Kitchen Ten Eleven at Trilogy Golf Club

PERCHED STEPS from the freshly renovated fairways of Trilogy Golf Club at La Quinta, Kitchen Ten Eleven has quietly become a clubhouse dining destination the Coachella Valley needed: polished but unpretentious, modern in design and — critically — built for golfers and guests who want an elevated, no-fuss meal after battling the proverbial gorse and heather.

The restaurant is the product of the community-led revival and purchase (alongside management gurus BlueStar Resort & Golf) of the club, which is bouncing back gloriously after its 2022 bankruptcy and closure.

Walk in and you’ll immediately notice the fresh, mid-century-modern touches — clean lines, warm wood, low-slung lighting — that quietly nod to Palm Springs design without feeling kitschy. Large windows frame the course and create a breezy indoor-outdoor flow that’s perfect for late-afternoon cocktails or sunset dinners.

On a recent early evening visit, the room filled with a mixture of bantering locals, club members in polos and sundresses and a few visiting hackers unwinding over a cold beer or three — exactly the genial mix you want at a golf-adjacent hangout.

Service strikes a comfortable balance between clubby attentiveness and neighborhood hospitality: knowledgeable, friendly servers can recommend a pairing from the curated wine list or walk you through a seasonal special without sounding scripted. Turnover is steady but not rushed — ideal for someone who wants to linger over back nine highlights without feeling pushed out. And flatscreens are tuned in to gridiron grudges and anything else one can wager one’s last dollar on without heading for one of the nearby casinos to bet double-zero at midnight. Good luck with that.

“HAPPY HOUR IS A VERITABLE BARGAIN, WITH CRISPY WINGS AND A CREDIBLE MARGHERITA PIZZA TO ACCOMPANY THE HOUSE WINE AND WELL COCKTAILS.”

The cooking team favors a modern California approach: There’s a half-pound Angus burger, dubbed the “Millionaire,” personal house-baked pizzas and updated takes on mains — seasonal fish, composed salads and a few shareable plates that do well for a table of four.

Standouts during my visit included a grilled shrimp Caesar salad that was not shy with the anchovies and the ubiquitous crispy Brussels sprouts, flavored nicely with candied bacon, balsamic vinegar and grated parmesan. Cocktail hour was at hand, so I ordered my go-to Paloma, upgraded here with Hornitos reposado tequila, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice and prosecco. I’d come back for that heady ambrosia alone.

There’s a modest but sensible wine list and a handful of local craft beers on draft, including La Quinta Brewing Co.’s “Even Par” IPA, a crisp and balanced, hoppy brew with distinct citrus and pine notes. How could I not give love to a golf-themed local draft while in the brewer’s hometown? Respect shown.

Prices are reasonable for the market: not cheap, but set in a way that suits semi-affluent golfers looking for quality without theatrical markups or unpronounceable vintages. Hey, I didn’t come to the desert to practice my rusty college French!

Happy hour is a veritable bargain, with crispy wings and a credible margherita pizza to accompany the house wine and well cocktails.

We also enjoyed the shaved prime rib French dip sandwich at an outdoor terrace lunch the next day, graced by caramelized onions and gruyere cheese and flanked by some world-class crispy onion rings. Yep, double onion overdose midday and I was more than ready to shank one off the first tee, which I predictably did following the sumptuous repast.

For the record, the golf course is in fine fettle, thanks to BlueStar and architect Gary Brawley, who worked with Gary Panks on the original design. The bunkers have been reshaped and rebuilt, the Bermuda fairways are cushiony and lush, and the “Skins” tees have been restored to where Tiger and Phil used to fire away from when the course hosted the televised Skins Game event from 2003-2006.

The food and golf are highly recommended, but so is the backstory: 1,011 residents buy the club’s assets out of bankruptcy and commit multimillions to bring it back to vibrant life. “The homeowners,” said board of directors president Mark Reider, “have poured their hearts into this project, and we couldn’t be prouder of the result.”