Sushi, Palm Spring Style

Saturday night we went out for sushi with friends to Okura restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. I wouldn't say I'm the world's biggest sushi fan, but I enjoy it from time to time. As long as there is nothing too exotic, like sea urchin or anything still alive or with eyes on it. For some reason on Saturday I had a hankering for good sushi. Okura is a locally owned sushi place with two locations in the Coachella Valley, although I've only ever been to the Palm Springs location. The decor is hip and contemporary, in fact it looks more like it belongs in LA or NY than our tiny desert community. Aside from excellent quality sushi, I love the vibe and energy of the place. It has great mood lighting, lively music and cozy seating makes for an ideal night out. As it was still somewhere around 500 degrees out at 7:30 PM, we elected to dine inside. I had a refreshing vodka martini to start things off. I figure the vodka kills any potential bad things from eating raw fish. The four of us were in a jovial mood and had a great time. We ordered way too much food. Miso soup, cucumber salad, edamame, sashimi, sushi, and four specialty rolls, sliced into 8 pieces per roll. So we had 32 slices of rolls, plus 12 pieces of sushi and 18 pieces of sashimi. We finished it all. Yup, four little piggies.

above: this alone would have been plenty of food for the four of us. But of course we had far more than just this. It was a fun evening. No room for coffee or desert though, which is a pity. If you ever get to Palm Springs, I'd recommend Okura, it is worth the trip!

-Rick Rockhill