Written by Pamela Bieri
Special to Palm Springs Sun

Argentinean-born Chef Hector Salvatierra and the folks at the Camelot Café have relaunched the eatery, adding the “internationale” to its name and introducing an expanded international happy hour menu from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Camelot Theatres, which houses the cafe, is synonymous with the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as one of its original venues, and is the only venue for the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. This has provided inspiration for the world-traveled chef who took the concept to heart when he started working at the cafe six years ago.

“Over the years, we have increased our menu items and have been keeping an international theme,” Chef Hector said. So Camelot Theatres owners Ric and Rozene Supple “decided to rename the cafe to keep the tradition of our menu.”

Rozene Supple has redecorated the café using original artworks from her extensive private collection, many of which depict city and landscapes of Paris, London and other well-known places. The art collection and new menu items were premiered at a reception last week.

Hector's work and travels throughout California, Hawaii, Germany, Austria — where his wife, Petra, is from — as well as cuisine from his own culture have given him wide-ranging experience and appreciation for diverse cuisines.

With his wife's heritage in mind, Hector created the Austrian Schnitzel Sandwich, a crispy breaded pork loin layered with lettuce, tomato and sweet and sour cabbage served with Austrian potato salad.

A new taste from his own Argentina, Hector's new favorite is the Argentinean shrimp pizza with grilled shrimp on white herb sauce drizzled with spicy chimichurri sauce.

Guests at the reception also favored the new grilled artichoke and goat cheese salad, an idea from Spain, in which organic goat cheese, roasted peppers and grilled artichoke hearts are tossed with arugula and toasted bruchetta.

A new twist on a favorite American comfort food, the Meatloaf Sunday offers a homemade grilled meatloaf slice served over a scoop of creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes topped with a mushroom peppercorn sauce and French fried onions.

German Platter
Freshly grilled Nuremberg bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato pancakes and caramelized onions

Eggplant Napoleon
Crispy eggplant slice layered with herbed ricotta, sauteed mushrooms, tomato, basil and mozzarella

Argentinean Shrimp Pizza
8″ individual size pizza – topped with mozzarella, shrimp, white herb sauce and a chimichurri drizzle

“BA” Special Pizza
8″ individual size pizza – ham, roasted red peppers, green olives and caramelized onions

and many many more…

Happy Hour Menu (PDF Version)

Theater ambiance means a lot to me. I’m put off by the bunker complex of today. Though my very earliest memories do go back to the deep south where my nursemaid/surrogate mother Wiley and I were relegated to a balcony referred to as you-know-what heaven. But my grade school and teen years were spent reveling in the art deco palaces of the peninsula and San Francisco. Not that the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs physically resembles these marvels, but there is a clubby, festive air here. And it’s about to get better.

Owners Ric and Rozene Supple have announced that the upstairs lounge will now feature an extended menu of continental small plates. And Mr. Ric likes the idea of offering a really delicious entrée for $5. The Supples recently phased out their New York apartment and moved the collection of paintings into the bar/restaurant as well.

One could say that Hector Salvatierra is the ideal chef. From  Argentina, he’s held forth in Austria (he met his wife in Salzburg) and Germany. Try his schnitzel sliders. As for the U. S. – Alaska, Hawaii and – Utah? In addition, Australia. The Internationale Café  is open Wednesday through Saturday evenings. The Thursday pasta night was so popular that now there’s also a Wednesday pasta night.

We were treated to a little preview of the menu. Hors d’oeuvres like delectable white pizza were passed. And I’m happy to report my favorite eggplant napoleon is carried over on the new bill of fare.

Addenda: Oh yes, we do have a deco palace in downtown Palm Springs. It’s the ornate Plaza theatre, circa 1936. We’re so grateful to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies for making it their home and warding off civic “improvement.”