Kai

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5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd. Chandler, AZ 85226

602-225-0100

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Critics'
Pick
Best Fancy Frybread
Award Winner 2011

Cuisine(s): American, Eclectic, Fusion, Southwestern

Hours: Tue-Thu 6pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm

Price: $$$$

Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
Attire: Business casual. No denim, hats, or open-toed shoes

Features: Banquet Facilities, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party

Serving: Dinner, Lunch

Alcohol: Full bar
Reservations: Recommended

Parking: Valet

Description

Kai's consulting chef Janos Wilder (a James Beard Award-winner) and executive chef Michael O'Dowd deserve to bask in the attention that comes with being Arizona's newest AAA Five Diamond Award-winner. The cuisine celebrates indigenous cultures and crops in the most sophisticated ways. Unique Southwestern ingredients like cholla buds, heirloom squash, saguaro seeds, and nopalitos mingle with more recognizable gourmet components such as chanterelles, truffles, and foie gras. Stunning examples include Kurobuta pork tenderloin, rubbed with toasted ground coffee and Hatch chiles, and duck breast marinated in mint and white sage tea.

2011 | Best Use of Indigenous Ingredients

We're generally as happy eating indigenous ingredients like nopales (cactus) out of the back of a roach coach as we are supping at a fine-dining location. One exception to this rule is Kai, a restaurant dedicated to locally produced indigenous ingredients like cholla buds, aloe vera, saguaro blossoms, mesquite bean meal, huitlacoche syrup, and more. The food, ambiance, and service are unparalleled, as well they should be at a Five Diamond dining destination. So save up for a special occasion... More »
2011 | Best Fancy Frybread

Frybread is a staple of Native American cuisine, so it makes sense that even Kai, a Native American fusion restaurant that's one of the Valley's top upscale eateries, would make a version. Kai's up-market take on the humble dessert doesn't disappoint. Chef Michael O'Dowd's "Traditional Frybread from the Teachings of the Elders" (long, flowery names are part of the Kai experience) comes with goat's milk ice cream, berries, and candied nuts. It's $12 -- that's on top of the $49 you'll... More »
2010 | Best Destination Dining

What makes Kai such a standout Let us count the ways. First, there's the beautiful resort setting, with dining-room views overlooking both the pool and a vast stretch of desert. Servers address you by name, bring you chilled or warmed flatware depending on the course, deliver dishes in unison, and are well-schooled on the finer points of sophisticated cuisine. It's a good thing they're so knowledgeable and attentive, because even the most obsessive gourmet will find something unusual here... More »
2009 | Best Destination Dining

Restaurants sometimes use the term "award-winning" pretty loosely. But not Kai. This fine-dining spot has earned its elite status in some of the country's most prestigious restaurant rankings -- most notably, the AAA Five Diamond Award and five stars from Mobil Travel Guide. That puts Kai up there among the best places in the country, worthy of a special visit. For that, diners will be rewarded with unique, sophisticated cuisine that meshes traditional luxury ingredients with... More »
2008 | Best Place to Take a New Yorker

Sometimes you just have to turn the tables. Got a New Yorker pal who's hard to impress Yeah, we feel ya. It's not always easy coming up with something that outshines the allure of the Big Apple, but after years of racking our brains, we've come up with a bunch of ways to show off the joys of living in Arizona. Dinner at Kai is one of the highlights. We guarantee that in the City That Never Sleeps, there's no fine-dining spot with the kind of cuisine they serve at this high-end eatery, whose... More »
2007 | BEST PLACE TO TAKE A FOODIE

For über-foodies turned on by menus with highly unusual combinations of exotic ingredients, Kai is a gourmet mecca. Executive chef Michael O'Dowd and chef de cuisine Jack Strong masterfully combine familiar haute cuisine elements like foie gras, fennel pollen, and lobster tail with things you've probably never eaten, or even heard of -- cholla buds, huitlacoche mojo, toasted saguaro seeds, and nopalitos are just a few of the ingredients that'll fire up your imagination (or maybe... More »
2003 | BEST AUTHENTIC ARIZONA RESTAURANT

It seems so obvious. Arizona's indigenous foods -- delicacies like fresh local fish, wheat, melons, pistachios, olives, chiles, citrus and squash. Yet amazingly, no chef has really tried it here, until this year, with James Beard Award-winning chef Janos Wilder. Wilder, already famous for his innovative French-Southwestern Janos restaurant in Tucson, has brought us fine dining drawn from our state's Native American heritage. How authentic is it The chef works with Pima/Maricopa Indian... More »

