Before spoons, diners had to use their hands to sample soups and double-check their reflections. Scoop up scrumptious European cuisine and reflect upon regal fare with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of European cuisine at Blue Danube and Fish Tale Seafood & Steakhouse in San Clemente.

Originally the location of San Clemente's jailhouse and fire station, the retro-modern Blue Danube dishes out flame-cooked steaks, seafood, and European specialties in a renovated space that maintains original jail cells for private parties. Blend the best of surf 'n' turf with the bacon-wrapped-shrimp appetizer ($8), or beam taste buds to Budapest with the goulash soup, a substantial stew that balances meat and vegetables on its nose and twirls flavors on its fingertips ($6). Butter-drizzled shrimp scampi entertains the tongue with sizzle, snap, and a capella sea shanties ($15), and the flame-kissed pepper steak ($21) and the wiener schnitzel ($15 and up) waltz with appetites to the tune of the restaurant's namesake. The plump pillows of apple or cheese strudel may inspire overjoyed strangers to spontaneously wed in Blue Danube's in-house chapel ($5).

Oriental rugs guide guests from the plush couches of the lobby to the hand-carved furniture in the dining room or the fire pit out on the outdoor patio. Gustav Klimt artwork lends Symbolist flair to the setting. On Tuesdays, bring a musical instrument to jump into the live jazz jam or a scientific instrument to measure the amplitude of its funkiness. Treat your ears along with your taste buds as Blue Danube owner Khosro Toufanpour serenades diners with classic and contemporary ivory-tickling on Wednesdays.

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