Kai at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona

The tasting menu composes of a five course menu where four of them give you a choice among three options.  The menu is laid out in fashion of a person's life journey and in a poetic way you can sort of imagine the life of a historical American Indian being born, then in the spring of life with various dishes of fresh herbs and vegetables, with the Journey getting into the meat of it as the main course, then having to march the "long walk" (as represented by the frybread) until finally the sweet dessert course.

Amuse Bouche and bread

The Birth: The Mesquite Corn Veloute

The Birth: The Crab and Melon

Basil, plum and peach gels, three different types of compressed melon and cucumber in rice wine vingear.

The Beginning: Celebration of Arizona Mushrooms

Herb Mille Feuille, Black Garlic Puree, Fungi Broth, Watercress with truffle.

The Beginning: Lobster and peas

One of my favorite dishes of the evening. The whimsical addition of the tarragon tuille along with the rest of the greens really made me want to play with my food before I ate it. The mole had a nice earthy flavor and the crab and lobster knuckle dumpling topped with coral foam was amazing. The pears were very fresh and crisp. The freshness of the ingredients is something you notice.

The Beginning: Foie Gras and Onions

You simply can not go wrong with seared foie gras. It is popular for a reason and this presentation served with a hazelnut and brown butter onion demiglace is wonderful. The bouquet of onions stuffed with foie gras induced into it with various spices sprinkled over the top really add to the creativity of the presentation. The variety of onions and shallots are there to emphasize "the beginning."

Palate Cleanser

A spicy citrus flavored ice cream which definitely did the trick. I was ready for the main course!

The Journey: Pisin (Grilled Tenderloin of American Bison)

The signature dish of the restaurant.  Grilled Tenderloin of American Bison, a 60day old corn puree, under the bison is a oxtail and scarlet bean runner casoulet which add intense flavor to the dish. I made sure to get some of this as part of each bite. The tenderness of the bison, the flavor of the casoulet and the corn puree were balanced in preparation for the next bite. The garnish is preserved cholla bud in saguaro blossom syrup and pequillo peppers.  This is a dish worth getting.

The Journey: Berkshire Pork

Pork prepared four ways, with roast pork at the top of the screen, chicharrones, pork cheek, seared pork belly escabeche (inside the chemeith). The chemeith is the tortilla like item in the center of the dish. The green sauce, a cactus and avocado chimichurri is amazingly fresh.

The Afterlife: Wamichta or Indian Frybread

Presentation of Indian frybread with whipped goat cheese, pichuberry served as part of mostarda and honeycomb foam.  The dish is the only one that does not offer a choice, symbolic of the non-choice indigenous natives had for the long walk as well as creating frybread with the little ingredients they were given. This is a powerful dish and a powerful statement. This significance and symbolism did not hit me until long after the meal.

Dessert: Corn 

Dessert: Arizona Honey

Burnt honeycomy tuille atop, with dessert blossom honey cremeux, apple butter, brown butter genoise and apricot buttermilk granita.

Petit Fours

The best I can describe these are gooey chocolate interior chocolates. They are not made at the restaurant, but are good as a completion to the meal.

Conclusion

They say the new generation would rather spend on experiences rather than things. A meal here is quite the gastronomic learning experience as well as exposure to native american ingredients and cuisine. This might possibly be the best restaurant in all of Arizona.