A Report From The Grandest Restaurant Opening Ever
Leslie Kelly, Forbes, January 29 2024
Artist Jo Hay’s paintings of Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas at the new restaurant Alice B. in Palm Springs, CA (Photo: Anne Fishbein)
Renowned chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s launch of their latest — Alice B. in Palm Springs — featured fantastic food, live music, moving speeches and... wait for it, a sassy synchronized swimming performance.
It was all part of the official debut of the first of its kind 55-plus LGBTQ+ apartment community, a stylish development with a whole lot of heart. Here’s what you missed.
Welcome to Living Out
Palm Springs embraces it reputation as a mecca for Gays and Grays, so it’s especially fitting that Living Out would plant its inaugural rainbow flag in this vibrant community. The development realizes the vision of its founders, Loren Ostrow and Paul Alanis, the principals of the development firm, KOAR International, who were determined to provide a warm, welcoming environment.
During the grand opening party, guests were invited to check out the resort-style amenities from a comfy coffee shop to an art room, gym and movie theater. The floor plans are generously sized and enjoy spectacular desert views. All-inclusive monthly rent starts around $4,000.
The centerpiece of this gem is Alice B., named for the life partner of writer Gertrude Stein. That’s Alice B. Toklas’s portrait hung next to Ms. Stein’s. The gorgeous paintings by British-American artist Jo Hay set the welcoming tone for the handsome dining room.
It wasn’t necessarily an easy path to negotiate this project. During the ribbon cutting and speech making portion of the program, Feniger and Milliken talked about their initial reluctance to get on board, a hesitation driven by the challenges of doing business during the pandemic and the feeling that with a large number of restaurants to run, they had enough on their hands.
Yet, the developers and marketing guru LuAnn Boylan — who serves on the board of the LGBT Center in Los Angeles with Feniger — made a convincing case. So, here the chef duo are making history again. The two have been groundbreakers since the 1980s, a sometimes bumpy journey beautifully captured in the documentary Susan Feniger Forked! That film made by Feniger’s wife, Liz Lachmann, has been garnering glowing reviews on the festival circuit.
During the formal ribbon cutting ceremony, there were moving speeches including supportive words from Palm Springs mayor Jeffrey Bernstein and Senator Barbara Boxer, but the most poignant address came from Living Out resident Katherine Forrest, 85. The award-winning author spoke about the heartbreaking challenges of growing up as a lesbian and the joy she has found living at Living Out. There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience when she had finished. (A copy of her speech is featured on Living Out’s Instagram.)
Now, about that mouthwatering Mediterranean menu
During the Living Out launch, guests were greeted by congenial waitstaff passing appetizers and pretty glasses of Aperol spritz. Oh, look, there’s Milliken roaming around with gin and tonic Jell-O shots. The festive mood turned up a notch when the Water Lilies made their entrance by the pool. Even though the temps were bordering on chilly, they took the plunge and tickled the appreciative crowd with their syncronized swimming strokes to the 1960s classic “Fever”.
When the party moved inside, staff gracefully wove through the space with trays of savory bites that offered a preview of the menu Feniger and Milliken cooked up and executive chef Lance Velasquez and his crew prepared with aplomb. Among the greatest hits offered that evening:
Cashew cream cheese stuffed Medjool Dates
Herb arancini
Chopped chicken liver on crostini with pickled kumquats and toasted hazelnuts
Three cheese and crispy pepperoni flatbread
Ahi Tuna tartare on crispy wontons
There was a mezze bar loaded with including classic chickpea hummus, Baba Ghanoush, labneh, feta cheese, marinated olives, marinated Spanish artichokes, marinated beans, cherry cacao crackers, rosemary thyme crackers, pear butter, peppadew peppers, boquerones, dried figs, dolmas, Marcona almonds and winter crudités.
Grilled skewers were cooked on the outdoor grills and savory snacks such as sumac and extra virgin olive oil season popcorn and a mix of toasted nuts including pepitas were served at the bar.
Finishing up the spectacular casual feast was a selection of sweets: Straus Family Creamery’s vanilla soft serve with crispy sesame seed clusters, Straus Family Creamery’s chocolate soft serve with Luxardo cherries and toasted coconut flakes, mini coconut apricot paja Cookies featuring shaved coconut, dried apricots, pecans and chocolate chunks. The Alice B. brownies were especially popular among the appreciative crowd.
Alice B., is currently serving dinner and a bar menu Wednesday through Sunday, with extended hours and meal options set to expand soon.