Wally's Desert Turtle Restaurant Review
71-775 Hwy. 111 (Rancho Las Palmas Dr.) 
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Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-568-9321 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
Cuisine
Open
Dinner nightly; closed for summer, reopens Oct. 7Features
- Romantic setting
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Entertainment
- Outdoor dining
- Parking available
- Casual dressy
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
 Wally’s Desert Turtle is the namesake of Wally Botello, who built the restaurant in 1978. Son Michael carries on the family tradition with as much aplomb as he might carry a delicate objet d’art. The loving preservation of the menu's classic and deservedly popular dishes makes choosing difficult. For hors d’oeuvres, should it be the sautéed sweetbreads with polenta or the pan-seared Maine scallops with plantain fritters, mango, pepper and cilantro relish? As a main course, do you opt for the Provimi veal scaloppine with risotto and lemon caper sauce; the roasted duck breast with medjool date sauce; or the imported Dover sole, either amandine or meunière? There is a sense of security when faced with so many old friends. Wine choices are equally challenging, as Wally’s has a list of more than 200 selections. Its image as a place providing quality food and service to an affluent and older clientele is largely accurate, but the introduction of a bistro section suggests a desire to shake things up.
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