Kai, meaning 'seed' in the Pima language, features a menu rich in creativity, history and Native American culture. Executive Chef Michael O'Dowd incorporates the essence of the Pima and Maricopa tribes and locally farmed ingredients from the Gila River Indian Community to create unforgettable masterpieces. James Beard Award-winning Chef Janos Wilder is consulting chef for Kai and is renowned for creating unique and indigenous menu experiences. This is AZ's only AAA 5-diamond/ Forbes 5-star restaurant. it's located in the Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, south of Chandler on the Gila River Indian Community.
Kai sources as much local ingredients as they possibly can. This includes their own olive oil, cholla buds from local cacti, saguaro blossoms, and lettuce hand picked by the Children of Gila Crossing School's agriculture class.
let me warn you now, this dining experience is not for the faint of heart. you must be able to put up with impeccable service and pampering throughout the night.
14 courses
11 wines
2 beers
water and coffee
4.5 hours
we were led into the dining room and our table, 1 of only 8 in the room, where chairs were held for me and napkins were placed in both our laps. not 1, not 2, but i think 4 different staff came by our table, "dr. stoecker, miss landy, i'm ___ and i'll be your/helping ___ . (enter names and positions). i understand you're joining us from seattle tonight."
we were (sort of) introduced to an artist who designed their menu covers, and educated on the philosophy of the food. the majority of what we were about to eat was locally grown and harvested, they go 'outside' only when necessary. - like the cheyenne buffalo and oregon foie gras. are you ready for a feast? let's begin.
the grand tasting menu,
Trail to Our Homeland
(with expanded wine) was our choice for dinner.
still water with blood orange slice
the olives are grown on Gila River Farms and pressed locally. they placed crushed nuts in the bottom of the bowl to help bring out the taste in the OO.
Pima Flatbread,
Suguaro Seed Baguette,
Mesquite (?smoke or plant?) dried fruit, pine nut, cherry
other breads served throughout the night were
Piquillo and Chipotle Flatbread,
Sweet Potato Bread with Wolfberry
wolf berries are also known as Goji berry. learn more about them -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry
Course 1:
Amuse Bouche:
Mesquite Glazed Steelhead,
Chili-Piquillo Coulis,
Kohlrabi,
Apple Native Slaw
when we picked up our forks we almost dropped them. they were so cold! it made sense - if the silverware is chilled to a certain temperature it will affect the taste of the fish. caviar connoisseurs will tell you only use mother of pearl spoons, never silver because of this.
served with
Champagne, Tattinger "Cuvee Prestige", France
always a good choice, but i like the grand cuvee bollinger better.
Course 2:
it's a little hard to see in the photo, but that's a tower of spun sugar with chile powder sprinkled on it.
Wood Grilled Native Harvested Squash Puree:
Chile Scented Cotton Candy,
Exotic Mushroom Flan,
Wild Boar Nugguts
the soup is a combination of acorn and butternut squash and the mushroom/boar bits were under the cotton candy which is why you couldn't really see it. the cotton candy didn't stand a chance once the hot puree started pooling in the bottom of the bowl. this was *really* good!
expecting a cold spoon (because the cold with fish hadn't processed in our brains yet) we found it was quite warm.
served with
Riesling, Wegeler "Bernkastler Doctor", Spatlese '06 (from the mosel region where we'll be going later this summer.) yum!
Course 3:
Baby Lettuces:
Locally Picked Tiny Greens,
Artisan Date Cake,
Timbale of Heirloom Tomatoes with
Sobrasada,
Ash Goat Cheese,
Blood Orange Vinaigrette
these are the greens harvested by the Children of Gila River Crossing School as part of their agricultural classes. the cheese is actually one of our favorites, Humboldt Fog. sobrasada is a pork sausage, and there's also candied walnuts on the plate.
for those of you who've started keeping track, cold fork.
served with
Sauvignon Blan, Domain Vacheron, Loire Valley, Sancerre 2007
i really liked this wine on it's own, but i thought it was a little bitter following the lettuce. but i attribute the bitter to the lettuce, not the wine! i often find greens to be bitter and the taste held on through the wine. :-(
Course 4:
Macerated Local Vine Ripened Heirloom Tomato Tart:
Buckwheat and Suguaro Seed Tart,
Balsamic Basil Foam,
Black Ice Granita
Gila River Olive Oil,
Mascarpone & Goat Cheese
and cold fork
in fact, the silverware was so cold it you could see the frost.
