Palm Springs. The perfect getaway for the overworked or out of work Los Angeleno. Surprisingly close, almost as warm as the valley(kidding), and you can tear it up poolside at hot spots like the Ace Hotel - all of a sudden it's 1996 all over again and you are on "The Grind" with Eric Nies.
Palm Spings means you are on vacation and being on vacation means having a few beers in the middle of the day. Beers in the middle of the day can spell fat tab - unless you are at Woody's, where beers run $3 to a whopping $4.50. I can get excited for a $3 bottle of bud, but when a 50 cent upgrade puts you in the company of Stella Artois and Corona, Im singing Macklemore: this is fucking awesome.
Burger simplicity at $5.50
So you know you will be at least three deep when you get to ordering; thanks to those cheap beer prices and the steady stream of country music on the Woody's playlist. Any other place, and you would start to think about where to go next to get your suds soaked grub on, but friends: you are already there. Woody's is the magical combination of dive bar and buzzed burger stand, all in one. What's more is that they are putting together a quality burger with produce bought same day, local bakery buns and they grind their own hamburger. I went for the Woody's Original: 6 oz of Angus beef, green leaf lettuce, a thick slice of tomato and a slather of butter and mayo. Restraint and simplicity. The end result is a burger throwback; what was most likely the norm of roadside diners and stands some 50 years ago.
The bottom line: $5.98 with tax for a burger that had the taste of homemade all over it. Can't say enough for the butter n mayo smeared on the bun, a fine compliment to the fresh ground beef and a perfectly ripe tomato. Medium rare pulled off without a hitch. I do wonder what a slice of cheddar would do, a touch of salt from the cheese could push burger bliss to absolute nirvana and at a mere 50 cent upgrade . . . you still get that bang for the burger buck.
Burger Paradise in a Desert Oasis, with a side of dive bar prices. The people have spoken. Woody's is their choice for burgers, cheap beer and live music. While the front of Woody's is that vintage bright Palm Springs decor you come to expect and love in the desert, the back room is the dark and divey stage for blues and jazz acts at night. Watering hole and late night burger nosh, rolled into one. If you are in Palm Springs, take a break from the rave at the Ace or your eleventh margarita Las Casuelas and head to Woody's for some bang for your burger buck.
