When Pangaea—the earth's greatest rock supergroup—broke up, many fans blamed it on the high-heeled wiles of Europe's inseparable girlfriend, Italia. Discover a sweeter side to the globe's Yoko with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $35 worth of fine Italian wining and dining at Trattoria La Bocca in the Gaslamp Quarter. This Groupon is valid after 4 p.m. for dinner only and may not be used with other offers, specials, or happy hour.
Trattoria La Bocca, an Old World Italian gem, welcomes families, lovers, and cartoon dogs who are lovers to enjoy an elegant evening either amid its soothing, incandescent interior or its people-watchable open-air patio. The dinner menu, complemented by an extensive wine list, dances through traditional flavors including the prized insides of crab-stuffed portobello ripieno ($12) and the lush pink sauce ladled upon homemade gnocchi and mozzarella ($17). Diners who prefer their food in shoelace form will find it underpinning the clams and shrimp in spaghetti mare e terra ($20), with even more abundant sea life populating the risotto pescatore's ($22) tomato-sauce-filled edible aquarium. Carne comes cooked to your liking with options ranging from the modest 8-ounce filetto di manzo served with mashed potatoes ($30) to the hearty 24-ounce porterhouse known as fiorentina alla griglia, which drips delicately in a peppercorn brandy sauce ($42). Give either meat a gloriously leggy tango partner with a glass of Blackstone cabernet sauvignon ($8). If you're undecided on your wine pairing, feel free to ask your server—unless, of course, your entree is a traffic cone full of wine.
Swing through Trattoria La Bocca as a prelude or postlude to any Gaslight Quarterly engagement, be it theatrical, nightclubbery, or just good old-fashioned fightclubbery. If your dining party is greater than or equal to one barbershop quartet, you may combine up to two Groupons.
Reviews
Yelpers give Trattoria La Bocca an average of four stars; three Insider Pagers give it a three-star average.
- The service was terrific. The bread was clearly fresh baked and we devoured it promptly. I have to say that the linguini with clams was indeed perfect. – Frank L., Yelp
- The food here was excellent. Came for a friends birthday and the service was great and the food was delicious! – Claudia S., Insider Pages
Groupon Says
Revision Quest
The Roman Empire (the birthplace of Italian food) wouldn't have found such success if it hadn't started by co-opting a ready-made pantheon of ancient Greek gods. What are some of the differences between the Greek and Roman versions of these mighty deities?
Dionysus: Finding the name Dionysus too difficult to pronounce, the Romans changed his name to Bacchus, paving the way for his followers to form the Raucous Bacchus Caucus.
Ares: In order to increase his appeal among the hardened Roman soldier demographic, pantheon revisers renamed him Mars, teamed him up with a wisecracking Cyclops sidekick (sideclops), and eliminated his constant nosebleeds.
Aphrodite: Even though they shared the same powers and personality, the newer version of the love goddess, renamed Venus, only had one arm, leading to systematic hacking of all existing statues.
Poseidon: Poseidon became Aquaman in order to help the Super Friends stop a giant gorilla from taking over the ocean.
Zeus: The Romans made Zeus Jupiter to be more stupider.
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