If humankind never learned to play with its food, it would never have learned to play with its ingredients, and the world would be one bereft bowl of gruel. Taste the fruits of culinary creativity with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of upscale fare and drinks at Allium in West Linn. Allium's expert chefs pluck fresh and seasonal ingredients from area farms for delicious, colorful dishes inspired by France, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest. Nosh on a garden-fresh dinner of salt-roasted beet salad ($9), seafood paella stuffed with a myriad of crustaceans ($18), or any one of Allium’s menu items. The bright, welcoming space allows for intimate conversation accompanied by a selection of more than 40 glasses of wine. Reservations are required on weekends.

Reviews

Allium has been extensively featured in local press; it has a perfect five-star average from four Citysearchers, a four-star average from Yelpers, and a 4.2-star average from four OpenTable users:

• Food was great and the restaurant is elegant, warm, and comfortable. – Wen-Chi Y., Yelp
• We went here for our anniversary. The food was AMAZING and the atmosphere was enjoyable. The Chef, Pascal, even brought us a complimentary glass of champagne to congratulate us on our occasion! Would highly recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner, happy hour, or group date. – OpenTable user who dined on 12/17/2010