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Parking at Kai Restaurant is stress-free — an effortless beginning to your experience at the Five-Star locale. Just take advantage of the complimentary valet service at the Chandler, Ariz. resort that houses Kai. Following your meal, your server will alert the attendant and your car will be waiting as soon as you exit the restaurant, so there’s no need to dig that ticket out of your pocket. Once inside the car we noticed a charming, unique touch — a personalized, handwritten thank you note from the staff on the dashboard. If you enjoyed the tasting menu during your visit, a list with wine pairings from the meal is also included.

Although reservations are not required at Kai Restaurant, they are strongly recommended. With 20 regular tables and just a handful of seatings per night, spots can be snapped up quickly at the Five-Star restaurant. During the low season — Arizona's scorching summer — tables are easier to come by; we recently booked a reservation one day in advance during the summer, but not at the time we wanted. The demand for tables at Kai Restaurant is much higher during the winter, when the resort that is home to the restaurant is busy. While walk-ins can get lucky, save yourself the heartache and call in advance.

Kai Restaurant, the Five-Star locale at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, is burrowed into the Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges, which means diners benefit from stunning views of the desert landscape. Sunsets are can’t-miss events in Chandler, Ariz., and Kai’s floor-to-ceiling windows give diners enviable views of the blushing mountains and a sky filled with electric hues of pink, orange, deep blue and purple. While the west-facing windows give the best views of the sky, the desert landscape is on full view from the south. The landscape is a major focus — and source of pride — at Kai Restaurant, and as the sun begins to set, servers throw open the curtains for a dramatic reveal.

Kai Restaurant’s calming interior design reflects the earthy palette found in the Arizona Gila River Indian Community around the Five-Star restaurant. Most tables have views of the Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges through the floor-to-ceiling windows — bringing the desert landscape into the dining room. Inside, light green walls are hung with local art — including pieces created by Michael Medicine Horse Zillioux, an artist who is also Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa’s director of security. Kai Restaurant’s table settings match the colors of the setting sun, and the rest of the décor is subdued — allowing the food and stunning views to take center stage.

Kai Restaurant seats diners at 20 tables spread through four dining rooms and a patio. The two main rooms house 14 tables with eight in the larger dining room and six in the smaller adjacent area. Two private rooms are also used for everyday seating if there isn’t a party booked, seating up to 24 eager eaters. During nice weather — more than six months of the year in sunny Arizona — the four patio tables are also used. Although the rooms feel intimate, the tables are surrounded by ample space — leaving room for the servers to attend to your needs — and the floor-to-ceiling windows show off mountain views while visually expanding the dining rooms.

The Five-Star Kai Restaurant boasts multiple tables with jaw-dropping views of the Chandler, Ariz. Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges. One corner table, however, conveniently situated between the west and south facing windows, offers the best of both — with sunset views of the mountains and golf courses to the west and striking desert landscapes to the south. While there are no bad tables at the restaurant, those closer to the doors will see less of the mountains and more of the outdoor patio at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa. When you make your reservation, ask for a table close the windows with a mountain view — you won't be disappointed.

Don’t be afraid to arrive early to Kai Restaurant, as the lounge is a fitting place to set the mood for dinner at the Five-Star restaurant. Outfitted with relaxing sofas, comfortable bar seats and four tables looking out on mountain views, the lounge is comfortable for waiting to snag a table or unwinding with a cocktail before your reservation. Couples can cuddle on the plush sofas while business associates might choose to chat at the tables overlooking Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa's patio. The restaurant offers all diners a chance to relax at the bar, even if you’ve arrived only a few minutes early.

Just a soft whisper in the background, the music at Kai Restaurant fits in with the restaurant’s southwest setting. During our visit, invisible speakers hummed melodies from a Native American-style flute, but it could barely be made out over the quiet conversation from neighboring tables. The music is one of several touches that the Five-Star restaurant uses to reflect the culture of the local Pima and Maricopa Native American tribes. Like in the minimal interior design at Kai Restaurant, the ambiance takes a back seat to the gorgeous Sierra Estrella and South Mountain views and top-notch cuisine.

Service at Kai Restaurant leaves you feeling pampered — the Phoenix-area restaurant pays attention the details. Your experience begins as you’re greeted by name at the reservations desk, and as you approach the table, servers appear at each chair to seat you and quickly follow up with a warm or cool towel, depending on the season. A greeting in Pima — an Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona — kicks off the dining experience, along with a thorough explanation of the restaurant’s focus. Throughout the meal, flatware arrives warm or cold as dictated by the dish, and plates appear and disappear simultaneously. Kai Restaurant’s staff is courteous, knowledgeable and engaging, and is happy to answer questions. They seem to appear just as you need something, but don’t linger. Along with the food and locale, the Five-Star restaurant equally impresses.

Kai Restaurant chef Michael O’Dowd draws on classic technique and Native American traditions at the Five-Star restaurant. Before developing Kai's menu and concept, O’Dowd previously worked at New York’s Bouley and The Ritz-Carlton and worked with acclaimed chefs including Pierre Orsi and Boris Keller. While he creates the locally-focused cuisine at the Arizona restaurant, O’Dowd’s influence also extends elsewhere at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, where he oversees the more casual Ko’Sin Restaurant and the resort’s banquet services.

