SO OFTEN, WHEN PLANNING A TRIP, we look to the food first. After all, we'll be dining out pretty much constantly, if we don't have a kitchen to call our own for the duration of our jaunt, and trying regional foodstuffs or talked-about tastes is often at the top of a traveler's must-do list. There are those notable go-to-them experiences, though, where the first topic considered is not the food, surprisingly, but another aspect of the destination and what it delivers. Take the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, for example. First up? People are looking at who will be on the stages over the two-weekend-long desert-based extravaganza. Are their favorite bands playing, will there be a surprise reunion, is there an up-and-comer that piques the interest. But, soon after, Coachella goers will start wondering about the vittles, the quaffs, who'll be out at the Empire Polo Club rocking the spatulas and whisks and mini fridges. And that aspect grows in quite the gourmet-like fashion, each year. Look to the...
2018 FESTIVAL, which rolls from April 13 through 15 and April 20 through 22, for the full line-up of gourmand-appealing guests, a list that is live now. You could actually attend Coachella solely to snack, and you'd fill up your whole day, or days, out in the desert, doing just that. New in 2018 is the Indio Central Market, a bustling hub of noshery that'll "... feature 15+ of the most celebrated restaurants under one large, shaded tent with plenty of seating." As for the full-service restaurants at the festival? Head for Gwen, The Exchange, and Little Pine (you can reserve your spot through Open Table). As for the chefly Outstanding in the Field dinners? Those are happening each night and you might still squeak into a ticket. As for other places to grab a quick and well-crafted bite at, while festing? Barbecue from Bludso's, avocado banh mi toast from Phorage, Compost Cookies from Milk Bar, and Valencia orange softserve from Magpies are just a handful of the huge assortment of eateries and eats making a cuisine-cool cameo at Coachella. More? Yes. Now.
