Kai

Kai Restaurant Review:

Subdued, elegant Kai showcases a menu that incorporates local ingredients. Start with the Pee-Posh Garden comprised of seeded soil, baby potatoes, black tepary bean, chili froth and nopales. The Composition of Lobster brings corn pinole soufflé, brown butter crumble, and corn and tomato bisque. The menu changes with the seasons, but one reliable favorite is grilled tenderloin of Tribal buffalo atop smoked corn purée, cholla buds, merguez and bean chili finished with saguaro blossom syrup. (Ryan Swanson is now the chef de cuisine.) Dessert has included mini traditional fry bread puffs dusted with Mexican cinnamon sugar with warmed Ibarra chocolate fondue and coffee ice cream. Be sure to rely on the French-trained staff for their recommendations from the wine list --- by-the-glass can be the way to go for tempting selections sourced from California to South American to Europe. Decorated with Native American artifacts and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook mountains and desert, Kai is a good place to bring out-of-towners for a true taste of the Southwest.