the pic with the foam. i don't remember what the greens are. all i can say about this was WOW. it just melted in your mouth!
served with
White Blend, Conundrum, Napa '08
this wine is a mix of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier, and Muscat grapes
my first trip to the ladies was after the 3rd course. i'm not sure if it was now or later in the night, but as i started to scoot back from the table one of the men helped me with the chair. on my way back in both ladies at the podium greeted me with a wide smile and a "welcome back". i saw one of the soms ahead of me and i guess he caught a glance of me because i noticed his pace altered, and when he reached the door in front of me he held it open. upon my reaching the table i noticed my napkin had been neatly replaced with a new, crisp clean napkin ala The Herbfarm. (don't worry angela, you still have the record for replacing our napkin!) And before i knew it someone was helping me with the chair and also replaced the napkin in my lap. i have to admit i wasn't expecting that. the chair, ok, yes. after having sat through 3 of our courses and having the opportunity to watch the staff interact with other guests it stands to reason the level of service dictates that the men help the ladies with the (heavy) chairs. but replacing the napkin in the ladies' laps after the initial time, no. and if you're wondering, yes, every time i returned to the table someone helped me with the chair, and the napkin. i did say this was a pampered experience didn't i?
Course 5:
Foie Gras in it's Splendor:
Torchon -
Rolled in Charred AZ Pistachios,
Popcorn
warm fork
the torchon was more tepid while the seared was hot. and you can see there was a green onion wrapped around the serving. i tried to take a bite of it but mine just wouldn't snap. i tried to cut it but i didn't have any luck there, either. at least it was an onion and not something i just 'had' to have. matt didn't seem to have any trouble with his but his was a little thicker and that might've made the difference.
i admit i love seared foie gras and this was quite lovely. personally i'm still partial to holly's, but if i had never had hers i'd say this might top the list.
and
Seared -
Grilled Pear & Dolce Foam,
Winter Fruit,
Cured Ham Hock Bits
served with
Late Harvest Semillon, Far Niente "Dolce", Napa '04
Course 6:
Elixir:
Mesquite Bean Grapefruit Spritzer,
Lemon and Lime Garnish
chilled glass, no fork :-)
there was a slight pause before this was brought out. and i was glad. i could've used almost twice the time between courses. yes, i realize that means we would've been there 10 hours so let's compromise. how about spacing the 1st 3 courses as they were, add 10 minutes to the break between the next 3, add 3 minutes to the break to carry us out?
i would've loved to have finished the tart - left 1 bite, the foie gras - ok, i ate all the duck but left some of the 'fixins' that came with, the soup - matt finished it off. i sadly ate very little of this dish. they filled the bowl to just before overflow! i'm talking this was a full-size, conventional-size portion! sigh oh well.
Course 7:
Salsify Joined with Winter Mushrooms:
Poached & Crispy,
Porcini, Miatake & Oyster Mushroom Duxelle,
Truffled Potato Puree,
Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Jus
warm fork
served with
Malbec Rose, Crios, Argentina, '08
this was the first item i really didn't care too much for. the crispy salsify was just like eating potato chips, but the poached, i can't quite describe. i did eat a little of the mushrooms but while we had mushrooms in earlier courses they were macerated or the preparation totally changed the texture and there was no problem but this one i had texture issues with. the flavor of them was fine. i tried the salsify on it's own and it was definitely that of which i'm not a fan of. but hey, if you're going to try something new do it at a restaurant where they ought to know what they're doing. that way you know you really don't like it as opposed to just inferior cooking.
Course 8:
Beets Intensified:
Red Beet Sorbet,
White Truffle Powder,
Roasted Yellow Beets in
Blood Orange Yogurt,
Pecans Dusted with Chimol (? did i remember that right?)
cold fork
served with
Special Cuvee of Muscato d'Asti, Michel Chiarlo "Nivole", Piedmonte, '04
mixed with
Rhone Blend, Torbeck "Cuvee Juvenile", Barossa Valley '08
yes, we poured 2 wines into the same glass, swished it around and drank it. it was pretty good, too! i liked the beet sorbet and the pecans, too. the yellow beets with yogurt i didn't care too much for. but as i had to pace myself or i was never going to get anywhere close to finishing this meal, i left them.
