As a food writer I get to attend a lot of delicious events and meet a lot of interesting people. Last week several media professionals and myself were invited to dinner with long standing Tempe restaurateur Robin Trick & House of Tricks Chef Andrea Bales.
Located in a charming remolded 1920's cottage, within walking distance to downtown Temple, House of Tricks serves a seasonally inspired menu featuring locally sourced items. Guests can enjoy a romantic dinner inside the vintage house or dine alfresco at a candlelit table for two underneath a canopy of trees.
Our evening started with an antipasto board showcasing sausage from Schreiner's, Crows Dairy goat cheese, bread from Noble bakery and olives from Queen Creek Olive Mill.
Robin shared with us stories of the restaurant's beginning, as we dined on contemporary dishes created by Chef Bales. My favorite of the evening was the delicious handmade pasta filled with local goat cheese that was dressed in an arugula pesto and served alongside a Kuri squash puree.
The almond crusted rack of lamb with fava bean cakes and mint cilantro chimichurri was well received by our group.
As was the brick roasted game hen served with wilted Tuscan kale and a wild mushroom pilaf.
We ended our dining experience with a fabulous salted caramel apple bread pudding served with house-made cinnamon whipped cream.
The impeccable quality of the food and the quaint atmosphere of this gem of a restaurant, in my opinion, is what separates House of Tricks from other dining options in the area and keeps locals coming back again and again.
House Of Tricks
114 East 7th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
480 968-1114 Phone
480 968-0080 Fax
This experience was provided complimentary, all opinions are my own.
Oooh. Everything looks amazing! I want a little bit of everything in those pictures. I would totally love to dine alfresco there. There is just something about having a lovely dinner under the trees.
ReplyDeleteAll the dishes look fantastic! I especially have my eye set on almond crusted rack of lamb. Yum!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a fun event you went too. The dishes all looked so beautifully presented and I am sure, taste amazing! That caramel apple bread pudding would be a must for me.
ReplyDeleteSaw this on your Instagram and loved reading more about it. That salted caramel apple bread pudding looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteNice..the event sure does sound fun. Great pictures too.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a nice event. I love dining outside.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like an amazing spread! I am drooling over that salted caramel apple dessert!
ReplyDeleteWe still need to try them out! We just never make it to Tempe! Maybe we should hit Happy Hour together!
ReplyDeleteI'm literally drooling over the almond crusted rack of lamb with fava bean cakes and mint cilantro chimichurri. What a feast, really!
ReplyDeletewhen I make it to Arizona, this will definitely be on my list to try!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous food, I can just imagine sitting under a canopy of trees and enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing event! We get to do some really cool stuff :)
ReplyDeleteooo The almond crusted rack of lamb looks and sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great evening out on the town to taste test the BEST!! It all looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing night!
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