Dinner last night at Rooster and the Pig (https://www.roosterandthepig.com), which I’d definitely recommend if you’re eating in Palm Springs. Vietnamese-American — be aware that they don’t take reservations and you’ll likely have a wait — we came early, around 5:30, and still ended up waiting about 45 minutes, I think, and I think you’d have a longer wait if you came later.
BUT, they have an accompanying lounge right next door, where you can go in and fuel up with pre-dinner drinks, sitting down even, if you’re lucky, so that works out very nicely (and is a smart plan — I bet that’s more profitable for them than a larger restaurant would have been. Clever people).
It was a little dark for taking decent food photos, sorry about that. (Except for one pic taken with a phone as flashlight. 
)
But I enjoyed:
– the Saigon 75 gin & passionfruit cocktail (refreshing, tangy)
– tea salad (fresh, crispy, loaded with flavor and umami, great starter, highly recommended)
– Vietnamese crispy rolls (ground pork, wood ear, jicama, glass noodles) — a little rich for me, I’m not so much a crispy roll fan generally, but they were tasty and well done
– salt and pepper calamari with a sriracha mayo dipping sauce (just a little spicy, kind of perfect)
– pork belly fried rice with Vietnamese sausage (tasty, but also a little rich and salty for me)
– panko-crusted chicken stuffed curry ball (this was fun, a giant ball arriving in a bed of coconut milk, but I probably wouldn’t get it again, as it’s mostly rice and crust, with a little chicken in the center; I’d rather have a mostly-protein curry)
– shaking beef (really liked the flavors in this! and the meat was tender and plentiful)
If I were going back, I’d definitely get the tea leaf salad and the shaking beef again, and then try out some of the other intriguing items on the menu. But it was overall a yummy and varied meal. And those lanterns hanging in the lounge — totally charming!
