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| - Bar none, Kai is the best restaurant in Arizona, if not one of the best I have ever been. I've had the pleasure to dine here on three occasions, with the last somehow topping my first two unbelievable experiences. Though it will put a nice dent in your wallet, Kai is worth every penny. And then some. This past visit, I had the rare opportunity to try their 13 course dinner with wine pairings.
Kai expertly fuses together Native American and French Cuisines. It is not something you'd expect to work together, but with every dish unveiled, the food ceases to amaze. You'll tend to see the Native American influence with the meats and the ambiance, while the French component can be seen in the flavors and the service.
Even within the first few minutes of dining, Kai manages to impress. Somehow, the greeter welcomed me with, "Good evening Mr. Pachence". I'm not sure how they knew my name before I even said a word. Once I was seated, the staff laid out the napkins in unison and provided the menus. As I've learned from my previous experiences, each menu has a unique hand-painted piece of art. The last two times, the waiter described the artwork along with the underlying story. I was only slightly disappointed that this wasn't enacted this time around, but it only makes sense since my dining excursion was already allotted for about three hours.
It's worth taking the time to call out the exquisite service. I had found out only a month before this past visit that Kai ranked #1 on OpenTable's 2012-2013 list of best service in the States. Had I not read that, I still would have put it at the top of the best service I've ever had from a restaurant. Their top-tier French service includes wait staff that fold your napkins when you leave for the bathroom. They reveal and take away the table's dishes all in unison. They absolutely cater to you, hand and foot. Everything is brought out at the perfect temperature, even the silverware! The forks are either chilled or heated, depending on the dish you receive.
Take for example, my second experience. I was with a group of four. At one point, the staff forgot to bring out a wine pairing with one of the dishes. They were the ones to point out later that a mistake was made, which they made up for by bringing a complimentary appetizer, paired wine, and a free dessert for the table at the end. Now that is service!
The meal itself was nothing less than a piece of art. The food was glittered with both style and substance. Out of the thirteen courses, it's pretty tough to choose the highlights, since everything was so very special. The miniature sous-vide vegetables (4th course), foie gras (5th course), escargot (9th course) and the buffalo tenderloin (11th course) stood out as the best. I've never been a fan of escargot, but the truffle crema and pork belly pieces made the dish so incredibly special that it may have permanently changed my mind on escargot. The buffalo was smokey and tender, with a sweet tinge that that came from the Saguaro blossom syrup.
Across all of the dishes, mushrooms seemed to be the theme of the night with five of the courses highlighted by various types. What is really impressive is that non of the mushroom types were reused throughout the dishes. I left the meal a little overstuffed, but undoubtedly happy. How could I not, after leaving what I would consider as one of top ten meals ever.
Kai is as good as it gets.
[This review is based on my visit on March 21, 2013]
COURSES:
1) Celery & Sauterne Gelee
2) Mesquite Charred Pumpkin and Squash Soup
3) Lettuces Hand Picked by Local Farmers & Children of Gila River Crossing School
4) Sous Vide Roots, Asparagus & Exotic Mushrooms in their Soil
5) Foie Gras in all its Splendor
6) Agave and Pomegranate Elixir
7) Potpourri of Butter Basted Lobster, Guaymas Shrimp & Diver Scallops
8) Celebration of Mushrooms
9) Escargot, Truffle, Wild Mushrooms & Caramel Goat Cheese
10) Chipotle Blueberry Sorbet
11) Grilled Tenderloin of Buffalo from the Cheyenne River Tribe
12) A Side by Side of Global Cheeses
13) The Essence of Fall
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