On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Palm Springs I stopped in at Melvyn's Restaurant at the Ingleside Inn for lunch. Melyvn's gained popularity by being Frank Sinatra's favorite local spot for the many years he lived in Palm Springs. I was excited about the chance to go have a meal where the Rat Pack, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Dina Shore, and many other names from Hollywood's golden age ate.
If you plan on coming here there are a couple things you should know in advance. First, reservations are always required, even for lunch. Second, men are required to wear a collared shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes. The guys working here seemed like they would enforce these rules vigorously so don't stroll in off the street in jeans and expect to get served.
When I got there about noon on Saturday the place was relatively empty. We sat on the enclosed patio and had a great view outside.
The rest of the decor inside hints of Hollywood's golden era. It is a style I would call classic Californian. It doesn't look like they have changed anything since they opened. The way things look now is likely the same way Frank would remember it.
The staff I saw consisted of older men who took their job extremely seriously. The service was very good and they had a good sense of humor. I ordered the Steak Venetian and the endless champagne. I waited patiently wondering how good the food was to have such a famous clientele.
The presentation of the food was great. The taste was very good, but not what I would consider truly exceptional. This is not in the same league as other celebrity haunts like say, Spago. However, the meal was satisfying, very reasonably priced, and the environment was very relaxing.
While all the famous people of yesteryear are long gone, and certainly not cool enough now for new Hollywood, I still would suggest making this a stop if you are in Palm Springs.
Our universe is filled with numbers. They impact our lives and our very existence. Below are a few of my favorite "numbers" based observations that relate to success.
- The 10,000 Hour Rule - I have written about this rule previously. It takes 10,000 hours of study to truly master a skill.
- The 80/20 Principle (Pareto Principle) - 80% of effects come from 20% of the causes. For Example: 80% of sales come from 20% of your product offerings.
- Your IQ will determine your future - A person with an IQ of 116 or more can do almost any job. See Table 1 here.
- Your education will determine your future salary - $31,539/year for high school graduates, $56,078/year for college graduates, $100,000/year for professional degrees. See the full chart here.
- Edison's 10,000 Failures - Edison went through many failures while trying to invent the light bulb. Sometimes you have to endure multiple failures in the pursuit of success.
- The average millionaire goes bankrupt 3.5 times - read more here.
- 52% of Americans believe that rich people gained their wealth through hard work - read more here.
- 86% of millionaires are self-made - read more here.
For years I've wanted to go to Philadelphia and put their famous cheese steak places to the test. Finally I was able to fly in for a few days and settle my curiosities once and for all.
My first stop was Pat's King of Steaks. I ordered the cheesesteak with cheese whiz and onions (whiz wit). The sandwich was amazingly good. The bread and onions were especially good.
After Pat's I walked across the street to the flashy Geno's Steaks for a whiz wit. The steak was thinly sliced, instead of chopped like Pat's. I did not care for that as much. The bread and onions were not as good as Pat's, but the cheese whiz was better than Pat's.
The next day I ate a whiz wit at Tony Luke's. The meat and cheese whiz were better than Pat's and Geno's. Pat's bread and onions were better than Tony Luke's.
My last stop was Jim's Steaks for another whiz wit. The line was incredibly long and it took about 45 minutes to finally sit down and eat. I had the highest hope for Jim's since the locals highly praised it.
And they were right. Jim's had everyone else beat in every category (bread, steak, whiz, onions). The steak at Jim's was truly crave worthy. If I could only have one cheese steak in Philly I would choose Jim's.
So here is how I would rate everyone:
1. Jim's Steaks - 9.5 / 10
2. Pat's / Tony Luke's (tie) - 8.5 / 10
3. Geno's - 7.5 / 10
On a side note: I did cheese whiz on all of my sandwiches but from what I gathered from the locals provolone and ketchup seems to be the more "local" way to have a cheese steak.
Enjoy!
