"house of tricks" restaurant in tempe is a bit of a misnomer. first, i must acknowledge that i genuinely liked "house of tricks" in downtown tempe, az. while it most definitely does not deserve its 4 $ signs (e.g., far too overpriced for the average fare one actually receives), the service is quality and the quaintness of the place is very napa/north cali being the restaurant is in two early 20th century houses with 12 foot ceilings and large original sash windows and a wonderful outside bar with lots of seating and plantings. it is billed as a romantic gay-friendly restaurant for dates or anniversaries. hence, it was my 8th anniversary with my partner, so i surprised him with a dinner at house of tricks--our first time visiting. gay-friendly--certainly. the bevy of gay waiters is a testament. romantic--uh, not so much. cramped eating quarters doesn't equate to intimacy or romance. the new year’s eve special entree my partner and i ordered was prime rib with shaved shoestring potatoes, asparagus and seasoned mashed potatoes ($34). i also had mixed spring greens, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and radish with soft goatcheeseand white balsamic-honey vinaigrette ($7), and my partner ordered a starter--artisancheeseplate with candied nuts, grilled baguette, sierra nevada dijon mustard and local honey ($15). the waitress was also gracious enough to alert us to a house special where bottled wines were mark down 33%. we ordered a $35 bottle of gewürztraminer for $24--delicious. yeah--i could still get it retail for $9.99 at fry foods, but heck--it was new years, the salad was tasty. short on goatcheese(a tablespoon plop was atop the salad), the vinaigrette was tasty but too faint, and the tomatoes and cucumbers were minimal and barely present. the artisancheeseplate was the best deal at $15 with wonderful toasted sourdough wedges, a huge chunk of brie, and assorted hard cheeses with honey and mustard, and toasted sweet cashews. bread served at the table, however, was cold and its accompanied sweet butter was ice cold and hard. the prime rib was served only one way--lukewarm and well-done. the mash potatoes were cold, so requested two additional hot orders. they came, but microwaved so hot we both nearly burned our tongues. the shaved potatoes shoestrings were a garnish and "neat" but unnecessary. the asparagus--all three short little spears--were the only hot food on the plate. i so miss the fabulous prime rib dinners of corbin's on central in phoenix--only $5.99 and twice the amounts with the steak grilled to one's liking and restaurant ambiance far classier than house of tricks. unfortunately, it closed nearly a year ago. house of tricks is just that--a bunch of gimmicky, pretentious chef tricks with a sizable crowd of pretentious patrons one would think are visiting from the bay area of cali. do i like the restaurant itself? not really. ambiance was nice and quaint but way short on romantic. overall, i have to say--yes--i would go back for thecheeseplatter and wine perhaps and sit outside laughing with friends. anything else is just needless debt.