Restaurants in Carlsbad

Today's Groupon dresses you like a crabber and puts a stick of butter in each hand. For $20, you get $50 worth of Cajun food and drink at Auggie’s House of Crab, a restaurant unrelated to Auggie’s Crab Inn, Auggie’s Hostel for Crabs, and Auggie's Crab and Cabin Builders. Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.

Blanket your stomach with the wool comforter of food groups with today's Groupon. For $15, you'll get $30 worth of freshly made comfort food at Sublime Pizza, a family-owned eatery specializing in warm, cheesy, made-from-scratch tastes. Pizza Problems! sold an unprecedented 300 copies in 1981 and was even briefly adapted into a Saturday morning animated series, although fans objected to Pepperoni’s portrayal as a softheaded comic foil. Activavision Studios recently announced plans for a 30th-anniversary relaunch of the Pizza Problems! franchise, a mature-rated gore fest featuring the sultry voice talents of David Hyde Pierce.

Under the Southern French tutelage of head chef and owner Philippe Verpiand, risottos dance around seared duck, roasted fish, and veal on the menu. Inaugurate a gourmet dinner with savory pommes frites in truffle oil and Parmesan ($6) or seared duck foie gras with pineapple and red-bell-pepper chutney ($19). (Verpiand's foie gras, a cold variety made by poaching, won a prestigious cooking competition in 2005.) The San Diego Union-Tribune recommends Cavaillon's risotto ($21 for English peas, beech mushrooms, and asparagus; $26 for seared scallops, red beet, and pickled butternut squash), which is "quite rich, but then those amazing flavors entice you to take another taste." Other tastes include pan-roasted beef tenderloin in a red-wine demi-glace with crisp potatoes fondant ($29) and roasted Atlantic salmon served with peppers confit, gnocchi, and a broth of herbs ($22). Afterward, douse taste buds in decadent desserts, such as a $7 trio de crème brûlée.

Since 1971, Trupiano’s Italian Restaurant has served diners a slice of Italy made of delectable pasta and superb pizza; the pizza won second place at the 2007 West Coast Pizza Championships. The dinner and lunch menus are stuffed with classic Italian pasta, chicken, fish, and veal dishes. Try the tongue-massaging vitello Milanese with breaded veal cutlet, lemon, and white wine ($16.95) or the scampi Livornese with jumbo shrimp, capers, Kalamata olives, and freshly chopped tomatoes ($18.95). Prepare for a marathon or a lazy afternoon of marathon watching with pasta dishes such as the fettucine Alfredo ($12.50), ravioli di carne ($12.95), and spaghetti vecchio mondo with eggplant, mushrooms, basil, and tomato sauce ($12.75).

A proper Pizzicato pizza rests on a foundation of authentic crust oiled in olivy and garlicky synchronicity and fused with whole-milk mozzoparm and fresh herbs. Concoctions range from classic New Yawk Cheese ($11.25 for 12 inches) to the contemporary fusion of a Thai Pizza composed of teriyaki chicken, green onions, sweet peppers, mozzarella, carrots, and crushed chili peppers showered in a spicy peanut sauce ($22.25 for 16 inches). Carryout customers can choose between a fresh, ready-to-eat pizza or a fresh, ready-to-cook-at-home, partially baked pizza. A 12-inch creation serves a party of two to three and a 16-inch serves a party of four to five, whereas parties of exactly five may be subject to auditions for an obsolete TV drama series. Geometrically undefined items served on suspiciously circular dinnerware include refreshing salads such as arugula and ripe pear tossed with sweetened walnuts and gorgonzola in a balsamic vinaigrette ($5.25 for small, serves one to two) and the superhuman simplicity of a Tuscan Meatball Hero Panini layered in meatballs, marinara, and mozzarella ($7.00). Check out the full menu for San Diego here and Encinitas here.