I recently visited Stadium District's newest eatery, Art House Café, for dinner and drinks. Having been open for a little over a month, I was looking forward to trying the locally sourced menu with most everything made in-house.

The goal of co-owners Lucia and John Armstrong and chef/co-owner Dustin Joseph to create a relaxed, fun environment was certainly achieved. The interior is light and airy, and a nice mix of traditional and modern, with an open kitchen that makes you feel right at home. The counter looking onto the kitchen was an enjoyable place to dine.

We started with cocktails. I ordered a Pimm's Cup, which I was pleased to see on the menu, and was told they were out of Pimm's. Fine. I then ordered the local berry and mint margarita, but it had a good deal of debris settled at the bottom, and could have used a good straining, as did the lavender lemon drop my dining partner ordered.

The in-house marinated olives ($4) were a nice-sized portion and full of flavor, as was their signature item, the pizza. With a crisp crust and oozy Brie cheese, the sun dried tomato and pesto pizza ($12) hit the spot. There were some misses, however. The roasted beet salad ($9), lacked flavor and was awkward to eat. The pan roasted tri tip ($12) on the small plates menu was actually a large plate, needed seasoning and was inelegantly sliced, but had delicious potatoes on the side.

As with most new restaurants, Art House Café has some work to do, but shows promise. With sticking points that are easily remedied, I look forward to giving their breakfast and lunch a try in the near future.

ART HOUSE CAFÉ, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 111 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.2011