While the French are internationally renowned for the sturdiness of their tractor-trailers and their contributions to Ultimate Fighting, few are aware of their unparalleled cuisine. Today's Groupon brings a taste of France to the neighborhood: for $15, you get $30 worth of French cuisine and drinks at Brasserie Margaux, cozily nestled inside the Warwick Seattle Hotel in Belltown.

Brasserie Margaux executive chef Michael White conjures a French-inspired menu of delectable dishes from a harvest of fresh Northwest ingredients, which he in turn conjures from the very air itself. Start the day off sweetly with a breakfast of malted-honey Margaux waffle ($9) drizzled with marion-berry syrup, or indulge in a luxurious lunch of pan-seared halibut ($15) cooked in a white wine and lemon fume. White's decadent dinner menu kicks things off with steamed clams or mussels ($7) in a butter and white wine sauce and panko-crusted crab cakes ($14) served with jalapeño aioli before moving on to eclectic entrees. Everything from the lemon-basil-butter salmon ($24) to the Dungeness-crab-covered filet mignon ($35) will find a leggy tango partner on the brasserie's extensive wine menu. Herbivores, meanwhile, can abide by their uneasy peace treaty with cows by ordering wild-mushroom crêpes ($16) stuffed with ricotta with a goat-cheese fondue. Brasserie Margaux's signature dessert of "perfect" profiteroles ($6) topped with whipped-cream peaks and glazed with dark chocolate mark a satisfying completion to any meal or intra-restaurant reenactment of the signing of the Constitution.

Brasserie Margaux boasts a comfortable yet elegant atmosphere of plush, padded seating and warm wood accents, making it as well suited for a romantic board meeting as it is for a productive first date. No reservations are needed, but if even that isn't casual enough, stop by Margaux's full bar for its separate snack and tapas menu, and fill up on fine finger food and the latest gossip on America's top flamenco dancers.

Not valid with happy-hour specials, prix fixe menu, or other offers.

Reviews

10Best names Brasserie Margaux one of the top French restaurants in Seattle, and Gayot recommends the eatery:

• Sumptuous restraint describes this restaurant in the Warwick Hotel. Settle into a roomy, damask-covered armchair or snug booth and let your eye roam from the exhibition kitchen along scrolling iron railings to take in hand-crafted glass chandeliers and a dramatic mural painted into the domed ceiling…. – Gayot
• Start with the soup du jour; French onion soup, rich with caramelized onions and gruyère cheese, is a comforting favorite. – 10Best

OpenTable users give the restaurant 3.7 stars, commenting on the great service. Citysearchers give it four stars, and Yelpers give it three:

• Such a romantic resturant [sic]. We felt like we were the only two people being waited on. Service was fantastic. – OpenTable user who dined on 02/14/2010