Course 9:
The plated trio
warm fork
seems i missed the 'after' picture where they finished the grouper iwth the brown butter sauce
Pan Seared Sea of Cortez Grouper:
Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade,
Brown Butter Pine Nuts
yes the grouper was good, no i didn't eat much of it
Smoked Eel,
Quinoa,
Peppers
learn more about quinoa at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
i didn't care for the quinoa. to me it was like not quite cooked faro popping in my mouth. the flavor was fine though.
Roasted Corn Flan
i've never been a huge flan fan, but this was fantastic! creamy and tasty.
served with
Sangiovese, Rocco Delle Macie, Chianti Classico, Italy, Tuscany, '05
from Castellina in Chianti, where we spent a couple nights on our bike trip! this was a real tasty wine.
something i haven't really talked about is the rhythmic precision of the staff. never was there 1 person carrying more than 1 plate at a time. so we always had 2 people (at least) bring out each course. there was a table of 4 just next to us and it was fun to watch 4 or 5 men, in this carefully orchestrated ballet, place the plates on the table. Then 3 or 4 of them would quickly and silently disappear while the 1 left would explain the plate.
Course 10:
Intermezzo:
Mojito Sorbet,
Plum Sauvignon Sauce
cold spoon
this was really good. it's just a palette cleanser but tasty! and i really want those dishes! aren't they cool? ok, maybe i liked the little egg cups more than the food served in them. naw, that's not true.
served with
Moscato d'Asti, Nivole, Piedmonte '04
yes you saw that above mixed with another wine. on it's own it was pretty tasty, too.
Course 11:
Grilled Tenderloin of Buffalo from the Cheyenne River Tribe:
Corn Puree,
Oyster Mushrooms,
(i thought it was a) Squash Blossom (but it might've been a) Suguaro Blossom,
Scarlet Runner Beans,
Suguaro Blossom Syrup
warm fork, definitely.
served with
Syrah, Sequel, Colombia Valley, '06
O.M.G. this was absolutely divine. and the wine paired with it fantastically. lucky for me this was 1 dish that would actually make it home as a lunch later! if it would've made it i would've brought half the tart (course 4), most of the soup (course 2), and even the grouper (course 9) home as well.
the buffalo couldn't have been more tender and tasty. we heard an excerpt of a book read on npr one day last year that just came to both our minds. the text can be found at
http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.htm?programID=09-P13-00026#feature7
you'll need to scroll down to and through the transcript of the show to the title "An American Epic". you can read the interview if you wish, but it's the excerpt of the poem we're most interested in. you'll understand why when you read it.
ok, i've gone on about the service at Kai, and maybe you believe me, maybe you don't. but if you look closely in this photo you'll notice he's
ironing the tablecloth as he puts them on the table!
when we arrived i think there was 1 table seated, and 1 that appeared to have just arrived. all the tables were filled by 8, in fact they seated 2 or 3 tables in the next room as well. by the time we got to the buffalo we were the only ones left in the main dining room. we won.
Course 12:
Global Artisan Cheese:
left: Comte, French Cow's Milk aged 8 months over cracker and greens,
right: (?)Smoked(?) Blue, Oregon over cracker and greens,
Raspberry,
Spiced Walnut on Honeycomb,
Balsamic Reduction
i brought most of both these cheese home for lunch, too. i liked this blue. i wasn't expecting to, but it was really good with the mix of other tasty bits to go along with.
served with
Stella Artois & Nimbus Oatmeal Stought
we could've had 1 wine with this course, but instead chose to go with the option of 2 beers. the stella we know and love. the other was new to us. i'm glad i tried it, but it's too dark and bitter for me in general. matt enjoyed it though. Nimbus - it's a dark, spiced wheat brew.
