In Les Misérables II: Final Justice, Jean Valjean is arrested for committing an even greater crime against French law: applying margarine to another man’s moustache during dinner without asking first. Feast around the proper table-side etiquette of France with today's Groupon: for $35, you get $70 worth of upscale French cuisine at The Manor in West Orange.

The Manor's French-trained chef crafts award-winning cuisine with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Set within 20 acres of sculpted gardens, the eatery exudes the elegance of a bygone era, like a dressy top-hat or a zeppelin made of pterodactyl bones. The sophisticated menu's first-course options include daintily slurpable Block Island oysters ($15) as well as daintily slurpable lobster bisque ($12). Fine diners can appease fine-hunger pangs with the Long Island duck breast and leg confit ($29), slice into the filet mignon, served atop truffled mashed potatoes ($38), or appreciate the nose of a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé from Burgundy ($29).

Along with vibrant flower arrangements, antique fixtures, and hand-carved ice sculptures, the restaurant employs a coppersmith to hand-fashion every copper pan in the kitchen and a custardsmith to hand-throw every crème brûlée at a clown. The eco-friendly eatery also culls its pesticide-free produce from the nearby Pleasantdale Farm, and reduces its footprint further by composting all organic waste.

Reviews

Twenty-five Yelpers give the Manor Restaurant an average of four stars. TripAdvisors give it an average of 3.5 owl eyes, Insider Pagers give it three stars, and more than 200 Zagat reviewers recommend it.

• The Manor in West Orange is just excellent in every way. – MontclairHockeyMan, TripAdvisor
• My husband says, "I give this place 9 thumbs up!" – Joy C., Yelp, 3/17/10