Restaurants in Franklin Park

In the old times, markets were the center of social life, and aluminum was more precious than gold. Today's deal is more valuable than Charles Martin Hall's electrolytic process for refining aluminum. Stop by the cozy Italian market il Mercato to use your $5 Groupon toward $10 worth of fresh and premium bites and sips. You can purchase as many as you want, but are limited to one use per visit.

Executive Chef Greg Alauzen has designed every dish on Cioppino's sumptuous dinner menu. Whet your appetite with his selection of oysters on the half-shell ($12) before moving onto his signature dish, Cioppino ($29)—a heaping platter of branzino, mahi mahi, little-neck clams, PEI mussels, Dungeness crab, scallops, whole prawn, onion, and fennel, all served with grilled crostini. The only thing missing is the lobster, which you can get in ravioli ($23) or risotto ($12) form. Those with more landlubbing tastes will prefer an Elysian Fields Farm lamb with sautéed escarole and white beans ($38), New York strip steak ($34), or the veggie-friendly potato gnocchi ($16). Since seafood tends to make for poor desserts, top your feast with vanilla-bean crème brûlée ($6) and gelato ($5), or warm beignets tossed in cinnamon and sugar with a raspberry dipping sauce ($6).

Willow's atmosphere walks the line between sophistication and accessibility, and chef/owner Michael Rudman's lunch and dinner menus follow suit by politely one-upping their diners' every expectation via innovative dishes and dashing drinks. The restaurant's signature dish, lump crab cakes, comes blissfully broiled and drizzled with a tangy red onion caper sauce and lemon-pepper asparagus ($27 as a dinner entree). Other favorites include the sautéed Alaskan halibut served on braised fennel with tomatoes that have been slow-cooked overnight and a cabernet wine sauce ($24). There are also a few vegetarian dishes offered, such as the Japanese pumpkin ravioli topped with sage, cabbage, pine nuts, and shaved parmesan ($15). If you're dining with the family, there is a special kids' menu. If not, there is a special adult martini menu (featuring a more complicated crayon maze) and adult wine menu to artfully accompany plates and lubricate parched conversations.

Owner and chef Omar Mediouni imbues La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar's menu of traditional Spanish and Moroccan small plates and entrees with local ingredients and an appetite for culinary fusion that, according to Pittsburgh City Paper, "combines sophistication and comfort, authenticity and simplicity." Flagpole-addicted tongues warm up with a choice of 16 hot tapas, including the chorizo catalan's spicy sautéed sausage and spinach in a red-wine reduction ($10), and tomatoes, sweet pepper, and eggplant form the base of a duo of Moroccan dips ($8 each). Larger entrees ($16–$28) sneak garbanzo beans, chicken, lamb, and eggplant into piles of couscous or saffron paella rice like parents tucking Easter eggs into an egg carton.

Nestled within a brick house along a neighborhood street in Shadyside, La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar greets springtime by opening its patio to warm breezes and showers of cupid arrows. Inside, a hanging Spanish guitar, lanterns lit by candles, and the wide grin of a bright red hearth contribute to a cozy, eclectic spirit.

Freedom Square Diner is a family-owned, community-centric restaurant that understands the value of a home-cooked meal. A friendly staff welcomes all foodies into a modern diner atmosphere where comfy seats cradle gastronomic cravings. An appetite can be cuddled by breakfast-menu bites such as a country breakfast with four eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast or English muffin, and a pair of pancakes ($7.99) and the crab or salmon Benedict over two poached eggs with an English muffin dressed in hollandaise sauce ($7.99).

Yama’s owner, Mr. Yeung, opened the restaurant in October 2009 intending to fill a void in the local cuisine scene by offering fresh and authentic Japanese recipes. A glance at the sushi menu confirms the presence of stalwart favorites such as salmon sashimi ($4.50 for two pieces) and California rolls (crabmeat, cucumber, and avocado, $4.50), as well as a wide selection of specialty rolls, including the Greenwich roll (white tuna, avocado, yellowtail and jalapeño, $12) and the snow roll (shrimp tempura and cucumber capped by blue crab and served with lemon sauce, $14). The staff at Yama can help first-time sushi-goers by counseling them on dish choices, the proper way to hold chopsticks, and the pros and cons of providing room and board to circus performers. Along with fresh ingredients and expert preparation, the sushi is enhanced by elaborate, artistic platings.