Rattlesnake Jake’s

We stopped in here on a Sun. afternoon to have a cold one on our way back to Cathedral City. I love checking out funky, divey type of joints and was hoping to find a winner here in the valley. Apparently, Jake’s had just recently reopened after being closed for a while (new-​ownership?). The building itself is sprawling: bar, back patios, kitchen, dining room area now used for live music, 2 pool tables, 2 big screens, CD jukebox. It was clean, the waitress was friendly and the beer was cold. This place has a ton of potential. It could use some funky décor to enhance the vibe and make it more like a «roadhouse». Also, a bigger sign outside would help attract more people, especially tourists. Overall, its a cool joint and we’ll stop by again, you should too.

Tuesday Taco night advertised and then didn’t have enough help. Took 30 minutes to place our order (right behind the table of people that came in AFTER us) of 4 tacos and 30 minutes to get it. Tacos were fresh and about what you’d expect for $ 1 Taco night, but it took forever! Single waitress running her butt off taking orders, serving food, busing tables AND working as the bartender in the adjoining room. She apologized for the wait and gave me a free beer so … Definitely a low budget, beer bar, pool table kind of place. We entered from the back and it appeared the cook or bus boy was standing out back taking a leak in the dirt. We should have turned around then but couldn’t believe it. Now we do.

What music? They dont want music in the dining area. And the bar is out of the question. Noteworthy bands? Are you serious. The only bands that would go there is to have a place to practice for free. After the feeding hour you would be lucky to find five people there.

My friend and I, having experienced some of the great roadhouses and saloons in the Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree area, decided that we should try this cool-​looking establishment. Rock n’ Roll and Blues guitar-​playing friends have told me that they’ve played here, and I see ads for some noteworthy bands stopping in for an occasional gig, so I thought it must be special in some way.
The exterior fits into this area — with its cowboy/​roadhouse aesthetic and its painted-​on hitching posts, dirt road driveways, etc. I was expecting some charm but was let down.
Upon entering and expecting that «open mic night’ might make me feel claustrophobic or otherwise overwhelmed by biker bands and elderly country singers, I was happy to see that no entertainment was happening at all. I was greeted by an extremely friendly server/​hostess; she took my drink order immediately, which, if you ask me, is very important as well as smart for the business since they usually make their real money from booze. I ordered a bourbon on the rocks and was told that all they carried was Black Velvet. What? Not even Jim Beam or Jack? What kind of biker-​haven is this? I hoped that this was just a ‘quirk’ — something that desert places have in spades, and something that is not necessarily a foreshadowing of poor culinary quality. Just going with the flow here, hangin’ in there…
I understood that the old cook from the JT saloon, Joey, was their new cook. Joey had always impressed me with his enthusiasm for food and real care with preparation– especially the satisfying bar food at the JT Saloon. I was disappointed to find that he was no longer there either– the server told me this with a slight smirk. Oh, well, let’s see who they judged as maintaining Joey’s standards…
Décor: The interior was like a church rumpus room. Low, cottage-​cheese ceilings, much too open and empty, the occasional promotional neon beer ad, boring furniture, no sense of history or edginess. Not even the hint that anything slightly sleazy and fun had EVER happened under that 80’s era roof. This was really disappointing, as I like to feel the psychic remnants of bar fights and passed illicit sexual encounters on top of pool tables, etc. Nada.
I ordered the hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and a side green salad. The salad came almost ‘prematurely’. Limp iceberg lettuce, two burned croutons and one singular tomato-​all smothered in run-​of-​the-​mill blue cheese dressing.
Our entrees arrived and we were quite underwhelmed. My friend ordered a burger. He described it as «just OK». My not-​so-​thin slices of roast beef were overcooked and might as well have been under the heat lamps for two hours. The beef sat upon some hidden white bread and was flanked by mashed potatoes which seemed rehydrated.
The beef, bread and crap-​mash was SMOTHERED in dark brown gravy that was most likely from a can, and was inedible. I was very hungry and interested in my conversation with my friend, so I smiled and let it go, but I scoured my plate (and eyed his) looking for something slightly pleasurable to eat.
Conclusion: this place has got to make major overhauls. Better food, real booze, some interior design, and maybe a gang of regulars. Something to make me feel that I’ve ended up somewhere special and not just in some dump that I stopped at while making my way up the endless freeway in the middle of the night.
We need a few more good spots to eat and hang out here in the desert. Pappy & Harriets can’t seat everyone under 70. Nothing makes a customer feel as good as the pride and distinction of a desert roadhouse with real charm, history and food that they’re proud of.