanish colonial building into a sleek, modern restaurant featuring smoky gray concrete walls, black leather seating and soaring white trusses accenting the 27-foot-high cathedral ceilings. “We knew we either had to create a striking juxtaposition with the existing style or just go with what was there,” says Beckman.
Today, except for the exterior and its red tile roof, there’s hardly a speck of the Old World left—save for the Workshop Negroni, one of the many updated classic cocktails being mixed up behind the bar.
Workshop Negroni | Photo courtesy of Workshop Kitchen+Bar
Make it at home!
Workshop Negroni
1 oz Campari
1 oz Italian vermouth (Beckman recommends Carpano Antica Formula)
1 oz Broker’s London Dry Gin
Pour all three ingredients into an ice-filled glass and stir for 45 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe or a double old-fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
