Today, Sage Restaurant Group Co-Founder and COO Peter Karpinski is excited to share the details of the Denver-based restaurant company’s latest venture with the official opening announcement of Kachina Southwestern Grill, set to debut in Westminster, Colorado in September 2012. Ideally situated between the urban hubs of Boulder and Denver, Kachina will take guests on a culinary tour of the Southwest through Chef Patrick Hartnett’s spirited Southwestern cuisine.
‘Kachinas’ are mystical spirit beings of Southwestern Pueblo cosmology that personify the belief that everything in the universe has an interwoven essence and life-force. The Kachina spirit runs throughout the restaurant, from the location to the design, and especially in the Southwestern fare.
“We are incredibly excited to unveil Kachina Southwestern Grill as Sage Restaurant Group’s tenth restaurant in the United States,” said Peter Karpinski, Co-Founder and COO of Sage Restaurant Group. “Kachina will be a go-to dining destination for both locals and visitors alike. The restaurant will showcase the incredible flavors and experience of the Southwest in a vibrant, relaxing atmosphere, featuring the distinctive scene and subtly infused local vibe for which SRG concepts are known and recognized.”
The Menu
The journey at Kachina begins with the menu, as guests are invited to explore cuisine from the Southwest. Under the guidance of Chef Patrick Hartnett, who developed his American Southwest and New World culinary style working with esteemed Southwestern culinary innovators including Ann Lindsey Greer, Richard Chamberlain and Mark Miller, Kachina celebrates this authentic regional cuisine in a new, modern way.
The menu begins with a collection of offerings; Para Mesa, an assortment of larger, shared dishes paying homage to the notions of family and community – both paramount to the culture of native Southwesterners. From there, guests can choose from traditional Appetizer selections, or from an inspired variety of Soups, Stews & Salads. A Kachina signature, the Navajo Taco boasts its own menu category, showcasing a number of regional renditions of this classic Native American taco preparation – light, fluffy fry bread, filled with fresh seasonal, local ingredients.
On to the main dishes, Comida features regionally-influenced offerings of game, seafood, chicken, “Cowboy” steaks, and hearty posoles. A dedicated From the Grill section provides a variety of grilled specialties – from bison steaks and heirloom pork to diver scallops and local organic chicken – all offered with a plentiful array of house made sauces and accompaniments. Off-the-menu, a roving food cart provides an interactive tableside experience, with seasonally-rotating options including prepared-to-order corn-on-the-cob or custom tamales. For dessert, Pastry Chef David Knight fuses savory and sweet with his innovative interpretations of traditional decadent delights from the region. Menu highlights include:
Para Mesa
Guacamole Trio
corn, traditional, and chipotle with freshly fried chips
Huitlacoche Tamale
hazel dell mushroom, huitlacoche, blue cheese chipotle cream
Appetizers
Bluecorn Dog
house-made lamb sausage, blue corn breading, house-made yellow tomato ketchup, green chile mustard
Colorado Bison Empanadas
chipotle honey-agave, capers, raisins, braised greens agrodocle
Soups, Stews, & Salads
New Mexico Green Chile
aged jack cheese, onion, tortilla
Taco Salad
“stacked” bison taco, beans, pico, avocado, olives, cotija achiote buttermilk ranch
Navajo Tacos
The Pueblo
achiote pork, tomatillo salsa, jalapeno jack cheese
The Texan
epazote braised beef, aged jack cheese, black bean puree, chipotle aioli
The Sonoran
calabacitas, avocado, ancho tomatillo salsa
Comida
Chipotle Shrimp + Waffle
blue corn waffle, grilled corn salsa, chipotle butter
Three Sisters
calabacitas stuffed ancho relleno, huitlacoche ravioli, pinto bean jus, corn cream
New Mexican Chicken Enchilada
Christmas style, aged cheddar, dry jack
From the Grill
21 day dry aged bone-in bison cowboy ribeye, jerky butter
White Jumbo Gulf Shrimp
chipotle butter
Mixed Grill
gulf shrimp, wagyu hanger steak, chorizo-stuffed quail
Dessert
Sweet Blue Corn Biscuit
seasonal fruit compote, honey cream, fresh basil
Cinnamon Churros
prickly pear dipping sauce
Chocolate Chile Beignets
cajeta dipping sauce
The Drinks
Kachina’s beverage program features an array of eclectic options, all instilled with a Southwestern twist. Artisan mezcals and handcrafted tequilas are commonplace in the often smoky, spicy libations. Specialty cocktails such as Low Spark, made with Espolon tequila, house-made grenadine, orange curacao, angostura bitters and lime and the Native Sage, with Don Julio Reposado, sage infused honey, lemon and grapefruit exemplify the creativity in this dynamic roster of beverages. For vino sippers, a selection of wines on tap, in addition to traditional glass and bottle options, provide guests the opportunity to enjoy premium wines with a reduced carbon footprint. Finally, a comprehensive beer list rounds out the beverage options, offering popular local and regional brews to complement the zesty fare.
The Space
The restaurant’s design, conceptualized by New York City’s crème design, takes guests on a road trip through the cultural landscape of the region. Scenes range from antique cars in an abandoned gas station lot to the picturesque view of a cactus lined dessert to a fire pit under the starry night sky. An airy, indoor-outdoor space, guests enter Kachina through the patio, where amenities including an horno oven and outdoor bar provide the perfect place to dine and imbibe while taking in the breathtaking Rocky Mountain backdrop. By day, the patio’s trellis tames the heat of the bold Colorado sun, and by night draped lights create an intimate, casual atmosphere for enjoying an evening alfresco.
Inside, the naturally inspired environment offers a warm neutral foundation and organic textures, with splashes of color – from bright yellows and fiery reds to cool blues – popping throughout. Lined with banquettes, the dining room’s low plaster walls emulate early adobe architecture, with wood screens providing layers of both privacy and mystery. Two monumental weathered trees anchor the vaulted main dining rooms, with hanging vintage lanterns adding a chic, rustic touch. Custom light fixtures made from acid blackened stock steel members like angles, turn-buckles, and pulley wheels, and the open kitchen, add to the authenticity of the Kachina dining experience. Behind a double-sided sand art wall installation, a private space featuring a cozy fireplace creates an intimate setting for a group gathering.
Kachina Southwestern Grill, a modern Southwestern restaurant and bar located in Westminster, Colorado, will be introduced in September 2012 by restaurateur Peter Karpinski of the Denver-based Sage Restaurant Group. Helmed by Chef Patrick Hartnett, the menu takes guests on a southwestern culinary journey across the Southwest. Creative cocktails follow suit, boasting a premium collection of handcrafted tequilas and artisan mezcals throughout the inspired beverage list. An indoor-outdoor space, natural elements anchor the design, with bold colors or the region and fascinating art featured prominently throughout the space.
Kachina Southwestern Grill will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Kachina is open every day, Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the bar and lounge open until 12 a.m. Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling 303.410.5000 beginning on September 6, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.kachinagrill.com.
Contact:
Ana Espinoza
Wagstaff Worldwide
312-943-6900
