This location has been flagged as "Closed".

Jackie Mercandetti

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.