05/18/13\n\nAZ Restaurant dinner #1 started out fair enough:  Received a voicemail from Sarah in the afternoon asking to confirm my reservation for later that evening.  Called to say I was indeed coming, but may arrive earlier and was told I would be accommodated for patio dining.  I checked in around 8:15p amidst a bustling patio setting and was relegated to the bar with a waiting time of around 15 minutes.  While looking through the wine menu, I decided I'd just eat at the bar.  Bartender Matthew was my server and obliged me with tastes of sauvignon and pinot blancs so that I may decide on a glass ($9) to accompany my three-course meal ($40).  After I'd ordered the pinot, and my prix fixe of soft shell crab, sea bass, and lemon curd tartelette, my complimentary cheese puff arrived. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=gX_2BIP2yqskNyxU9ugNmA#gX_2BIP2yqskNyxU9ugNmA  It was delicious, but not as great as I remembered it to be during the Julia Childs' dinner of Aug. '12.\n\nWhat drew me in to include Petite Maison as one of my four dinners during AZ Restaurant Week, besides having eaten here many times before, was the menu's presentation.  Each course reflected a French fusion theme: the appetizer course had a French Asian twist (char sui pork jowls, or the soft shell crab tempura); the main was French Morroccan (sea bass, or roasted lamb leg), and dessert was French italian (nutella raviolis, or lemon curd tartelette).  A \"French French\" supplement of foie gras was also available for $14.  One of the advantages of Restaurant Week is the opportunity to try new restaurants that I haven't been able to visit before.  I also tend NOT to have dinner at a new place without first trying out the happy hour, and my daily routines and work schedule keep me from venturing out to places I've bookmarked for years, so when RW rolls around twice a year, I earmark new places, but upon seeing PM's menu, I decided to make it my first stop.  To say I was excited about my upcoming meal was putting it very mildly!\n\nThe soft shell crab was a beauty. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=mjKPAlDj_Y00AGQKnz_QdQ#mjKPAlDj_Y00AGQKnz_QdQ  In fact, it was such a sight to behold, that a PM regular (Todd from Savannah, GA) sitting to my right also wanted to take a photo of it!  The dish smelled fantastic!  I ate this all up in a couple of minutes-- loved the yuzu aioli, which went well with the carrot-ginger slaw.  The ginger was divine!  The dish was well-balanced and not greasy at all.\n\nGaps between the courses were well-paced and soon, the sea bass arrived.  Matthew placed it down in front of me, hot and still wrapped in the parchment paper casing it was cooked in, and was about to cut and present it, when I asked him to pause for a moment so that I may take a \"before\" photo. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=K28gtY8lGIG2qRQ3PNzY3Q#K28gtY8lGIG2qRQ3PNzY3Q  When he finally broke the seal, the aromas that wafted out were enticing! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=hCVa6u5-AQBTrTxUOoZZTQ#hCVa6u5-AQBTrTxUOoZZTQ  However, after the necessary pics were taken and I had a couple of bites, I found the flavor of the fish very mild, and the cous cous, which was what made me want to order the dish, was also a bit bland to my liking.  The fish was cooked perfectly- and the veggies and cous cous were al dente.  The couple of twists of braised lemon I did in hopes to add more flavor didn't change the overall taste profile, but I finished the course anyway, since it was a small serving.  http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=tZt7FlNlSb0PAKpcGy5pJg#tZt7FlNlSb0PAKpcGy5pJg\n\nThe lemon curd tartelette wrapped up the prix fixe meal, but not before Matthew brought me a surprise- a short glass of muscat.  http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/petite-maison-scottsdale?select=SZPQ1zcCm84ITBJVIjCJ9A#SZPQ1zcCm84ITBJVIjCJ9A  Overall, I liked this pastry, even though I had a hard time cutting through the pastry shell each and every time.  The curd was very tangy and sweet, made sweeter by the honey drizzle, but the dollop of goat cheese did well to temper the sweet dish.  \n\nThe nice glass of pinot blanc and tempura app were by far my faves tonight, and Matt obliging me with samples of wine before I ordered was appreciated, and I would've walked away with a 3.5 star experience until Matthew bade me goodbye saying \"See you again next year on your once-a-year trip to Petite Maison.\"  He and Todd laughed, and I laughed along (I was buzzed), but what a very rude thing  to say!  By implying that I, or anyone for that matter, came to dine here only during RW to save money, Matt effectively wiped away everything that was satisfactory and made me wish I never went in the first place!\n\nIt takes only ONE person to ruin a guest's otherwise terrific experience, Chef Porter.  I hope you address this!\n\nRW menu, wine, and tax $53.39 + $10 tip= $63.39