{GBF Life + Style + Travel + Food} If These Walls Could Talk

I'm going back to Palm Springs in less than two weeks for a crazy Coachella weekend and am quite sure the experience will not be antecedent to my most recent flee to PS as that trip centered around rest, peace, and sleep. While at the Parker Hotel, we spent hours cocooned inside the hotel's thirteen acre grounds sinking into the calming folds of the desert retreat. The walls of the hotel has weathered an impressive seventy year history. Once Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch estate, it was, for a time, the Merv Griffin Resort, then the Givenchy Hotel and Spa, and now, after a substantial renovation by designer Jonathan Adler, it’s back as The Parker. Its eclectic blend of periods and references is an Adler trademark as the Mod Sixties, the hippie Seventies, and the Hollywood Rat Pack vibe that Palm Springs is known for are flaunted throughout the hotel.

During the day, we strolled the grounds, dipped in the pool, played croquet, and battled our minds moving life size chess pieces. At night, old Hollywood beckoned behind the velvet curtains of Mister Parker, an opulent hideout serving amazing French fare. We started with the sea as New Zealand oysters and tuna tartare with creme fraiche and quail egg lined our appetites. Then, an amazing rendition of French onion soup warmed my body from head to toe. Melt-in-your mouth lamb shank and fresh scallops took their place as the main attractions. The meal ended on a sweet note as an amazing banana foster generously layered with ice cream perfectly complimented the peanut butter mousse.

Throughout the spectacular meal, I kept looking up and around me convinced I had gone back in time hopeful that Marilyn and Frank were just a few steps behind the velvet curtains. Old Hollywood is alive at The Parker.