Johannes Bacher, the owner of Johannes Restaurant in Palm
Springs, may be one of the best
chefs of Austria or maybe he’s not; however, in Palm Springs, I can tell you he
is the best Austrian chef—performing food magic on a continuous basis. Don’t believe me.........well, go
experience Johannes and then you tell me.
He has achieved success in converting the comfort foods of Austria to
casual California fusion, and his restaurant is on another level----maybe even
on another planet. Planet
GREAT!
Let me share an example......mushroom soup with cream
fraiche, roasted shallots and truffle oil, menage a trois lobster, shrimp and
scallops in dressing------sounds simple, not so----all of these dishes are very
complex. Another example---try
the roasted beets with Wisconsin
blue Bill goat cheese, hazelnut oil, pistachios, pink grapefruit, tiny greens,
and yellow bell pepper puree.
For only $9, it is labor intensive (the cost of labor to prepare such a
dish must be at least $9). What a
bargain!
How about a spread for the bread. Rather than the usual
butter, Johannes serves its customers an artichoke, barbanzo beans, basil,
olive oil, salt and pepper combination---all blended together to form a tasty
and delicious spread.
Main dishes include oven roasted duck breast with sautéed
spinach, roasted Bosc pear, alba truffle oil, star anise honey plum sauce;
Australian grass fed beef tenderloin steak with Yukon gold mashed potatoes,
creamed spinach, green Madagascan peppercorn brandy sauce; seared rare spice
crusted ahi with pineapple guava apricot and truffle yaki reduction, stir fried
Napa cabbage, sweet peppers, shiltake; and pancetta wrapped monkfish with
pineapple sauerkraut, roasted fingerling potatoes, chicken mango sausage,
passion mango mustard sauce.
The restaurant is small with less than 25 tables inside and
an enclosed sidewalk patio. Our
centerpiece on the white linen tablecloth was an apple--the decor hip and high
end as described on their Web site.
The 58 degree wine cellar sits in the dining room holding a selection of
over 300 wines from around the world.
There is a wine to please everyone---even the most demanding wine
snob. Don’t care for wine----no
problem----chose a martini from apple strudel to the wild zone.
Johannes is not for everyone. It’s for those who wish to dine and not just to eat. My advice for an exceptional two
hour dining experience: share
gourmet dishes with others who also like to share and drink their fine
wines----all with exceptional service to boot.
Now the best part----the price. Johannes is very affordable. You might even say cheap compared to the food value
served---big city taste and small village cost. That is my kind of restaurant. The complete package.
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