Kai Wildhorse Pass, Chandler, AZ

[BillB656]

We went to the Wildhorse Pass for a get-away weekend and went back to Kai for another shot at the tasting menu. Last time it was superb, this time was just as good. Total bill is pretty steep (~$300/pp for the full tasting menu and expanded wine program) but worth the occasional splurge. The "expanded wine" program includes pours for bottles that aren't part of the btg menu. The pours were quite generous (3-4oz) and a few repeat pours of wines we were really enjoying).

amuse: Foie gras and black mission fig brulee w/minus eight vinegar gastrique, pancetta foam, micro mizuna.
Well balanced starter, super pop of foie/fig flavor and the pancetta foam is just so incredibly concentrated. Yum.
NV Tattinger La Francaise (Champagne) Toasted white bread, very yeasty, lots of apple, toasted oak finish with good crispness. Not very interesting

Chilled avocado puree w/grilled mango and peekytoe crab. Very refreshing soup. The avocado is richly flavored but light in texture. The crab adds a wonderful amount of salinity and ocean flavor.
2005 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs (CA) Fairly large presence, a bit round, simple and short but is a cleansing pair with the rich soup flavors.

Local lettuces w/tiny greens in a Pima bread stick cone, blood orange vinaigrette, sopressatta and heirloom tomato timbale, Humboldt Fog, date and foie gras mousse. Playful plating and truly balanced flavors on this dish. The ashy tastes of the cheese just didn't go with the rest of the dish, for me. Aside from that, it was a winner.
2005 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon (Santa Ynez) Now this is interesting. Lots of fresh farminess, some fresh oregano, and grassy notes. There is a bit of roundness in the middle (some oak?) with a dusty limestone and crisp lemon acidity finish. I'd buy this.

Macerated heirloom tomato and mascarpone in a buckwheat and saguaro seed tart w/basil foam. The tart was fantastic with so much earthiness and texture matching so well with the brightness of the tomato and creaminess of the mascarpone.
2007 Zolo Torrontés (Mendoza) Soaring orange blossom aromas, surprisingly round on entry, lemon/grapefruit flavors with a cleansing bitter lemon pith finish. Not bad.

Add-on dish - Foie gras duo: seared foie on minced dates, foie torchon dusted with pistachio on peach, with a peach/Dolce foam. Best dish so far. Nice sear on the foie, very rich torchon, and the accompaniment was subtle in its sweetness.
2005 Dolce Winery Late Harvest (Napa) Lots of tropical and peach notes, fairly rich, a good dose of botrytis, extremely lengthy with decent acidity. If I'm going to spend the money, I'd go for chenin but this isn't bad at all.

Seared tuna crusted with mesquite dust, saguaro seed, and amaranth, w/microgreens and a cranberry/fennel reduction and dehydrated olive. Even better than the foie? Cooked until only the mid 25% of the tuna is left rare giving the fish a much more meaty texture than the usually prepared 1/8" sear. The native seed crusting adds so much earthiness and warmth.
2005 J.M. Boillot Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollieres (Burgundy) Oh so young but a wonderfully ethereal nose of perfumed dark fruit, earth, and roses, high toned red fruit flavors mixed with some mocha, decent acidity, fine blanket of tannins, and noticeable oak on the finish.

Intermezzo: Guiness and Irish porter sorbet. Ohuh..brain freeze on the first bite...and then the unannounced bleu cheese ball that is hidden in the center comes blasting through my palate. Wow...I'm awake.
NV Cinzano Brachetto d'Acqui (Piedmont) Strawberry jam sweet bubbly that is fun but tastes pretty industrial. I'll stick to Bugey for strawberry bubbles.

Cheyenne River tribe buffalo tenderloin w/smoked corn puree, chorizo, barbequed scarlet runner bean, saguaro blossom syrup, cholla buds. Again, the depth of flavor is just incredible. Maybe it's the newness of the flavors to my palate but I'm finding so much enjoyment in every bite. Even the singular scarlet runner bean (which is about the size of a butterbean) is an adventure in of itself.
2003 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany) When I saw the label I shrugged (not a big favorite) and when I heard the vintage I cringed. What a surprise though. This wine is extremely elegant, has lots of red fruit flavors - cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, some minerality, and plenty of acidity to go with the richly flavored buffalo. There isn't alot of structure to the wine though so this doesn't seem to be an ager.

Cheese: Uplands Cheese Company Pleasant Ridge Reserve and (I think) Amablu St. Pete's Select. Both good cheeses. The Uplands is particularly grassy with lots of fresh farm characteristics. The blue is decent enough but a bit chalky.
2003 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo (Piedmont) Now this wine is showing more of the vintage traits. It's very fruit-forward, soft, and lush. The flavor is all nebbiolo - cherry, roses, some cinnamon, but the structure and backbone just isn't there.

Single origin Bolivian chocolate truffle and white chocolate/sage creme brulee. I'm not sure I can discern terroir characteristics in Bolivian chocolate but this was very good. The creme brulee was very good. Somehow white chocolate + sage + eggs + cream = bacon.
N.V. Sandeman Porto 40-year Tawny (Douro) Sure it's ultra-smooth and has some nice maple/dried fig/butterscotch flavors but it is a bit singular really. I'm finding my enjoyment peak to be with 20yr tawny's vs. 30 or 40 yrs.

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Kai
5594 W. Wildhorse Pass Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85226