By:
Michael McClellan, Director of Food & Beverage
Spring has arrived, and with it comes the next chapter of Axis
Over the past several weeks, Executive Chef Isaac Cantu and the culinary team have taken the opportunity to step back, rework and refine both our lunch and dinner menus. After a soft rollout and a chance to fine-tune a few details, we are excited to officially share the new Axis experience with you. This menu has been especially meaningful to create because it reflects how we cook, what we believe in and the ingredients we are proud to serve.
For lunch, we wanted the menu to feel more fun, approachable and built for the way our members actually enjoy the middle of the day — more handhelds, fun fare, brick oven pizzas, refreshed salads and a lineup of dishes that are already starting to become go-to favorites. The Big Axis Burger, Chicken Pesto Pizza, Smoked Salmon Toast and Seared Ahi Tuna Tataki have all been getting great feedback early on.
Dinner has been reimagined to feel more like what Axis is becoming — chef-driven, a little bolder and centered around great ingredients. We’ve expanded the appetizer section, refreshed the salads and introduced new entrées like the American Red Snapper, Chili-Dusted Texas Quail, Prime Filet and Coffee-Crusted Cowboy Ribeye — dishes we’re genuinely excited to put in front of you.
One of the additions we’re most excited about is the new “Pure & Prepared” section. It’s simple in the best way — choose your protein, tell us how you want it prepared and we’ll pair it with two seasonal sides. It’s clean, flexible and lets the ingredient speak for itself.
Just as important as what is on the menu is where it comes from.
We spend a great deal of time sourcing with intention. Much of our seafood is hand-selected and flown in within 24 hours, with many selections coming directly from Honolulu. Our Verlasso salmon is among the highest quality available — never farm-raised in the conventional sense — and selected for its consistency and clean flavor.
Our chicken has always been organic and air-chilled. Our beef program is centered around Akaushi, or Red Wagyu, sourced from a ranching partner less than 60 miles away that we have worked with for more than 14 years. From our burger patties and hot dogs to the steaks, that relationship and quality carry through everything we do.
We also work closely with local farmers and specialty purveyors to bring in the best vegetables, greens, mushrooms and seasonal products available.
Nearly everything on the menu is made in-house from scratch. Every roll, loaf, pizza dough and sandwich bread served in Axis comes out of our kitchen. The same goes for our sauces, dressings, soups and desserts.
The response over the past week has been incredibly encouraging, and we’re excited about where things have landed. There’s a lot of energy behind this menu, and we’d love for you to come experience it.
As always, if you ever have a question about an ingredient, a preparation or where something comes from, please ask. We take a lot of pride in it and are always happy to share.
We look forward to having you in.
Warmly,
Chef and the Culinary Team
Michael McClellan is the Director of Food & Beverage at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at mmcclellan@cordilleraranch.com and 210.717.2146.
