Southern Comfort Food Finds A Home In An Unexpected Place

In Palm Springs, land of unforgettable margaritas, south of the border classics and extraordinary day shakes, there’s a new menu in city that is generating waves. That’s because the chef at The Rowan’s 4 Saints definitely has the chops to produce on a menu that evokes the good flavors of the American South.

Sorghum and crispy hen skin cornbread? Yup!

It might be a little bit jarring to stroll into one particular of the best dining rooms in the Coachella Valley and scan the menu to locate elements rarely viewed outdoors the South.

Absolutely sure, we have developed accustomed to the now ubiquitous fried hen. Heck, that golden chicken displays even reveals up on white linen tablecloths these times.

However the elements showcased on Ysaac Ramirez’s new menu at The Rowan’s 4 Saints are unforeseen in the most fantastic ways.

Just take the Marsh Hen Mill cornbread, for instance. That heirloom grain from Edisto Island in South Carolina is taken care of reverently as a very first class, topped with sorghum, chopped pecans and cultured butter. It could possibly be mistaken for a dessert, but bits of crispy chicken skin deliver property the savory excellent you want in a starter.

There is a identical story played out on the charred maitake dish, with Jimmy Pink grits giving a creamy basis for the meaty mushrooms. Diced inexperienced apples brighten the small plate that’s meant to be shared.

Meet up with the chef

A native Californian, Ysaac Ramirez went to culinary faculty in the South. After attending L’École Culinaire in Memphis, Tenn., he worked with significant profile cooks Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. He aided open up the team’s Hog & Hominy in East Memphis, a beloved dining location that lately reopened in an expanded new room soon after becoming ruined by hearth two several years ago.

Ramirez ongoing his culinary seasoning in North Carolina and New Orleans right before shifting to Palm Springs to function as govt chef at King’s Highway at Ace Hotel & Swim Club. He turned government chef at The Rowan in September, 2021.

The hotel’s rooftop cafe enjoys a person of the most stunning vistas in the metropolis, with the San Jacinto mountains providing a spectacular backdrop to the west although the city lights twinkle down below. A table on the outside patio feels like specifically the proper location to be on a January evening. Ahhh, wintertime in the desert.

Checking out the entrees

Of class, it’s not all a Southern food items adore fest at 4 Saints. There’s the nod to the steakhouse with aged slabs of beef cooked on the grill. Even the burger patty is dry aged. A Latin-influenced accent appears on main class offerings this sort of as the whole branzino finished in a sea of poblano crema. A rich mole is paired with the Adobo cauliflower, an intriguing plant-centered planning that receives a little bit of crunch from a shower of pepitas.

However, the homage to the gratifying flavors of the south operates as a result of the finishing factors on a lot of of the chef’s creations. Sea Island pink peas complement the stuffed quail. Carolina gold rice and collard greens grace the seared steelhead and the gnocchi is sauced with “Sunday gravy,” a Southern staple in Italian kitchens. Mmmmm.

The only portion of the evening’s choices that really don’t go in that route are the desserts and that’s a crying disgrace. Because no make any difference how stuffed you are, it’s approximately unachievable to resist a slice of Pink Velvet cake or banana pudding or pecan pie.

Then again, you could generally circle back to that cornbread for the last training course and ask the kitchen area to skip the hen pores and skin.

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