Southern Consolation Foods Finds A House In An Unexpected Position

In Palm Springs, land of unforgettable margaritas, south of the border classics and amazing date shakes, there is a new menu in city that is making waves. That’s mainly because the chef at The Rowan’s 4 Saints absolutely has the chops to provide on a menu that evokes the great flavors of the American South.

Sorghum and crispy rooster pores and skin cornbread? Yup!

It may be a bit jarring to wander into one particular of the best dining rooms in the Coachella Valley and scan the menu to find elements not often found outside the South.

Certain, we’ve developed accustomed to the now ubiquitous fried chicken. Heck, that golden fowl shows even exhibits up on white linen tablecloths these times.

But the elements showcased on Ysaac Ramirez’s new menu at The Rowan’s 4 Saints are unpredicted in the most excellent means.

Acquire the Marsh Hen Mill cornbread, for occasion. That heirloom grain from Edisto Island in South Carolina is addressed reverently as a 1st training course, topped with sorghum, chopped pecans and cultured butter. It might be mistaken for a dessert, but bits of crispy rooster skin convey home the savory excellent you want in a starter.

There is a equivalent story played out on the charred maitake dish, with Jimmy Red grits delivering a creamy basis for the meaty mushrooms. Diced environmentally friendly apples brighten the tiny plate that is intended to be shared.

Meet up with the chef

A native Californian, Ysaac Ramirez went to culinary university in the South. Just after attending L’École Culinaire in Memphis, Tenn., he labored with significant profile chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman. He aided open the team’s Hog & Hominy in East Memphis, a beloved eating spot that lately reopened in an expanded new room right after becoming destroyed by hearth two several years back.

Ramirez continued his culinary seasoning in North Carolina and New Orleans in advance of transferring to Palm Springs to get the job done as executive chef at King’s Highway at Ace Lodge & Swim Club. He turned executive chef at The Rowan in September, 2021.

The hotel’s rooftop cafe enjoys one particular of the most breathtaking vistas in the metropolis, with the San Jacinto mountains delivering a remarkable backdrop to the west even though the metropolis lights twinkle below. A desk on the outdoor patio feels like precisely the correct area to be on a January evening. Ahhh, winter season in the desert.

Checking out the entrees

Of class, it is not all a Southern foods really like fest at 4 Saints. There is the nod to the steakhouse with aged slabs of beef cooked on the grill. Even the burger patty is dry aged. A Latin-motivated accent seems on principal study course offerings these kinds of as the full branzino concluded in a sea of poblano crema. A rich mole is paired with the Adobo cauliflower, an intriguing plant-based mostly planning that gets a bit of crunch from a shower of pepitas.

Nonetheless, the homage to the fulfilling flavors of the south runs via the finishing aspects on lots of of the chef’s creations. Sea Island crimson peas enhance 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 part of the evening’s choices that really do not go in that course are the desserts and that is a crying shame. Mainly because no matter how stuffed you are, it is just about unachievable to resist a slice of Pink Velvet cake or banana pudding or pecan pie.

Then yet again, you could usually circle back to that cornbread for the ultimate system and question the kitchen to skip the rooster pores and skin.

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