Plus So Much More!
By Chris Clemens
All of the ingredients have come together for a unique dining experience at Big Rock Pub, the newest dining venue in the East Valley. Located at Indian Springs Golf Club and open to the public, the restaurant presents a Rock & Roll theme and a new concept in dining with exceptional cuisine in a sports bar setting, with regular live entertainment and more. If you haven’t yet visited the restaurant, you are in for a treat! The pub is splendidly over the top making a lasting first impression before you even enter the restaurant when you must walk across an enclosed sunken grand piano!
Owner Ken Hanna had a vision of bringing a new type of venue to the Valley with hopes of it becoming a community gathering place with an engaging environment for Rock and Roll enthusiasts. The walls are adorned with one-of-a-kind artwork of Rock & Roll legends, autographed guitars, and memorabilia of AC/DC, Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, and numerous others. Rock music plays on a state-of-the-art exceptional sound system, while one wall features music videos, Rock-umentaries, sports events and the like.
“My vision for Big Rock Pub was spurred by the continued growth in the Coachella Valley of music festivals and a large community of music lovers living here,” said Hanna. “There is not another venue that offers a Rock and Roll theme along with sports entertainment and so this was a perfect opportunity to bring something new and exciting to the Coachella Valley, and we are excited to also debut the extensive menu of tasty cuisine that is different than you would expect of a pub.”
Executive Chef Jeremy Sacardi – bringing experience most recently from Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas – has created a variety of dishes with a new twist on pub food. He uses the most unique, fresh, and local ingredients to deliver dishes such as Runnin’ with the Devils, Sympathy for the Devil-ed Eggs, Fleetwood Mac & Cheese, The Grateful Flat Bread, Feels Like the First-Time Cheeseburger, Blue Oysters Cult, and legendary salads like “Almond Brothers Chopped Salad” and “Living on the Wedge,” and much more.
For a “Happier Hour” from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, there is a fun variety of “On The Rocks” Happier Hour drink specials for $10, including Heat of the Moment, Back in the U.S.S.R., Summer Breeze, Apple of my Eye, and others. To be enjoyed with libations are great deals with Happier Hour food prices on popular menu items such as Hotel Calamari, Earth Wings, and Fire, Honky Tonk Sliders, and others ranging from just $5 to $8.
As a Rock pub, live music currently takes place every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m., which is updated monthly on their website. During February the bands performing include Dude Jones Band, Lucky Tongue, Smooth Brothers, Hotwyre, The E&J Movement, Laurie Morvan Band, BOHEMIA. The pub also gives guests the opportunity to become their own Rock & Roll legends with karaoke on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight.
There is also an opportunity for local original music and bands to participate in an open mic and jam session, as well as for auditions to perform at the pub. This begins this month on Sunday, February 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. During this event the pub is also holding a monthly “Birthdays Celebration” for those who have birthdays in February to come together along with their friends at a great venue for a festive group celebration.
As if that weren’t enough, they also have a “Big Rock Store” offering a variety of Rock & Roll memorabilia. And, since the pub was conceptualized to also be a pub with a cause, the owners at Big Rock Pub have partnered with the local cancer support organization, Desert Cancer Foundation, in which proceeds from the sales of merchandise will benefit the organization.
Big Rock Pub is located at Indian Springs Golf Club, a popular public golf course among local Coachella Valley residents and east valley tourists. Voted ‘Best Places to Play’ with a Four Star rating by Golf Digest Magazine, a ‘Top 5 Public Course’ by Desert Golf Magazine, and noted as a ‘Best Course Under $100’ by The Desert Sun. That being said the pub also caters to golfers with a “Players Plate” in which those playing the signature course at the club receive a $10 voucher for each player towards dining.
Located at 79-940 Westward Ho Drive in Indio, the pub is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information visit www.thebigrockpub.com, or call 760.200.9844.
