Food Fit for the King: Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant
Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant is much more than its no-frills name suggests. Opened in 2003 in La Quinta, California, APR combines outstanding food and excellent service with a collection of memorabilia from Arnie’s illustrious golf career that can’t be found anywhere else, not even at his Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Florida.
Hundreds of framed photos and countless other mementos—almost a thousand in all— fill the walls and shelves of The Palmer Room, The Lounge and separate dining rooms dedicated to each of the majors Arnie won.
A framed Green Jacket is the focal point of The Masters Room, and highlighting the U.S. Open Room is a 3-foot-by-4-foot enlargement of Arnie’s famous follow-through after he tossed his visor upon winning the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills.
The flag from No. 18 at St. Andrews, signed by Arnie, is part of the collection in The British Open Room; so too, a photo of Arnie and wife with the Queen of England, the Duke of Edinburgh, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura.
Replicas of Arnie’s U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, Masters and Claret Jug trophies greet arrivals in the foyer. A large patio accommodates outside dining—with a putting green a few steps away. Guests are welcome to stroke a few, and often do.
Dinner entrées include steaks and seafood, but General Manager Dustin Nichols emphasizes, “the core of the menu has always been Mr. Palmer’s favorite comfort foods from his travels around the world.” That explains the Montgomery Inn Ribs from Cincinnati. “The meatloaf is a Palmer family recipe.”
Don’t be surprised to see Arnie himself tucking into a Filet Mignon Beef Stroganoff or a Latrobe Banana Split. He often spends much of January and February at his home at nearby Traditions Golf Club and visits the restaurant two or three times a week.
arnoldpalmersrestaurant.com; 760-771-4653
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