A Great Night at Johnny Costa's Ristorante

Guide Dogs of the Desert volunteers at Johnny Costa's

Tuesday night it was my pleasure to have dinner at the best Italian restaurant in Palm Springs: Johnny Costa's Ristorante. Many of you know I am a bit of a foodie, and enjoy a good meal. I dine out regularly and have my local favorites here in the desert. I've liked Johnny Costa's for years because it is a family owned-and-operated restaurant with great food. But this night was even more special to me; Johnny Costa's held a fundraiser to benefit National Guide Dog Month, since one of the beneficiaries is the Palm Springs based Guide Dogs of the Desert. Johnny Costa's donated 15% of the in-dining check for every guest on Tuesday evening, which was very generous. Earlier in the day I was a guest on local radio station KNEWS FM 94.3 on the Lee Rayburn show to talk about the guide dog benefit at Johnny Costa's. It was great to see the community support for local events and organizations.

Regular readers know that I've been involved in fundraising for National Guide Dog Month through my employer, Natural Balance, so I was especially happy to see a local Palm Springs business giving back to our community. During the evening, several guide dog users and volunteers were on hand with guide dogs to give locals the opportunity to learn more about what it takes to train a guide dog. 

While I was eating, I noticed a blind woman and her guide dog arrived for dinner; her guide dog brought her right to her table, and sat quietly at her feet. I wondered how she would handle the menu and decide what to eat, knowing that she was blind. I learned from a waiter that earlier in the day she had visited the restaurant's website and used some special software that read the menu to her, so she had made her choice for dinner before she arrived at the restaurant, isn't that cool?

Whether you live locally here in the Palm Springs area, or plan to visit on vacation, be sure to check out Johnny Costa's, they have delicious food and are really nice people too! Incidentally, Johnny Costa himself was a personal chef to Frank Sinatra, so the restaurant has some very cool history and ties to our community here. 

And a special thanks to Vince at Johnny Costa's Ristorante for his generosity and support for the Guide Dogs of the Desert and National Guide Dog Month.