Miro’s Restaurant Brings Europe to Palm Springs

By Kevin Perry

Yelp calls it one of the best three restaurants in Palm Springs. Trip Advisor argues that it’s in the Top Two. But Miro’s restaurant owner has another name for it…   “I can call it home.”

Miro Terzic has harvested accolades as fresh and vibrant as his ingredients, but when asked how he got started in the restaurant industry, he remains humble. “This was totally accidental. I moved into the area in ’94. We fled what used to be Yugoslavia, a war torn country, and were trying to settle here. Just driving down the street, I saw this beautiful building, this Mediterranean style building that I immediately fell in love with. I looked for my opportunity here.”

Miro’s restaurant began with family.

Palm Springs was about to expand its gastronomic landscape; our collective appetites were ready for the next phase of foodie evolution. But Miro wasn’t quite there yet. “My only experience in the culinary field was visiting places, visiting restaurants in Yugoslavia and all over Europe, whenever I could. I really didn’t think of becoming an entrepreneur of this kind.”

Pooling their worldly resources, the Terzics took stock of their considerable talents, which sprawled across their horizon like the Adriatic Sea. “We started as a family business, with my mother, Tidja, and my wife. We didn’t know too much about the business; I’m a schoolteacher, my wife is a medical doctor, and mom had the most experience in cooking. So we started slowly.”

When you taste the decadent joys of Miro’s Two-Day Pork Osso Buco lavished with an apple demi-glace of Madeira wine, you’ll find it hard to believe that his background is in education. But as always, Terzic serves up a master class in understatement. “We just tried something different.”  Pressed to describe the wonders of his eatery, Terzic assents, “What I like about my restaurant most is that it’s pretty unique. We sell items that nobody else in the area does.”

Recipies from across Europe

Bust out your passports, because taking a tour of Miro’s kitchen is like backpacking through the gourmet capitals of the western world. “When we started, the whole idea was to present food from Central Europe. But over the years, we realized that wouldn’t be enough for the clientele.  So we focused on selling healthier foods, introducing lots of fish, lots of produce, different kinds of recipes, and extending our ideas further east to Russia or west to France. We have Norwegian style dishes and all the way south to Morocco. It’s a weekly experiment. The dinner specials range from 20 to 25 items that we rotate regularly. People recognize that and they love it.”

But don’t judge Terzic’s menu by its cover; the items listed don’t accurately capture his dedication to precision. “Beef Stroganoff is our best selling dish here. We use beef tenderloin and everybody wonders why it’s so nice. We use quality meat; the beef stroganoff recipe itself is not a secret. When you give quality, it pays back.”

Freshness is another perennial feature at Miro’s. “We bake breads daily,” declares Terzic. “We also do apple strudel, we do old-fashioned European traditional baklava, my wife does a flourless chocolate cake that’s extremely popular too.”

Try Miro’s Schnitzel

Speaking of popular, “We are well known for a German/Austrian specialty called schnitzel. We do both pork and veal, as well. That’s a big seller. Whatever we have on our fish menu is very well accepted and popular. Last Saturday, we had 227 covers and we had 92 seafood items, so that’s almost half. We are proud when people brand us as a seafood place.”

These days, Miro’s restaurant is swimming in success, but it took decades to reach this succulent status. “We struggled daily until about 15 years ago when we got really established and well known. People recognize devotion and hard work and unconditional love for what we are doing.”

If you don’t believe him, do a quick search for Miro’s online… but don’t stare too long, because the numerous 5-star ratings may blind you. “I certainly appreciate the reviews, but I truly know that the people are right.”

Fiercely loyal to his customers, Terzic always strives to welcome them to the table, just as he has been welcomed to Palm Springs. “This is the town I spent most of my life. I came as a young immigrant. I was in my early 30s and now I’m closer to 60. So I love Palm Springs, it’s considered my home and my retirement place, if I ever retire!”

The very thought of retiring sends Miro into fits of involuntary laughter, and it elicits vehement protests from anyone who has been fortunate enough to dine at his restaurant (we never want him to quit!). “I’m sure that people who frequent us will recognize the devotion and quality. The level of freshness that we present here is very, very high. That’s my message to tell your readers: if they come to visit us, they will be well taken care of.”

We’ll pass that along, Miro – accompanied by another delicious serving of whatever you’re cooking next.

Miro’s offers a full service bar and selected unique wines from Austria, Croatian Islands and Bosnia Herzegovina, to ensure your evening is a memorable one.

Miro’s Restaurant

1555 S. Palm Canyon Dr. | 760.323.5199

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