text: Full review in the blog.  This place has potential, but thus far that potential is not fully realized.\n\nseven plates, four desserts...and a $1 'bread supplement'\n\n\"Shrimp and Grits,\" a savory and intense composition of sweet and snappy head-on shrimp atop creamy popcorn grits enlivened by charred onions and smoky pork glaze with a touch on honey.  Sweet and savory but perhaps a bit steep at $14 this was a dish where the ingredients and the execution came together beautifully.\n\n\"Arizona Ricotta, Sicilian Pistachio Toast, Roasted Radish\" at $8 arrived as a trio with only a single flaw - a dearth of salt to liven up the otherwise beautifully cooked radish.  A bit of a disappointment even despite the high quality of the tender taproot the dish certainly improved in moving on to the bread crisps as the ricotta was ever so slightly melted while the bread itself was herbal and crunchy but at the same time subtle.  With a bit more salt this one could be great.\n\nFor Duck Confit Meatballs, Foie Gras, White Bean, Tomato Agrodolce it would be hard to say exactly how/why such decadent ingredients did not live up to my expectations, particularly as the meatballs were tender and rife with flavor, but if I had to pin it on one thing I think it would be the expectations arising with the word \"Foie Gras\" and the $14 price tag as the sapor of the foie was largely lost to the tomatoes while the puree of white bean was okay, but mostly just filler.\n\nBerkshire Pork Belly, Kimchee, Udon Noodle, Fried Egg arrived with some joking at the table about the ubiquity of pork belly these days and as much as I cannot argue that said ingredient is delicious I just didn't find it well utilized here as the fattiness of the swine simply overwhelmed any semblance of kimchee while the noodles were soggy and limp.  Decent flavors though garnished by a rather inconsequential egg I had a few bites and that was enough.\n\n\"Maine Lobster Fried Rice, Mullet Egg, Aji Amarillo\" was actually a rather nice plate of risotto with a lot of umami and a touch of heat but \"fried rice\" it most certainly was not.  Nice enough, but certainly not a sharable plate, one of my tablemates summed it up perfectly when he commented that all this dish really did was make him want to go elsewhere and get a dish of \"kick ass\" fried rice - something he could have done at 1/3 the tab and had enough for lunch the next day.\n\nMoving last to a pair of sides, each $6 and far more generous than the rice, Grilled and Buttered Shiitake Mushrooms, Truffle Honey along with Grilled Broccoli Carbonara, Pancetta, Egg, Black Pepper arrived and where the first showed strongly in its simplicity the second fell flat once again due to a lack of salt - a lack so pronounced that frozen broccoli straight from the bag has more flavor thus making me wonder exactly what sort of pancetta was even present.\n\nButtermilk Blackberry Crumb Cake arrived as a dense butter cake with a downhome toothsomeness that I really enjoyed, but with ample notes of buttermilk dominating the sweetness of the berries I think this one could have benefitted from one of two things - a dollop of ice cream or a cup of coffee.  I'd definitely order this as a breakfast item anywhere.\n\nCaramel Apple Upside Down Cake, Salted Caramel, and Pistachio Ice Cream.  A long and linear presentation with the apple flavor a bit overwhelmed by the salty caramel but still potent and tart what truly made this plate shine was the ice cream - creamy, rich, and rife with nutty flavor...had we been dining earlier I'd have probably driven over to Sweet Republic for another round.\n\nUnder other circumstances Sacher Torte would have been the highlight of the meal and served with \"Toasted Almond Amaretto Mascarpone Mousse\" this one was a fine example.  Dense, intensely cocoa, and appropriately dry without suffering the Americanization of making it too birthday-cake in texture this was another dessert that would have gone great with coffee but the use of the mousse and bold apricot flavor kept everything balanced and bright.  It was awesome.\n\nIf there is one thing The House should keep doing from this point until the day they close their doors it should be keeping the Butterscotch Pudding on the menu.  A fan of all puddings - from rice to bread to budino - and having had a number of similar presentations elsewhere this version was simply outstanding - sweet and salty, dense and creamy, and bespeckled with chocolate and fruit adding both texture and flavor.  It goes on the short list for Phoenix's best desserts and will likely remain there for some time.\n\nOverall, The House is off to a decent start but still has a lot of room for growth in every department except perhaps dessert and d\u00e9cor.  A lovely setting already with great service I think the focus should start with improved seasoning and working to nail the basics before experimenting with 'fusion' and once the kitchen is hitting on all cylinders perhaps improving the portion/price ratio.