Chris Costantino of Costantino's Kitchen (Part Two)

By Lauren Saria | Tue, May 1, 2012

Chef Chat this week has brought you into Costantino's Kitchen, where Chris Costantino is cooking up small, handmade batches of his Grandma Angie's Tomato Basil Sauce. On Monday, we talked about how ... More »
11 Things to Eat and Drink Before You Leave Phoenix

By Amy Silverman | Mon, April 30, 2012

Skipping town? You're not alone. Arizona State University's graduation takes place this week -- and once summer hits in earnest, it won't just be the mortar-boarded crowd escaping this Easy Bake. Here... More »
Chow Bella's Guide to Eating Cute Baby Easter Animals

By Shannon Armour | Mon, April 2, 2012

Super cute Easter animals are more than just super cute -- they can be pretty freakin' delicious. This Easter, skip the ho-hum ham, save the turkey for Thanksgiving, and let's eat some super cute bab... More »
26: Olive-Oil Poached Arctic Char at Kai

By Michele Laudig | Fri, September 10, 2010

Hungry yet?We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in... More »
Jewel in the Desert

By Michele Laudig | Thu, June 21, 2007

For me, reviewing restaurants is so personal, so subjective, that it's hard to imagine anyone doing it with an actual checklist in hand. But for employees of AAA whose full-time job involves judging more than 60,000 dining establishments across th... More »
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Dinner Menu

Starters

$8.00

Native Onion Soup
iitoi onions, mexican onions, sweet onion , gruyere cheese crostini

$15.00

Shrimp Cocktail
virgin bloody mary relish, celery, chemeith shards

$14.00

Artichoke & Crab Dip
crab & mornay fondue, meyer lemon, thyme, black garlic

$15.00

Buffalo Tartare
grain mustard, gherkins, anchovy, shallot

$14.00

Charcuterie & Imported Cheese
house pate, game sausages, parma ham, global cheese, olives

Greens

$8.00
Chicken $11.00

Caesar Salad
romaine lettuce, asiago cheese, tear drop tomatoes

$10.00

Belgium Endive & Arugula Salad
prosciutto, apples, goat cheese, candied walnuts, aged sherry vinaigrette

$8.00

Bistro Salad
tiny greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, white herb balsamic vinaigrette

Entrees

$27.00

Grilled Pork Porterhouse
sage potato coins, zucchini lasagna, red wine mustard reduction

$20.00

Gnocchi
wild mushrooms, pearl onions, aged vintage port, verdalogas, pecorino cheese

$38.00

Mesquite Grilled Buffalo Rib – Eye
grilled yukon mash, creamed spinach, marinated local tomatoes

$32.00

Pan Seared Crab Cake
panko, couscous, bell peppers, asparagus, capers remoulade

$34.00

Braised Short Ribs
roasted root vegetables, polenta, red wine demi-glacé

$29.00

Diver Scallops
warm bacon spinach salad, fingerling potatoes, toasted corn puree

$36.00

Peppercorn Crusted Filet Mignon
truffle frites, brioche crostini, ratatouille

$25.00

10 Oz Herb Roasted Chicken Breast
local herb rub, fingerling potato hash, mushroom fondue

$32.00

Pan Seared Wild Salmon
wild mushroom & artichoke polenta, smoked cheddar cheese, broccolini

$38.00

12oz Grilled New York Strip Steak
gorgonzola cheese crumbles, garlic mashed potatoes, baby carrots

$21.00

Entrecote
mushrooms & onions, fig & potato mash, balsamic demi

Looking for another city?

Kai

5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd. Chandler, AZ 85226

602-225-0100

Description

2011 | Best Use of Indigenous Ingredients

2011 | Best Fancy Frybread

2010 | Best Destination Dining

2009 | Best Destination Dining

2008 | Best Place to Take a New Yorker

2007 | BEST PLACE TO TAKE A FOODIE

2003 | BEST AUTHENTIC ARIZONA RESTAURANT

By Lauren Saria | Tue, May 1, 2012

By Amy Silverman | Mon, April 30, 2012

By Shannon Armour | Mon, April 2, 2012

By Michele Laudig | Fri, September 10, 2010

By Michele Laudig | Thu, June 21, 2007