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/>

By Erin Forney, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us http://www.foodtrampdiaries.com

Top of the Rock is a beautiful fine dining restaurant located in Tempe at The Buttes resort by Marriot.  It is set high above everything else ground level, so the views are spectacular.  Top of the Rock will be a part of Restaurant Week 2010 this year and it would be the perfect place for a romantic three course dinner at a reasonable price.

Top of the Rock’s menu is as follows: one choice from each course for $39.00 per person.

Appetizer – Starter Options:

1. Sweet Potato Gnocchi with chorizo and wild mushrooms, smothered in a citrus buerre blanc

2. Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with pickled seaweed salad and a spicy wasabi cream sauce

3. Top of the Rock Signature Salad

Entree Options:

1.  Certified Angus Beef Medallions ~ Two 3 oz. Filet medallions pan seared to perfection, served with diners choice of Dianne, au poivre, or Oscar style on Yukon Gold mashed Potatoes with Blistered Asparagus, Baby Carrots, and Cippolini Onions

2.  Domestic Lamb ~ Two Lamb Racks grilled with savory garlic, and shallots, atop a creamy Truffle Mac-N-Cheese, Carnival Cauliflower, Baby Carrots and Blistered Asparagus, and smothered in their own mint au-jus

3.  Fresh from the Sea ~ for every day during Restaurant week, Chef James will bring in a different fresh fish prepared uniquely

Dessert Options:

1.  Trio of luscious flavored Crème Brule

2.  Louisiana style Bread Pudding, with Roasted Banana Gelato

3.  Delightful Trendy Tasting Ice Cream or Sorbet

My husband and I went last weekend to preview the menu and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t even pick one highlight because so many parts of it were outstanding. The sweet potato gnocchi will not disappoint, with small chunks of salty chorizo and wild mushrooms with the perfect amount of citrus buerre blanc to highlight the dimensions of flavor. It was definitely my favorite starter.

For the main course, I got the double rack of lamb and my husband got a grilled salmon filet from the “fresh from the sea” choice.  I always get my lamb cooked medium and it was perfectly cooked here.  The lamb comes with a mint au-jus which didn’t sound appetizing to me, so I asked for it on the side. The truffle mac n cheese that comes with the lamb is decadent and everything you would imagine truffle mac to be.  It was creamy and the truffle oil and truffle pieces just put it over the top…Delicious.  I had a bite of my husband’s fish and may have been even more excited to try the caramelized onion, bacon and potato hash that was lying underneath it.  I could not get over how perfect every single part of this meal was.

The only tiny disappointment I had was my tri colored “carnival cauliflower”.  Cauliflower is on of my favorite vegetables, especially when I’m at a restaurant.  For some reason the cauliflower I got that night tasted like smoky meat.  I noticed it was grilled, so maybe it was placed on a grill area that a steak had just been on? Either way, it didn’t really matter because every other bite I took of this meal was perfection.

Dessert was incredible of course. I was in love with the bread pudding. It had the perfect consistency and tasted the way bread pudding should, not dry by any means.  It had a yummy hot caramel sauce and banana gelato that paired perfect with every bite.  My husband really loved the trio of crème brulees; my favorite was the chocolate, and it reminded me of nutella for some reason — just delicious.

Top of the Rock is the perfect choice for restaurant week for the simple point of a great value.  The portions you will get are not by any means the fine dining standard, they were very large.  I had to give my husband a rack of my lamb or else I wouldn’t have had room to try dessert.  Besides the tremendous value, the service at Top of the Rock is impeccable and Chef James Hildebrand does everything he can to make sure every single diner is pleased with their meal and experience.

Top of the Rock

2000 Westcourt Way

Tempe, Arizona 85282-1098

602-225-9000

Open for dinner and Sunday Brunch

By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie
The anticipation for my trip to Caffé Boa was high. It was a “girls day out” with my good friend Christa that would cap off with a trip down to Tempe to sample this Mill Avenue institution’s new menu.

I have heard many, many reviews of Caffé Boa over the years. Of late, I have heard a lot of buzz about Chef Payton Curry’s arrival and the changes to the menu.

I typically don’t read what other people are saying about a restaurant before I eat there, but for some reason I was compelled. I spent about an hour pouring over Yelp!, Chowhound and Urban Spoon. The anticipation grew.

Christa and I spent the day catching up and in the late afternoon, we decided to head down to our old ASU stomping grounds.

My business partner Jay decided at the last minute to join us for dinner and we arrived about 40 minutes before our reservation.

We took a seat in their cozy bar and took in the scene.

We saddled up on the long community style bar table and checked out the drink menu. I was immediately impressed by the variety of inventive cocktails.

Christa and I opted to taste the red delicious martini and Jay chose white sangria, a personal favorite of his.

We observed the interior of the restaurant whist waiting for our cocktails. The hardwood floors, brick walls, paned windows and painted murals gave Caffé Boa a very urban feel. It stood out ten fold among its peers on Mill Avenue on décor and classy interior design alone!

