Simon Kitchen + Bar

Room service! Yes please. Ordered the eggwhite fritatta and added bacon. And a bloody mary (best ive had) shane picked up the phone and his precious self even delivers! What a little hustler, he deserves more cred! Food was good, priced well and delivered fairly quick for a busy saturday.

We arrive at the restaurant right on time for our 7:00 PM reservation. The hostess seats us at a big round table and doesn’t say much of anything else. A server arrives a few minutes later to take drink orders and here begins the endless parade of people who don’t quite seem to understand the general function of a restaurant. She takes our order a little after seven and then drops off six share plates, three of which are covered in green gunk from whatever they previously had on them. The party will be sharing two of the Oyster appetizers, a promising dozen of the Kumamoto variety. For those of you who have eaten raw oysters before you probably have a solid understanding of how they are served: raw. This word, in my experience, tends to mean they’ll come out pretty fast. Since, ya know: RAW! Ours take about 25 minutes. But hey, ya know what? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Simon sources their oysters from an underground river in the kitchen complete with grizzled, old fisherman waxing poetic about the art of the shuck.
Eventually a willowy looking chef drops off the two plates, saying nothing in the process. Don’t worry about it buddy, we get it, you’re not a food runner, you’re a chef, it’s insulting they even make you interact with other humans isn’t it? The nerve of some people.
We very quickly finish our oysters as we’ve gotten quite hungry. The empty plates sit for a while and then we wait another 35 minutes for our food to come out. This long entrée purgatory is capped on either side with two different men wearing fancier shirts that look like they COULD be managers but, who’s to say for sure, no one really engages you much here. The server, on two different occasions, also comes out to let us know that everything will soon be arriving, and I can only assume that her second guarantee is meant to mean even SOONER than the first.
When it does come out, the asparagus is missing, and when we ask about that the server assures us that it is «On the way!» before making a bee-​line to the nearest POS system to put in the asparagus that she hadn’t run in to begin with. Or perhaps we were just supposed to believe that somewhere in their kitchen was a grizzled, old farmer selecting the finest asparagus in all the land. YOU CAN’T RUSH GENIUS PEOPLE. The asparagus took an extra six minutes so that it could, oh you know, cook, and when it was dropped off the chef said nothing, prompting one of our guests to remark «We were afraid you guys had lost it» to which he sheepishly replied «Naw we found it». Great apology buddy, straight out of the Danny Meyers «Setting the Table» bestseller. We ate, then sat there awkwardly waiting for our empty plates to be cleared. We made bets on how long it would take to get and close out the check. 25 minutes ended up as the winner.
Not one time in the entire night did a single server, manager, chef, or grizzled fisherman apologize for the lack of general restaurant timing or service. There were zero bussers, zero runners, and a couple of servers in a predominantly empty restaurant. Half of the plates were cleared by the server when she picked up our checks, while half of the table remained cluttered with our long-​finished meal.
All of this would’ve been at least somewhat more understandable if they were incredibly busy, but I literally think that if an actual ghost had wandered in for dinner it would’ve left immediately due to the place feeling too much like a ghost town. No one ever said «Our apologies», or «Happy Birthday» (even though we had told them we were celebrating one), or «Oh hey, sorry about the ridiculously long wait for food that literally doesn’t even have to be cooked in some instances» or «Hey, we took care of that asparagus since we didn’t even remember to make it anyway» or «Hey guess what! You’re on hidden camera! You just won 10,000 dollars for sitting through two hours of purposeful torture on American’s favorite new food game show: ‘You Don’t Matter’!»
You would think that for 500 a night rooms that the Hard Rock could afford all the employees needed to fill the general roles found in a restaurant: The person that takes the order. The person that clears plates. The person that runs food and explains what it is. The guy in charge who apologies for mistakes and asks what he can do to improve the experience. The speech therapist that is helping that chef learn to talk again.
This is a terrible restaurant named after celebrity chef Kerry Simon who died last year. While I do not know for sure the causes, I think it may be possible that it was from dining here and passing away from hunger while he waited for his oysters to come out.
If the restaurant caught fire, I have to imagine that at least half of the staff wouldn’t notice, while the other half probably would not make it to an exit in time based on their overwhelmingly evident lack of speed.
Do not eat here. Save your sanity.

Doesn’t even deserve 1 star, and it definitely doesn’t deserve the 3 (?) stars it has in all.
Honestly one of the most awful dining experiences I’ve ever had the misfortune of sitting through.
The food is decent, even tasty, albeit somewhat contrived and unoriginal. Our party ordered 9 different dishes in all, and each dish I have had at other restaurants. And I enjoyed those other dishes more!
But I digress. The real issue with this restaurant is the absolute lack of understanding of what constitutes service (let alone good service!). Each member of the staff was totally apathetic, uncaring, and even snarky at times.
4 of the 6 members of our party are present or ex-​service industry employees. We know how this job works, we know how restaurants work, and we always err on the side of forgiving. This restaurant had us red in the face by the time we left.
Despite being almost entirely empty, it took at least 10 minutes to get our cocktails, 25 minutes to get our first course (which we ordered within moments of being sat), another 35 minutes to receive our entrees (with 1 dish missing, no less!), and yet another 25 minutes to get our bill and close out.
Did we once get an apology, or even actual acknowledgement of the awful service or time it took? No! Did anyone offer to make our visit better? Of course not; I’m not even sure they realized how miserable we were! Did they take off the missing side that had clearly not been rung in? Hahahah, no.
Standards of service do not exist in this restaurants vocabulary.
Don’t waste your time. Don’t give it your consideration. Take your money elsewhere. You’ll be so much the happier.

