Kai   

5594 W Wildhorse Pass Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85226
602-225-0100
www.wildhorsepass.com

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Don't expect mundane Indian fry bread at this glittery gambling resort in the Gila River Indian Community. The relatively new resort already had a lovely river setting with breathtaking mountain views. But management wanted to make Kai, its signature restaurant, an attraction on its own. They brought in one of the Southwest's most famous chefs, Janos Wilder of Tucson, to design a menu that spotlights indigenous ingredients from local tribal farms. Working with the reservation's Pima and Maricopa tribes, Wilder stocks Kai's kitchen with fish from their aquafarms, and vegetables, citrus, wheat, melons, pistachios and olives from tribal harvests. These help make up the ingredients for appetizers like tuna ceviche with jalapeno, citrus and melon in a spicy chile vinaigrette, and Indian fry bread topped with chunks of lobster, corn and avocado. The menu also includes chicken breast with a crisp blue-corn crust and sides of chili-molasses sweet potatoes and chayote squash, or pecan-crusted rack of lamb with mole sauce and a side dish of cornbread pudding. Desserts include fry bread topped with kahlua ice cream, candied nuts and whipped cream -- Cecil Tuck Pictured: Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort