Seeing Stars at the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs

Staying overnight at the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs is even better if you stay on a Wednesday. During the day, ride the elevator up to the rooftop to enjoy cool down with an icy beverage while soaking in the extra long swimming pool. Lounge chairs are arranged for guests enjoy the desert sunshine and expansive desert views.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

Guests reserving a private cabana from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., receive six bottles of water and one bottle of bubbly, two lounge chairs and a couch. Rentals are up to $300 a day for a maximum six guests, and there is an $150 minimum for food and beverages ordered from the onsite High Bar. The menu offers a curated light snacks, brunch and hearty fare during the day, along with creative beverage options. Guests can select an acai bowl, garden veggies and hummus, burgers, lettuce wraps, skewers, nachos, quesadillas and tacos.

The bar shakes up creative cocktails, as well as serves icy cold draft wine and beer by the glass and adult spiked ice cream cocktails.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

At 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, this area closes as the staff transforms the pool deck into the only rooftop dining patio in Palm Springs. “Dinner Under the Stars” was the brainchild of General Manager Peggy Trott. She proposed the idea to the Executive chef Dan Grunbeck of The Rowan Palm Springs who is in charge of culinary concepts within the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs including High Bar at the rooftop, and the lobby’s Juniper Table. Since the lobby Window Bar and 4 Saints are temporarily closed, they both agreed that turning their open-air pool area into a three-course prix fixe sit-down restaurant one night a week might work.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

When it debuted in September 2020, hotel guests and locals embraced the idea. Word spread quickly, and now reservations starting at 6 p.m. are selling out each Wednesday.

This elevated candlelit area offers plenty of socially distanced tables from other diners. There is plenty of space to  accommodate up to 80 guests.

According to Christine Delgado, when the hotel reopened in June, the rooftop space was reserved to only overnight guests of the hotel. Wednesday evening is the only time non-hotel guests have access to the roof. Unless they booked a stay at The Rowan, local diners haven’t been able to access the rooftop since the hotel’s shutdown due to the coronavirus in March, 2020.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

The seasonal three-course, pre-fixe $48 menu offers three different starters to chose from – burrata salad; butternut squash bisque; and oyster Rowan “feller” with house smoked bacon crumble. Entree choices include a cast seared beef strip loin; Palisades free range chicken; and a Vandouvan encrusted ahi tuna. Enhancements include a lobster tail, black truffle butter or smoked Moody Blue Cheese. Guests may request a vegetarian menu.

The portions are large and offer interesting enhancements, such as the butternut squash dazzles with charred house marshmallow and crispy sage. Recent add-on’s to the menu include a seafood tower for two or four people, and a sourdough baguette with cultured butter, roasted garlic and bone jus.

Photo by Jill Weinlein

“Dinner Under the Stars” is every Wednesdays through the end of the year. Delgado shared that there are two nights in November when the restaurant will open on another evening during the week. “We are celebrating our third anniversary on Tuesday Nov. 17 and will offer this special dinner on that night” said Delgado. “Also, we thought we would open and serve the menu on Thursday, Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day). Reservations can be made on opentable.com under 4 Saints.