Macey shares, “I was early, so, obviously, I headed straight to the bar to enjoy the last 15 minutes of happy hour. I had the Spring Chicken, which was gin-based, lightly sweet and carbonated and very refreshing! Perfect drink for a warm evening.” Pictured on the right is Gretchen’s sangria: “I was a bit hesitant to try [it], but I ordered the kiwi sangria. I am so glad I did! It was exceptionally fruity and delicious. Very much like traditional sangria, but with a pleasant little kick! I wish I had ordered two glasses.”
The daily soup was a perfect combination of smoked tomato topped with crustini and cheese, making for a perfect pairing with a side salad.
“For my meal, I started with the spring green salad [above] with goat cheese and white balsamic honey vinaigrette. Everything tasted extremely fresh and they were generous with the cheese and portion size. After the salad and complementary [sic] bread, I was almost too full for my smoked Korean style baby back ribs! {Almost.} The ribs [below] were perfectly cooked and paired with spicy red chile paste and barely-pickled cucumber salad. I had a fantastic salad with all these leftovers for lunch the next day!” -Macey
Gretchen shares, “For my main dish, I ordered the beef tenderloin. This is easily in the top five best meals of my entire life. The meat was cooked to perfection and the garlic mashed potatoes sent me straight to heaven. I can’t wait to come back!”
Cameron ordered the seafood and squid ink pasta. “It was so good! Every now and again you would get a hint of heat and cilantro flavor. It was on the starter menu, but there was definitely enough to have as a meal by itself. So good, I would definitely order it again. And then I had that Chicken cocktail thingy, which was amazing and that’s probably why 3 of us ordered the same drink. I would go back again just for that cocktail specifically.”
Meghan notes, “Instead of ordering an appetizer and an entree (yes, the menu selections were too enticing to just have one dish), I ordered the two items that were at the top of my list: The pork belly [above] and the wild boar [below]. Both were starters and, though I was flying solo, I was in a piggy kind of mood. (Pun intended!) The pork belly dish was so incredibly good (I believe my comment at the time was ‘holy f*ck balls, that’s amazing!’), that I feel confident in saying that I’ve only had something better at Kai. What other than pork belly was in the dish? I’ll be damned if I can name anything beyond radish, black bean-something and pork belly, but the two sauces it sat atop were heavenly. The black bean and (I assume) potato-based side item was a bit heavy on umami flavor, but, when paired with the rest of the items on the dish, it was downright blissful. As for the boar, it was thinly sliced, didn’t taste gamey and was modestly covered with what tasted like an Asian-inspired barbeque sauce, but was missing the promised glazed sweet potatoes. It was very good, but I opted to eat all of the pork belly and take all but a few bites of the boar home to my husband, as it paled in comparison to the pork belly. I liked their wine list and ordered a glass of Kivelstadt Cellars’ ‘Father’s Watch’ and wasn’t at all disappointed. The decor/accommodations were unimpressive, but the staff was good and the fare was outstanding, so I will definitely be going back.”
The Full Review {their menu here}:
Favorite Appetizer: Loved the cheese board, perfect variety for a group gathering. We shared it and it was perfect.
Favorite Entree: Meghan convinced us it was the pork belly, but everything was delicious.
Favorite Dessert: We didn’t even try any. We were so full from our meals and considered our cocktails dessert. We promise to order some next time though!
1-10 Service {0 worst, 10 best}: 10. Everything was wonderful. We sat in the side house, which gave us just enough privacy without leaving us feeling abandoned by the staff. Great service.
Cost {$ $$ $$$ $$$$!}: $$-$$$, though the lunch menu is definitely a great deal and a slightly different menu with a little more value. Overall, though, this meal was worth every penny.
Mistakes {corrections?}: With the exception of the missing sweet potatoes, everything was just perfect.
Reservations? We made them because we’re a larger group, but I don’t think they would be necessary on an average weeknight.
Parking: Meter or nearby lot, since it’s so close to ASU
Would we eat there again? YES, can’t wait to go back!
Until next time, cheers,
the Bitches.
Bitches Food Club 