The newest restaurant by celebrity chef Kerry Simon, Simon Kitchen + Bar, just opened at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, bringing talented Executive Chef Jeremy Saccardi into the arena.
Most recently at The Parker Palm Springs, and previously at Kerry Simon’s “Simon at Palms Place” in Las Vegas, Saccardi’s edgy, contemporary style and imaginative take on familiar dishes makes him an ideal fit for Hard Rock Hotel and the Kerry Simon brand. This is the third Hard Rock Hotel that features a Kerry Simon restaurant.
Saccardi feels quite at home here, giving its menu some of his own tweaks and spins such as his version of the House Cured Salmon with Meyer lemon and caviar, one of the shared dishes under “social plates.”
House Cured Salmon with Meyer lemon and caviar.
Fresh salmon is cured with herbs, lemon zest and granulated sugar, covered and weighted down to compress the fish, and refrigerated for three days. When finished, the salmon is unwrapped, the sugar and herbs discarded, and the moist, orange flesh sliced very thin.
“This cured salmon is more herbal forward than sugary,” he explains as he wound each mound of salmon into individual bite-sized portions and placed them atop splashes of Meyer lemon cream on a white rectangular plate.
Saccardi topped the mounds of salmon with a translucent slice of marinated cucumber, a tiny spoon of caviar, crispy bites of flash-fried crepe julienne, and a sprig of feathery dill on top.
“While the menu just describes the basic flavors – salmon with Meyer lemon and caviar – I take a different approach to bringing these familiar flavors together in unexpected forms,” he said.
Broccoli Crunch Salad.
Similarly, Saccardi makes a colorful Broccoli Crunch salad; a pretty bowlful of al dente-cooked and chilled broccoli crowns, listed under the Farm & Gardens portion of the menu.
He placed about two cups of the crowns in a metal bowl, along with some sliced cherry tomatoes, and a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Along the inside of the bowl, he dolloped a few spoons of green goddess dressing – this a mixture of aioli, mustard and sour cream.
With a blue culinary gloved hand, Saccardi gently mixed the ingredients together, and placed it by hand into a curved white ceramic bowl. He garnished the dish with a few slender tarragon leaves.
Although the breakfast, lunch and dinner menu seems fairly simple and straightforward, with each dish receiving such creative and careful attention, Saccardi brings an uber quality to Simon Kitchen + Bar.
Simon Kitchen + Bar at Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, 150 S. Indian Canyon, Palm Springs, (760) 325-9676; www.hrhpalmsprings.com
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