Our cocktails arrived. My Red Delicious tasted like a little bit of fall in a glass. It was topped with foamy goodness, reminiscent of childhood trips to Orange Julius. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. I heart Orange Julius.

Jay’s white sangria was not the favorite beverage he tried that evening as he said it was a bit too “bitter.”

We sipped on our cocktails and were shown to our table around 5:30 PM.

We were seated between the kitchen and the enclosed patio.

Our server Nick arrived and gave us a little background on the restaurant since the arrival of Chef Payton.

He said the last three months has held a strong focus on sustainability and local produce. Evidently Chef Payton plants many of the crops they purchase from McClendon farms. They receive sustainable produce daily and make all their pasta fresh in house.

We were starving at this point and told Chef Payton to “go to town” and present us with whatever what on his culinary mind that evening.

Which is another interesting aspect to Caffé Boa. Chef told us the weather was rainy and dreary so he decided to change the menu at the last minute. He’s adaptable and sustainable—great combo! ☺

We did ask him if there was one dish we “had to try.” He said, “Order the fried chicken, and sign a waiver because it will change your life.”

How’s that for dish anticipation?

Jay and Christa decided to try another couple of their signature cocktails. A strawberry and basil muddled martini for Jay and a coffee martini for Christa.

Both were incredibly fresh and delicious. Our server described the strawberry martini as “taking a nice shower.” Hmm…interesting. (Side note: I later tried to conjure up memories of that martini in the shower and it just wasn’t happening…)

The joy of the evening arrived next. The charcuterie plate. Or should I say “pate heaven on a wood cutting block?”

Holy charcuterie goodness Batman! Chef Payton sampled for us the pork country pate, the turkey pate that he said was their ode to Thanksgiving, and the rich and creamy garlic and lemon zest turkey pate. There were multiple “wows” being thrown out left and right by all of us at the table.

The plate also contained fresh bread from MJ Bread, house made pickles, pickled radish, house made quince and house made mustard.

I am going to go on record stating, “Payton Curry has a curing and pickling addiction.” Lucky for Caffé Boa!

This stands alone and the best charcuterie we’ve had all year and the creamy turkey pate has officially toppled BLT Steak’s pate for best we’ve had in our lives.

At this point in our dinner Jay remarked that he previously only had visited Mill Avenue to sample Atomic Cherries at Fat Tuesday’s or to shake it at Club 411. (Ok, he really didn’t “shake it” but I really had to write that.) Who knew what culinary delights that Caffé Boa held for us?

Next we tried the Mayas green garlic and potato soup with caramelized onion. It was served with a crostini topped with a tangy goat cheese and a Thumbelina carrot top.

The soup was rich, creamy and thick. Paired with the crostini, it had the perfect combination of salt and tang. Magnifique. I was quite grateful that Chef was inspired by the rain.

Next they brought us Washington mussels with leeks, lemongrass, yellow curry and coconut milk. It was served with a grilled flatbread. Typically, I run screaming from curry (the powder, not the man), but this had a very mild flavor, and frankly, I tasted the lemon more than the curry flavor. Christa had never tried mussels before but we think we made her a believer.

Next came a panzanella salad that hand everything from duck confit, to mushroom broth vinaigrette, to three types of mushrooms, to orange blossom honey.

The three of us were not big fans of this dish mainly because it had waaaay too much going on in it. We would have liked it more without the duck. The layers of flavor did not combine in a way that suited our taste buds.

Next we sampled the gnocchi and sweetbreads that reminded us of an “adult pot-pie.” The gnocchi was incredibly delicious and we could really taste the potato. Some gnocchi comes out gooey or mushy. This was crispy and light with a strong and structured taste.

The autumn maccaroncello arrived next. This dish is made with butternut squash, fresh pasta, honey and pumpkin oil topped with pecorino cheese. We found the flavors to be overwhelmingly “squashy.” To interpret, that means we thought it was far too sweet. It had a beautiful color and presentation, but we are salty people. (in so many ways!)

Finally, the evening’s showstopper arrived. The “payt-n-bake” Fried Chicken. Chef Payton told us the chicken itself stays “similar” on most evenings, but that they mix up what they serve it with almost nightly.

The chicken was made-to-order and was served over sausage gravy and mashed potatoes. The skin was peppery, crispy and not at all greasy.

The chicken was also the MOST tender fried chicken I have ever had in my life. I had to ask how they got it to fall off the bone. They said they slow cook the chicken itself before frying it. Ahhh, I love culinary secrets! I am going to try that at home!

The mashed potatoes and gravy reminded me of a restaurant in Fon du Lac Wisconsin my parents used to take me as a kid. I absolutely adored them.

A few other notes, our server was pleasant however a bit inattentive. We asked multiple times for fresh silverware, plates etcetera. We even ate an entire course sharing one fork because it (the food) was getting cold and our server had disappeared.

We can tell they are really trying to improve the service, and we do expect it to match the quality of the food very soon.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience thoroughly. Chef Payton Curry is an excellent addition to Caffé Boa and we are proud and willing recipients of his pickling and curing addiction.