Course 13:
Dessert:
Maize Cheesecake,
Cuitlacoche,
Fig/Date Compote,
60 Day Cornmeal Tuile
I didn't care much for the fig/date compote, but the rest of this dish was tasty. i might be glad i didn't knwo what cuitlacoche was until now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuitlacoche
i realize i'm reusing adjectives. remember by the time we got to this course i had tasted so many new things, and had how many glasses of wine/beer? i was lucky i could still write and be vertical!
the tuile surprised me. i'm used to the real sweet ones served with so many desserts these days. and if there's any doubt, i managed to force every last bit of the maize cheesecake down my throat. even though i left bits of most plates, and most of the grouper, i ate quite a lot that night.
and yes, to wrap things up, it was a cold fork.
served with
Cartel Coffee Lab, Tempe
we both had a cup of coffee, and i'm glad we did as it was local to AZ, too. you can see the grounds in the top portion. They were dry when it arrived at the table. A pitcher of very hot if not boiling water was carefully poured over the grounds along the edge - not all in 1 place. Then he moved to matt's cup. Then he came back to mine and did it again, and of course back to matt's to finish. after a minute they removed the top portion and we were left with a very nice cup of coffee to wash down the cheesecake.
Port, Taylor Fladgate, 40 Year Tawny
the port went great with the cheeseckae, too, but i preferred my port after everything else.
Course 14:
Mignardise:
3 chocolates.
What 13 course dinner would be complete if you weren't handed a couple chocolate bombs? TBH i haven't had mine yet. I asked to box them up with the other couple i was bringing home. when we got back to the room i saw they filled the container with a couple others as well.
i have no idea what flavors they are, and i don't know if they're solid or have a middle filling. i'll find out later tonight and tomorrow. i'll also include the flavors at that time. meanwhile, here's a guess:
dark chocolate, the next has sugar sprinkles on it, at 1st i thought salted on the 3rd but it's actually nuts, and then the orange we think might be a spicy flavor.
and that, my friends, was our dinner at Kai. will we go back? yes, i hope so. will we order the tasting menu again? probably not. or if we go with family or friends they may order it but even if matt joins them i think i'll order off the menu or try the smaller tasting menu (6/7 courses). there are quite a few items on the menu that look fantastic and i'd like to try.
if you're curious they do 2 menus a year. basically winter and summer. this menu has been running since november-ish, and they plan on changing over sometime in may. so when we go visit family in decembers we could return and have a whole new menu. i am curious to know how much and what changes occur. as well as how much changes or stays the same from 1 summer menu to the next summer menu. i might have my arm twisted to do 14 courses again if it's a totally new menu. but if it's close to this one i probably won't.
reviews we've read are overwhelmingly positive. the biggest thing i saw which would annoy me was something that didn't apply to us - yet. we'll see when we return. at the start of the night we were asked if we had ever dined there before and of course the answer is no. in the review i read the diner was a return customer and the person who had asked them if they were returning was taken back a little when he heard 'yes' but still went through the entire philosophy anyway. as if no one had been trained how to segue from the 'yes' response into any specials or 'possible new items' on the menu. if this turns out to still be the case i hope they're reading this and realize that if the entire table has been there before, we really don't need the entire lesson again. if we want to hear it we'll ask you to go ahead and 'remind' us. otherwise we can be reminded that the artwork on the menus might possibly be newer than what we saw earlier, but let's leave it at that. however if the table is mixed with old and new patrons, then yes, please enlighten us.
several times through the meal we engaged various servers/soms in conversation about the difference in the ideology of slow food, locally grown, and sourced food vs. just going anywhere and getting anything for the menu. i wonder if washington/oregon is the leader in this. we were told there is a start to lean that way in AZ but Kai is really the only one in Phoenix really striving to do this throughout the menu. if the men were not interested in what we were saying/asking they played their part well as i couldn't tell.
we had booked into the resort for the night so we had no need to self-park or valet the car but i'm sure it would've been parked at the front door, heater running if needed, ready for us to fall into for the drive home. when we returned to the room we found a note card tucked in our door. it was addressed to Dr. Stoecker with a thank you for dining at Kai and a kind word, signed Shay, one of our servers.
so yes, a *very* enjoyable evening/dining experience. there were some "wow" moments. was it the be-all-end-all meal i've eaten? no. i'm not sure there's 1 specific meal where every course pulled a 'wow' from my voice. there are a couple that have come close, but no multi-course meal (5+ courses) have succeeded to floor me with every plate. to the chef(s) at Kai i do leave you with the knowledge that i tried foods i would've never even thought about trying, let alone ordering 5 years ago. that in itself has merit. add to that i enjoyed, even savored, several of your creations i hope will put a smile on your face.