Walked in here and it was slow. Ordered food to go and waited over 30 minutes for my order. No one checked in on my me and I had to ask for the status of my order.

The plates were really small and the prices were too high for the low quality of the food. Very disappointed

Staying in the Hard rock. Checked in, explored the hotel and decided to sit on the deck and have a drink and noshe to wash the road dust off. Happy hour. Stone IPA on tap and house chardonnay for the Missus. We ordered off the starters menu. Devil;s eggs and Wok Charred Edamame. Both delicious and artfully presented. Our waiter was attentive and helpful. All and all a very pleasant experience.

I routinely come to Simon’s kitchen for breakfast. I love the bacon!
Service is weak.
I will still go here, because I do love the bacon.

Ok first clue no one was eating in the restaurant. Second clue Calamari and Hamburger tasted a little off…. Tens minutes after eating all three of us had diarrhea. Fast forward next day spoke with John food and catering manager who said «Sorry no one else got sick in the hotel» … Food was bad Management was worse!!! Plenty of great places to eat in Palm Springs right across the street… Steer clear of this place…

Delicious food! The Mac and Cheese and roasted carrots were great. My colleagues enjoyed their food as well (the Iron Chef Burger, Lobster, and Rissotto).
I gave only a 4 star review because I was a little disappointed that it felt like we were an inconvenience. We were a party of 7 and needed the check split but I feel like that’s not something new in this day and age? Maybe it’s just me.

We ate here on a Sunday night and we were the only ones sitting in the restaurant.
Ordered the Mussel Risotto, Truffle Mac N Cheese, Wild Mushroom Raviolo
After waiting almost an hour, our food came. It was salty, gross, and not edible. The raviolo (I learned that its a fancy word for one big ravioli) was luke warm, with a weird brown vinegar citrus sauce, and some salty tidbits of mystery stuff inside. I have lived in Italy and am a great fan of Italian food. I have never ate a Raviolo before and will never eat one again: o Yikes!
The mussel risotto looked like it had seen better days. I think the mussels were zombie mussels because they were undead from last year. The risotto was drowned in a red salty sauce, and the mussels were rubbery and salty as hell. My truffle mac was the table favorite. It was like regular mac n cheese, with a bit of truffle flavor and bread crumbs. We all ate mostly that, and will probably regret it. I think the cheese and or milk was old. So were the salty bread crumbs on top.
After about fifteen minutes, my truffle mac n cheese came out the other end. I wanted to ask for a refund because I could not keep my food inside me longer than 15 mins, but had to go bathroom again. Its an hour later as I write this and I still feel sick.
We wanted to get some drinks after to wash away our sorrows and the unknown fishy salty taste now in our mouths, but could not find a bartender anywhere. Actually, there was nobody working at the bar, or the front desk for that matter. The whole hotel was empty, no patrons or staff. Uhhh, I wonder why!
I wonder what kind of clown is working as a chef in the restaurant. Is it Simon himself? There is a picture of this Simon guy on the wall, because I guess he is so proud of his food. Its a good thing we were the only ones there tonight and none of his friends or family had to eat his food and look at his image on the wall. And where did he get the idea to put his face on the wall at the restaurant. Mr Jack from Jack in the box does the same, but his food is much better.
This would be a great place for people with bulimia or people who like food that tastes worse than poo poo and a $ 50 bill for three plates of food I would not feed to my dog.

The food was very flavorful and the waitress and the waiter was very polite and easy to talk to especially us being tourist.

Honestly, not the best experience I’ve ever had. The calamari was the worst ever. Sooo gross!!! We wanted something light and small so I figured calamari would be perfect and you cant go wrong with calamari. It was dripoing with excess oil, the batter was flavorless and lacked crunch. So disappointed! We also ordered the fingerings and those were pretty good. But drinks and food were way overpriced and the quality was not there. We wished we tried the burger. Total fail! The customer service also lapsed.

Let’s cut to the chase. I went to Simon Kitchen for the sole purpose of trying the Iron Chef burger. I was also disappointed.
The Iron Chef burger was $ 16. For that price, I was expecting the flavor of a Umami burger or better yet, a Bachi burger but really all I got was a huge hunk of meat on bread with some tots. Burger was cooked well but seemed to lack in flavor. The apps were solid. Especially the deviled eggs. They shouldn’t even call them deviled eggs because they were so good. They should be called angel eggs.
All in all, order heavenly eggs and order the burger just for the pizza Pringle dust tater tots. SOOOoOOoOOo good.

