The House at Secret Garden

Pat Christofolo has teamed up with her chef son, Dustin, to open the kind of gem you'll want to keep in your back pocket for a cozy date night, dinner with out-of-town guests, or lunch with your mom. And gratefully, its contemporary American cuisine is accessible and casual enough to justify frequent visits. Entrees run the gamut from a bacon cheeseburger to braised short ribs, and local ingredients from such purveyors as Maya's Farm, The Meat Shop, and Black Mesa Ranch get top billing. Located inside a stately 1929 Spanish-style mansion on Baseline Road that's surrounded by trees and lush vegetation, it feels like an off-the-beaten-path destination but really isn't much of a hike from CenPho or Tempe. When the weather's nice, the back patio is the place to be.