By Chris Schirm, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us

Arizona Restaurant Week Special

The restaurant week special will be $29 for a choice from the following three courses.

Starter course:

1) Arugula and Frisie Salad with Young Beets, Humboldt Fog Cheese, Beef Reduction, and Crushed Pistachio Yuzu Vinagrette

2) Summer Squash Vichysossie with Bulls Blood Beets, Rosemary and White Truffle Oil

3) Coconut Yellow Curry Bisque with Cilantro-Mint Rock Shrimp, Basmati Rice and Thai Basil Oil.

Entrée Course:

1) Asian Glazed Meatballs on Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Chinese Long Beans

2) Seared Ling Cod on Shiitake Mushrooms, Golden Tomatoes, Potatoes, Haricot Verts, Slivered Almonds and Leek Puree

3) Petite Thai Style Hangar Steak with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Pickled Red Onion, Candied Rice and Red Curry Emulsion

Desert Course:

1) Foie Brulee with Sea Salt and Summer Peach Chutney

2)Lemon-Rasberry Meringue with Rasberry Coulis

3) Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Brownie

Highlights of meal:

Perhaps the greatest excitement of going to House of Tricks is not the amazing down home feeling mixed with a delicate divine decadence, but the masterful creativity of flavor and ingredients that are presented via a white plate to your senses.  In no other place in the Valley (save Quiessence and Kai) have I ever read a menu like House of Trick’s like I read a James Patterson thriller…my eye’s poured over and over the words wanting to see what will happen next.  Thankfully, for myself and my wonderful guest, my mother Joanne Schirm, we didn’t have long to wait.

The Summer Squash Vichyssoise with Bull’s Blood Beets, Rosemary and White Truffle is served cold and a delight to enjoy.  The first taste that hits your senses is the strong taste of the rosemary then calmed by the delicate taste of the white truffle oil and bull’s blood beets. A great wine to pair with the vichyssoise is the Cescon Pinot Grigio.  The freshness of the Cescon balances the slight bitterness of the soup perfectly while at the same time leaving your mouth refreshed and invigorated for the next mouthful.

For the second course we were presented with the Seared Ling Cod on Shiitake Mushrooms, Golden Tomatoes, Potatoes, Haricot Verts, Slivered Almonds and a Leek Puree. The first thing that is amazing about this dish is its presentation.  The cod has a beautiful golden crispy skin and brings to light the sheer white of the meat setting upon the bed of potatoes, shiitake mushrooms and haricot verts, topped with the golden tomatoes with the leek puree in an elegant stream across the plate. The first taste to hit your mouth with this dish is the leek puree that gives a relaxing balanced beginning. The next thing that you notice is the pleasant saltiness of the skin of the cod that brings the subtlety of the meat to your tongue.  Finally, you get the crunchiness of the haricot verts with the subtle shiitake mushrooms and potatoes.  This is the first fish dish in a very long time where I actually wanted to have more skin on the meat. This is another great triumph for Executive Chef Kelly Fletcher for the 2010 Restaurant Week.

Any disappointments?:
The only disappointment of the tasting was that we did not get taste each of the menu options, particularly the Petite Thai Style Hangar Steak with blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Pickled Red Onion, Candied Rice, and Red Curry Emulsion. Additionally, due to circumstances out of anyone’s control the House of Tricks pastry chef was not available the night we visited. So we did not get a chance to sample the deserts of Restaurant week.

However, for those who cannot wait until Restaurant Week to visit the treasure of Tempe that is the House of Tricks, I would highly recommend the Key Lime Pie for desert.  Just to put this dish into context, I have not had a Key Lime Pie in YEARS! This is due in part because I do not have a giant sweet tooth, but mainly because every Key Lime Pie I have ever had has given me the cheek puckering sourness to hide the fact of its simplicity. However, the House of Tricks Key Lime Pie is modest, not overpowering and swoons the flavor onto your tongue like the delicate dip of a tango dance…strong and romantic but not overpowering. It is the perfect end to a food coma inducing meal or perhaps the beginning of a wonderful rest of the evening.

Best part of the value?
The ambiance of having a marvelous meal in a cozy home environment in the middle of Tempe that includes truffle oil, delicious perfectly crisped cod, and an amazing desert. The feeling you get when you have a meal in House of Tricks is like having your own personal professional chef at your own home and I will definitely be going back during restaurant week.

Name of Restaurant: House of Tricks
Hours of Operation: Monday – Saturday

Lunch 11AM to 4PM
Dinner 4PM – 10PM

Hours of Tranquility
4PM – 6PM
Bar Open Until Midnight
Closed on Sundays
Phone: (480) 968-1114
Address: 114 East 7th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281-3711
Website: http://www.houseoftricks.com <http://www.houseoftricks.com/>