Chandler, Ariz.- When three jack rabbits raced out in front of my car as I approached the restaurant, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical dining experience.
Considering where I was headed, I could have saved the cook a trip to the market by not slamming on my brakes.
I was headed for Kai, one of the few American Indian restaurants in the United States. It serves food found on the surrounding reservation, which, I assumed, included the local wildlife.
Rattlesnake. Hawk. Jack rabbit. I couldn’t wait.
But Kai doesn’t feed into any stereotypes. In truth, it doesn’t really feed you only authentic Indian dishes, either; witness the braised lobster tail and Cheyenne River buffalo tenderloin I had that night.
And head chef Sandy Garcia makes no apologies about it. He’s a full-blooded Santa Clara Pueblo Indian, raised on the Santa Clara reservation in north-central New Mexico, and he speaks a little Tewa, his tribal language. Schooled at New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Garcia prepares dishes of his design, and the creativity and attention to exotic detail are only fitting for a restaurant of Kai’s surroundings.
Opened 2 1/2 years ago, Kai is no tourist trap. It’s part of Sheraton’s sprawling and opulent Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa on the edge of this suburb just south of Phoenix. The 100,000-square-foot complex is on the Akimelo’odham reservation.
I was in Phoenix covering college football’s Bowl Championship Series meetings at the Royal Palm Resort. As a resort, it’s a Best Western in Dubuque compared to Wild Horse Pass. Plus, the Royal Palm’s Santa Cruz chile-seared ostrich tenderloin isn’t nearly as good.
Of all the ethnic food I’ve tried in the world, I’ve never tried the one ethnic food that really isn’t. After all, Indian food is, truly, native American. In fact, according to Richard Brisson, a Cherokee and a chef, 96 percent of what we consume in America comes from Indians.
Think pine nuts are Italians’ way to make pesto? They’re not. Indians have been growing them for centuries. Garcia can walk out of his restaurant and collect 15 varieties of citrus, lettuce, eggplant and herbs. Even olive oil is harvested on the reservation.
The result is a menu that sounds like gourmet road kill: Gila Crossing fancy greens. Seared loin of rabbit. Mesquite bacon-wrapped quail. Pan seared duck breast with pheasant sausage. Loin of venison.
I sat down in a spacious, dimly lit room with black and white pictures of Indians at work and play. Oil paintings of pottery adorned the walls. The sweet sound of a flute from an Indian soundtrack drifted through the air.
I asked the Mexico City-born waiter for a typical Indian dish, and he recommended the buffalo.
“But I’m from Colorado,” I said. “I’ve had plenty of buffalo.”
“This,” he said proudly, “is better than Colorado buffalo.”
Hate to say it, Coloradans, but he’s right.
At the old Denver Buffalo Company I never had buffalo tenderloin served as they do at Kai: with smoked corn coulis, barbecued scarlet runner beans, Saguaro blossom syrup, cholla buds and mushrooms.
At $35, the little filet is best served with an expense account, and the tenderness of the meat under the delicate combination of subtle ingredients made it more artwork than food. It was Na Ka’ Gu (Tewa for “delicious”). And it was just enough after the lobster tail served with avocado mousse and teardrop tomato salsa on fried bread.
Even the olive oil has Garcia’s touch. Dip in the house-made bread, and you’ll taste the remnants of pumpkin seeds, pistachios, sunflowers and almonds.
With close-cropped hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a youthful, clean-shaven face, the 40-year-old looked more like a junior executive in Silicon Valley than my idea of an Indian chef. But he’s determined to show the world his native foods.
When I caught up with him later, he was headed to a local school to give a talk and treats, such as a salad mix made from Mexican cheese and corn, among other local foods. And yes, local Indians do dine at Kai.
“It’s much different,” Garcia said. “It’s not what they expected, which is what we want them to experience. Hopefully, they have a great time, because they all come back.”
So will I.
John Henderson can be reached at jhenderson@denverpost.com or 303-820-1299.
