. "1"^^ . . "2012-12-30T00:00:00"^^ . . "3"^^ . "4"^^ . "4"^^ . "4.5 for meilleur restaurant fran\u00E7ais in AZ! \nHubby and I decided to have our own private bonenkai (aka year end celebratory party) prior to the crazy nites ahead that await us next week. Using our trusty corporate coupon which operates thru restaurant.com, I paid $8 for $25 value and the meal was indeed sublime.\n\nWe started off with the tempura calamari which was off the charts and a perfect plate of goodness. Chef had the batter exactly at the needed lightness to fry and crisp up without any trace of over-oilyness. It came with a tasty tomato frisee salad and flavorful aioli dip. Really there are so many great appetizers to have but we always gravitate to calamari. At other places this dish would be a throw away i.e., quick just batter up and fry, however we believe it's so inherently delicate that a well seasoned and tender preparation of squid can also define a great kitchen.\n\nHubby went for the catch of the day for his Entree, which was Hawaiian Ono fish made with a butter buerre blanc accompanied with asapagus. His first encounter with this fish which is a cousin of the tuna as the protein content is high and lean but cooked perfectly. \n\nI had the duck done two ways, roasted breast and then confit leg. I never give up the chance at this red meat selection. Seasoned well and done medium as should be with a red wine reduction and cinnamon sprinkling on the plate. The duck breast needs no more compliments as the simplest preparation is the best. However the confit leg had such amazing depth of flavor each bite I literally savored for as long as I could...exquisite!\n\nAs if this wasn't enough food between us, our very friendly waiter inclined us to indulge on a side of potato au gratin which was the richest and creaminess plate we've enjoyed in a while.\n\nWe both devoured both New Year's Eve, eve, eve dinner delightfully and left no room for an enticing souffl\u00E9, but given it takes 30 minutes to bake perhaps we could've...hmmm\n\nWell other house favorites to try is the lobster pot pie and lamb chops are best in town so maybe we'll save that for 2013."^^ .