THERE ARE MEALS that begin perfectly, sipping a Kir ($5.50) and Pernod ($5), nibbling Exotic Forest Mushroom Towers ($9.95). The conversation maintains the tinkling quality of piano keys. The first delectable bite of crisp potato crackles to uncover mushroom duxelles, carrot-truffle infusion filling the whimsical silo. How pretty, how toothsome dining can be.

This week, Brasserie Margaux's Tour de France Gastronomique stopped in, alas, Alsace--heavily encumbered by German cuisine. The Choucroute Garnie au Pinot Blanc ($18.95) weighed in at about 10 pounds. Sausages were laid atop thick slices of ham, and under that were slabs of bacon. Cured meat infused the sauerkraut with extraordinary amounts of salty depth, and I was duly impressed. But the sausages themselves, while plentiful, were run-of-the-mill Polishes, hardly touching the heights that quality German sausages (let us look to the weisswurst) can reach. I seek out the French to provide quality over quantity, not miles of entrails.

While the gentleman who ordered the dish professed happiness, his fork crept regularly to my fava bean ragoêt. The Pan Roasted Rabbit Roulade ($26.95) was artfully constructed from rosemary roasted rabbit rolled in spinach and goat cheese, arranged over perfect favas--small, green and firm--punctuated by Bruchen potatoes: pure, white, al dente knobs that completely transcended potato's earthiness.

Conversation began to stutter, and the wine list was consulted. While noteworthy, bottles averaged in the $60s. The sommelier made no concessions, unlike the vast menu. He hovered nearby, half obscured by floral arrangements, and we tried to hold up some semblance of fine dining as the meal began slowly to dissolve.

No one could complain about the Bouillabaisse Provençale ($24.95). Although the appearance of salmon disappointed my desire for delicate white fish tucked in among creamy scallops, clams, and slightly gritty mussels, the rich broth and garlicky red pepper rouille banished all persnickety intellectualizing.

Le Munster sur un Lit Salade ($5.95) blasted off in remarkable rank cheese fashion, sending arms shooting out for wine glasses, lips curled in spite of the proximity of Monsieur Sommelier. That peculiar odor, reminiscent of unwashed things in the summer, surfaced memories in a fellow diner. He relayed an appetizing anecdote about a certain cheese from Sardinia, so moldy that it is illegal. Although banned, the cheese is revered and its consumption ritualized. To celebrate in high style, it is served with live maggots.

Conversation abruptly veered into giggles, goaded on by stumbling creations from the kitchen. The restaurant came into sharp and unforgiving focus. One particularly sad still life that hung next to our table began to weigh heavily on my spirits. Its flat apples and oranges, punctuated with grape bubbles, hovered in a saccharine, classy frame. Dulled lighting glinted off the rings dangling from the backs of heavy upholstered chairs. Suddenly my socks felt tight.

We looked to the hoped-for savior, dessert. Long-awaited Chocolate Soufflé ($7) did not baptize us in its inoffensive crust and moist, mild interior. We set sights on that highest of peaks in the French Alps, Mont Blanc ($7). A rubble of chocolate sauce and chopped pistachios atop chestnut vermicelli dirtied one of the ugliest plates I have ever seen or tasted. The actual piece of china itself horrified the most unobservant of diners--namely, my dinner date, a man at times barely aware if he's wearing pants. Then, the mountain: a depressing pile of gummy udon noodles. After the maggoty cheese story, it was difficult for our now sulky party to finish.

Margaux's young chef, Chris Zarkedes, has constructed an ambitious menu; its downfall (besides Germany) being that, as a hotel restaurant, it must encompass too wide an array of tastes. A relatively new venture, Brasserie Margaux, with a bit of trim and focus, could be a nice quiet spot to splurge on fabulous wine and French standards that embrace the tongue like an old, familiar lover, every kiss entwining histories.

Brasserie Margaux (in the Warwick Hotel)

401 Lenora St, 777-1990. Mon-Fri 6:30 am-2 pm, 5:30-10:45 pm; Sat-Sun 6:30 am-noon, 5:30-10:45 pm. $$$

Price Scale (per entrée)

$ = $10 and under; $$ = $10-$20; $$$ = $20 and up