In form and function, Kai Restaurant’s menu is unlike any you’ve seen before. Each course at the Five-Star restaurant is an inventively titled chapter — from the small plates of “birth” through the savory appetizers of “beginning” up to the main “journey” and finally the heavenly desserts of “afterlife.” The dishes meld Native American and global cuisine, and each is explained in generous detail — reviewing chef Michael O’Dowd’s menu can be a lengthy experience. Beyond the literary text, Kai Restaurant’s menus are beautiful, too. Each is hand-painted by Michael Medicine Horse Zillioux, an artist and Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa’s director of security.

An interlude between the creatively titled “journey” and “afterlife” courses, Kai Restaurant's cheese course fits in with the Five-Star eatery's Southwestern yet global theme. The course includes two to four artisan cheeses such as Camembert and five-year-aged Gouda. Served as part of the seven and 13 course tasting menus — or à la carte — the cheeses are a fitting prelude to Kai’s whimsical desserts. While local Arizona cheeses typically aren’t highlighted in the cheese course, they are featured elsewhere on the menu, such as the heavenly heritage tomato tart.

Distinctive in their Southwestern inspiration, Kai Restaurant’s desserts highlight the best notes of the cuisine at the Five-Star gem. Traditional dishes such as chocolate soufflé and cheesecake are unexpected when crafted from heritage Native American ingredients including maize, chipotle and seeds. A mix of sweet and savory play in every dish in the restaurant’s uniquely titled “afterlife” menu (following the “journey” entrees, of course). Kai Restaurant’s pastry chef provides a whimsical take on Native American ingredients, offering the fun “reservation retro” dish — four treats including the Gila River citrus “twinkie” and sassafras root beer float.

Inspired by Arizona’s local products, Kai Restaurant rotates new dishes into the detailed menu two to four times a year. The Five-Star cuisine from chef Michael O’Dowd features tomatoes grown by a local school on the Indian reservation in the summer, and come fall shifts the focus to heartier fare. Meaning “seed” in Pima, Kai Restaurant borrows heavily from the tribe’s agrarian lifestyle, highlighting local and seasonal produce throughout the year. In order to keep things fresh, chef O’Dowd and his staff take a month long trip around the state each August, visiting producers and learning new techniques — including goat milking at an Arizona ranch.

Sophisticated dishes dominate at Kai Restaurant, but the restaurant's lack of a kids' menu doesn't mean little ones are excluded. Ever-willing to please, chef Michael O'Dowd is happy to modify one of his dishes or craft a custom one to suit young palates at this Five-Star restaurant. Parents of fussy eaters need not worry; mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs and other kid-friendly choices can be brought in from elsewhere at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa. To avoid a hunger-induced meltdown, give the Kai Restaurant servers a heads up early on if you'd like to order one of those items, since it can take a bit of time for them to arrive from the resort's other kitchens.

Gently curving through the lounge, the bar at Kai Restaurant is your first impression of the Five-Star restaurant. The candle-lit space has four tables, a sofa and deep bar seats — and they almost all boast a view of the Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges and the lush Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa's golf course. Kai’s full, vodka-focused bar is well stocked with a variety of premium liquors, beer, wine and tempting signature cocktails. Sit at the bar to play spectator as the knowledgeable and friendly bartenders twist, crush and shake the delightful St. Germain elderflower liqueur-based Pima Bear, or summer-in-a-glass Basil Gimlet.

Kai Restaurant’s three sommeliers expertly pair the Five-Star restaurant’s deep wine cellar with chef Michael O’Dowd’s creative dishes. Kai offers three-to-six ounce à la carte pours, as well as complete wine pairings for both the seven-course “short story” and larger 13-course “journey” tasting menus. Sommeliers blind taste test everyday, skillfully pairing Kai Restaurant’s international wine list with the restaurant’s modern takes on Native American cuisine. Fancy yourself a wine aficionado? The personable sommeliers are flexible and happy to discuss the wines. The reasonable pairings add $60 to $80 to the tasting menus, and are also offered in small sizes.

Whether you want to start your meal off with a cocktail or need a break from beer and wine, Kai Restaurant’s resident bartenders can whip you up a tasty concoction. From the Pima Bear, crafted with St. Germain elderflower liqueur and pink peppercorns, to the Great Fruit, a grapefruit-based martini, the Five-Star restaurant’s cocktails include fresh fruit juice and herbs with refreshing results. Bartenders crush, muddle and mix in front of you — explaining the ingredients and process as they go. One of our warm-weather favorites is the sunny Basil Gimlet, a summery and refreshing escape from the Arizona heat.

Being a designated driver isn’t a drag at Kai Restaurant, since a selection of fruity and custom-crafted mocktails are available at the Five-Star restaurant. If you aren’t looking to imbibe, Kai Restaurant’s knowledgeable bartenders will construct non-alcoholic drinks ranging from a grapefruit and Mesquite bean “martini” to muddled fresh fruit creations. Bartenders will even design custom mocktail pairings to go with each dish on the seven- and 13-course tasting menus, or for individual à la carte offerings. During our visit, the bartender was excited to whip up new non-alcoholic beverages — dashing off to the kitchen for fresh ingredients.