K. Two stars for the décor and cute seating booths. Came here for dinner (a late one after a long day of drinking and sun bathing) on the 4^th of July. For it being a long weekend, it was pretty dead. There were only a couple other tables that were accompanied by human beings. Anyway, I’m happy, this means fast service right? Wrong. Slow. Sucky. I ordered sliders and they brought me these sad little buns that actually looked appetizing, but were the complete opposite! Horrible. I don’t remember asking for PORK or whatever they brought me, but the meat had tons of FAT on it and was almost inedible. Ate just the bread and the side of taters, which were great (I mean, how could you mess that up). Oh yeah, and a restaurant that doesn’t serve fries? Bye.

I expected better food for a restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel. For one, they don’t serve French fries (why?!?), but serve tater tots instead. The tater tots tasted super oily and fried.
The waitress recommended the pork sliders for my friend which were not very appetizing. I tried the Mediterranean lamb tacos which were okay but were a bit heavy. Maybe their other menu items might be better but the food during our visit did not give us a desire to come back anytime soon.

We had a great experience and at 845 am, it sets you up for a great day. We were 11 pax, 3 families. Travis, the manager, took time to reconfigure the tables in a corner to accomodate us with plenty of elbow room. Romee, our server handled our orders like a pro, kept the fuss to a minimum, was very pleasant and professional, kept the hot coffee flowing, and our split checks set up early on. Food choices were great! Traditional items with a certain twist — bacon was in slabs! Red velvet pancakes! Cereal crusted French Toast had a nice texture. Everything was served altogether same time and organized with 3 of them helping out. It was quaint that the checks were on books, too. It was a very pleasant experience for all of us and we are grateful for the staff for making it happen, from the service to the food to the overall ambience.

Always enjoy eating here when I’m at The Hard Rock Hotel in Palm springs. The indoor area is pleasant and it’s great to have the option of the outside patio which is right next to the pool. The Mac and Cheese wasn’t overt impressive but I’d reccommend a burger or sliders for something simple… And if you’re feeling up to it, definiely order the mussels!

Honestly, it is really hard to find a place with the modern and classy ambiance of a resteraunt in Palm Springs. This place is cozy, bright, new, and perfectly located in the hard rock hotel. It compliments the hotel nicely. Highly recommend the iron chef burger and the lamb tacos. Wont be disappointed! The burger is special because of the red onion jam! And the lamb tacos are flavorful served in mini flatbread tacos topped with taziki which has feta cheese in it! Yum!

Simon Kitchen + Bar makes one hell of a Burger.
A big reason I chose to Stay at the Hard Rock (well, besides the Cyber Monday deal I found) was that Simon Kitchen + Bar is housed inside of it. Simon Kitchen is the latest restaurant from celebrity chef Kerry Simon of Iron Chef fame (along with his successful ventures in Vegas, Chicago and LA). Needless to say I wasn’t leaving Palm Springs without trying the heralded Iron Chef Burger.
The interior is cool. A modern and urban feel accentuated with graffiti art and a wood and stainless steel. The service is also on point. That all being said let’s get to it.
The Iron Chef Burger consists of a hand formed patty cook to order (mine was a an over cooked medium rare) and topped with a thick slice of sharp Cheddar Cheese and a red Onion jam then sandwiched between possibly the best Burger Bun I have ever had. The overcooked patty aside, this was a great Burger. Perfectly seasoned and every ingredient held its own and served purpose perfectly. I made the mistake of cutting the burger in half to enjoy, this made a bigger mess than expected. The attack strategy is to devour in tact; bite for bite. Heed that warning and enjoy a terrific Burger. I promise.
The Spicy Tots were delicious but outside of a kick of heat there was nothing here you cannot do at home.
Worth $ 16.00? Well, that is arguable. Considering the locale this is a lofty price point. Even in Manhattan it would be hard to swallow without Caviar, Black Truffle or maybe some Foie Gras smeared here or there. This is a classic Cheeseburger with no surprises and I could understand if someone scoffed at the associated cost.
It was a damn good Cheeseburger though.

Date of visit: 11÷23÷14 Dinner
The rave of Simon Kitchen + Bar from friends was enough to make me walk through the threshold of Hard Rock Hotel, which I normally don’t care for. They certainly did a great job renovating the space left behind by the drab Hotel Zoso.
We were surprised that on Sunday they didn’t serve a full dinner menu as they have posted online. It was a very limited bar-​bite type of menu with flatbreads, burgers and fries. The waitress was our highlight. She was friendly and promptly took our cocktails orders. Both cosmopolitan ($ 12) and Moscow Mule ($ 9) hit the spot.
*Iron Chef Burger ($ 14) was a huge affair with at least half-​pounder patty served with tomato, lettuce, sharp cheddar, and a bacon jam. Beef was cooked medium rare. Soft crusty bread soaked up all the juicy. A bit messy but so good.
*Pork Belly Sliders ($ 12) was exactly what I expected. Fatty pork belly in little squares, grilled to a slightly crusty edge, served in mini buns with pickled carrot and onions. Good greasy comfort food.
The spicy/​seasoned tater tots that come with the burger and sliders were a bomb. Not to be missed.
Overall they do good with what limited, small menu they offer.