Taco Maria Michelada at Ace Hotel Palm Springs, Our Drink of the Week!


Last week, I was lucky enough to eat at King’s Highway, the official diner for the Ace Hotel Palm Springs. The stay, of course, was fabulous, but what brought me there was the debut of Taco Maria’s Carlos Salgado and executive chef Carlo Guaradado, formerly of Playground. God bless those guys: Whereas everyone thought the new King’s Highway (and adjoining Amigo Room) would just be Taco Maria 2.0, Salgado and Guaradado teamed up to create a spectacular Alta California diner, complete with hefty burgers, huitlacoche butter-laced steak frites, and too many other beauties to mention here—so check out my review online, wontcha? For the drinks, Salgado has enlisted Alejandro Pareja, formerly of Hammer Bar (quick aside: what’s with this OC culinary migration to the desert?). He’s already brought his skills to the cocktails, and much more is on the way. In the meanwhile, get a bit of the mothership with the Taco Maria Michelada.

Pareja makes the mix: a deep, savory, slightly spicy elixir that combines perfectly with the can of Modelo they give you. Y’all know my aversion to beer; I drank the Taco Maria Michelada like it was Cactus Cooler. Congrats to Salgadado, Guaradado, and Pareja—now, let’s all trek to Palm Springs and get borracho at the Ace!

King’s Highway at Ace Hotel Palm Springs, 701 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, (760) 325-9900; www.kingshighwaydiner.com

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