The Butterfield Dining Room

Not sure where to begin…
I am not sure if this is the same restaurant since there are no names on the menu to indicate that this would be the Butterfield Room. However, the images that are connected to the Unilocal page would lead me to believe it’s the same.
This restaurant is located within the main lobby building of the La Casa Del Zorro Hotel in Borrego Springs. We were out here for a stay over the weekend and it’s our first time to area. We planned on doing a little hiking and some golf on Sunday. What we did not realize until we arrived in town is that there are not many restaurant options in Borrego Springs. The options are pretty limited as most folks head out the BS to hike and camp so tourists are all self contained. Reminds me of old Palm Springs before Bob Hope and the celebrity boom. You will see the resemblance — give it a few years, few more hotels, and a few casinos you will not be able to tell the difference.
Unfortunately, at this restaurant the food and service were both disappointing on this evening. We arrive at the restaurant and again, not sure if its still called the Butterfield Room or something else. However, not impressed by any means by the menu and its selections. We ultimately ordered something simple: Turkey melt and a Caesar Salad… Both again disappointing at best considering they were both $ 15 & $ 16 each.
It took over 30 minutes for both items to come out of the kitchen and there was only 1 other party of three in the dining room when we sat down and ordered. They may have had an issue with the kitchen being understaffed or simply no one knew how to cook. The server rarely checked on us during the wait and ultimately, anything that came out would be disappointing but it was worse. The Turkey melt was cold… melt — should be hot and the salad was lack luster and looked like it was made by a child. Its not worth the wait or the money in my book.
They may be going through an overhaul, but there needs to be a lot of changes to the service and quality of food considering its one of the few recommend restaurants in town. They have such an opportunity to capture the business from the folks who are staying at the hotel but at this rate they will all leave and eat elsewhere. At this time, I would recommend the hotel stay but I would have to say you should head up the street a few minutes and dine at Rams Hills Golf Course for lunch or dinner. We played golf there the next day and it was the food we had all weekend.

Palm Springs pilots like to fly into Borrego Springs airport and go to La Casa del Zorro
for breakfast. It is one of a dozen such placers that are selected from each Saturday. For many years Zorro was a favorite, but through a series of circumstances, including being closed we were unable or desired not to go. That has all been changed with new ownership and first class management. In addition to the excellent food and service, the hotel provides a pick up service from the airport, which is about 4 miles away. We were there today with a total of 16 in our group. The hostess, Brenda, was most accommodating and was able to prepare a table for us all to be together. The waitress staff was attentive and worked hard to see that all of our requests were met promptly and enthusiastically. With all of those positives working for us, we also had excellent food. Being a traditionalist, I had bacon and eggs, hash brown potatoes and sourdough toast. It was prepared as requested and served hot. Excellent. The original Zorro was a 5star event. With the effort in place, I expect them to earn that 5^th star before long. Well Done!

We live in San Diego and did a 1 night stay in November, at La Casa del Zorro resort. The Butterfield Room is the onsite restaurant. We checked in early Sunday afternoon and were encouraged to make a reservation to get in for dinner (the room was not even half full). But on sat/​sun we hear they get totally booked for dinner. The room is very pretty with a nice fireplace. Me and the Mr. both wore jeans and did not feel underdressed. Perhaps on weekends it’s a bit more formal, being that it is probably one of, if not, the most, upscale restaurants for miles.
The hostess was fantastic, she sat us near the fireplace and moved my chair so that I didn’t face the wall (my hubby likes to sit facing out and people watch). Instead I was now facing the lovely fireplace and sitting adjacent to my husband, rather than across and staring at the wall/​booth. Nice little touch on her part.
My husband had the 8oz fillet mignon and said it was as good, if not better than, prime fillets from recent visits to Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris. And for $ 36, a better value. My $ 37 ribeye was cooked rare as requested, very flavorful, but also lots of muscle, a bit tough. Entrees include 2 sides, and they have lots of options. The glazed carrots were undercooked, but baked potato was good. Hubby had a nice glass of cab for only $ 7.
Dessert was called Raspberry brûlée cheesecake. We asked for a description, and were told it had raspberry throughout and a raspberry bruleed topping. In reality it was regular cheesecake with a tart raspberry sauce. It was really tastey, and firm. Dense, like good NY cheesecake should be.
Our waiter was MIA at times, but apologized/​explained he also had to deliver room service meals to hotel guests, too. Thought that was a bit odd, maybe another waiter called out sick??? The staff was great, overall. And when the families with young kids playing outside near the restaurant got WAY too loud, our aforementioned hostess went outside and handled it like a pro. Bravo!

My BF and I dined here the night after Thanksgiving and I believe that we lucked out because while we were dining, we did hear complaints similar to Ellen B.‘s.
When we arrived, we were told that it would be a few more minutes until we could be seated but we didn’t mind waiting while having cocktails at the Fox Den Bar. When we were seated, we didn’t wait too long to receive menus, water and bread and to give our drink orders. But when our salad arrived, the waiter also served salad to the table next to us and I heard the guest mention that they hadn’t seen him for over 20 minutes. After finishing our salads, we heard another table ask the hostess to find their waiter and then question the waiter about the long wait for their food. Fortunately, it was just another short wait before we (and the other table) received our entrees. Then, as we were waiting for the check, a couple who placed their order just up and left.
As for the rest of our experience, our table was wobbly but it wasn’t anything that we couldn’t fix with sugar packets. The bread was soft and warm and butter was delicious. The Simple Salad was your typical bagged salad so I would recommend choosing another appetizer or vegetable side dishes. Our entrees (salmon and rack of lamb) and wine were very good. We didn’t have dessert because I filled up on bread. The noise level was loud but only because there was a very good live pianist.
All in all, I sympathize with the other guests and waiter. Clearly, the delay was caused by the kitchen so I don’t fault the waiter, but the waiter could have done more such as explain the delay to the guests and refresh their bread baskets, water or drinks. If they continue to serve good food, I would come back if I return to Borrego Springs.

Was at Casa de Zorro for Thanksgiving dinner 2013. What a disaster. Seated at 5pm, entrees arrived cold at 6:45 after two complaints to the waiter and management. Food was marginal – lobster not edible at all. Did not even stay for dessert– even though it was part of our price-​fixed menu. They did reduce the bill, which was good. Maybe the problem was the Thanksgiving crush on an inexperienced kitchen… regardless, will not return.

First review. Boom.
If you’re out in Borrego Springs doing some hiking, this is a good place to go for an evening dinner. The general restaurant is fairly fancy. Golf shirts and pleats seem to be the dress code. Although, if you are dressed in hiking boots and dust, they may urge you have a seat in the lounge, or outside. I’d recommend sitting outside anyhow. The nights are beautiful and calm, and the outdoor patio is nice. They have 2 menus. One for the lounge /​bar and the other for the main general restaurant. The lounge menus is cheaper plates (burgers, finger foods etc.) I had the burger and it was decent.
This may be the only dining option in Borrego Springs past 7pm, and it’s a decent one. Check it out.