Kai is the premiere dining choice at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort on the Gila River Indian Community reservation and it is wonderful restaurant quite different from what you normally will find in Arizona, a state with great Mexican and Americana-flavored cuisine. Kai means seed in Pima and the restaurant really embraces its Native American heritage. A lot of the herbs, vegetables and fruits are grown locally on the reservation. The food is however, is very international, with a french touch. After a change at Head Chef many people were concerned that the quality of the food would suffer but Chef de Cuisine Joshua Johnson has so far done an excellent job of maintaining the high standard Kai has been known for. The way to go is to take the Journey - a wonderful tasting menu which allows the kitchen to really show up their talents. Our dinner started off with some wonderful appetizers, where the highlight was an incredibly smooth Pumpkin and Squash Soup, with deep flavors and a beautiful texture. The Sous Vide Roots were one of the most visually striking dishes that I have had in a long time. An artful composition that almost made it hard to eat it. You didn't want to ruin it - it was that beautiful.
The next part of the Journey also had some amazing highlights. A Foie Gras in all its splendor, had a smooth, velvety texture and sweet grapes and gooseberries to balance the duck liver. The Lobster dish was cooked to perfection, with accompanying shrimp and scallops adding depth and richness. The Grand Finale was interesting. When we were served the Guava-Coriander Sorbet we were thinking that we are moving into the sweet section of the Journey. But to our surprise we had one more savory dish to enjoy. And it was a great one. Grilled Tenderloin of Buffalo from the Cheyenne River Tribe. Very well cooked, tender, moist and very flavorful. After this surprise, we finally moved into desserts and they were solid, but not spectacular. In my humble opinion, Kai - together with Binkleys in Cave Creek, are the best restaurants in the Phoenix region. The food is international, but with a local flavor and feel. We are not spoiled with this kind of food in Arizona, so I am happy that Kai is staying on course. The service is wonderful, the staff does a great job of explaining the dishes and the connection to the Tribes. And as a nice little bonus, when the valet delivers your car, there is a cold bottle of water and a surprise waiting for you in the car. The only negative would be that it is a long drive from Scottsdale. But it is a drive worth making.
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L'Ortolan is Michelin Starred fine dining restaurant located in the picturesque village of Shinfield, Berkshire. With Executive Chef Alan Murchison the restaurant has won numerous awards including a Michelin Star and a place in the Sunday Times Top 50 restaurants in the UK. Alan Murchison also launched a wonderful cookbook, Food for Thoughts, which includes a lot of the wonderful recipes that you can enjoy at the L'Ortolan. The restaurant is located in beautiful house where you immediately feel like a welcomed guest. We had the fortune to go visit L'Ortolan just before Christmas so before getting seated in the dining room, you enjoyed drinks and some pre-dinner appetizers in a very cozy in-house veranda. The restaurant did a great job of accommodating my wife's dietary restrictions and were able to offer a great vegan alternative. The menu started with some great starters that really sets the expectations for the rest of the dining experience. The entrees part of the menu had a couple of great highlights. It started off with a wonderful duck liver parfait - smooth, velvety and with amazing depth of flavors. They also served a wonderful filet of bass - perfectly cooked, and with all the right sides. My wife had salads and vegetable platters - maybe it doesn't sound too exciting, but the flavors are rich, with a lot of depth and Chef Alan has done an excellent job of pairing these vegetables together. I am not a vegan guy - but I could have enjoyed just eating the vegan menu. After the main courses we had a wonderful cheese platter, trying some local artisan cheeses. Nice combination, but nothing that stood out as exceptional. The dinner ended with some great desserts, very light and with wonderful combinations. I sometimes feel that in french-influenced restaurants, the desserts are too heavy - but at L'Ortolan they were at the right level. We left the dinner feeling just perfectly filled. All in all, I was surprised to find this wonderful gem in Reading, but L'Ortolan is definitely worth a visit when you are in town. Great food, good wine line list, friendly staff and a wonderful location. Also make sure that you pick up Alan's cookbook so you can bring some of the L'Ortolan magic with you home. Highly recommended.
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