Ever since Amerigo Vespucci won the race to discover the New World, most U.S. citizens have forgotten how close we came to being named Vasco de Gamerica. Give thanks to the great explorer with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of New World Italian cuisine at Amerigo, which won a 2009 Diner's Choice award from OpenTable in the romantic category. This Groupon is valid at either the Nashville or Brentwood location. Prices and menus vary slightly depending on the location; click here to see the Nashville menus and here to see the Brentwood menus.

Each classic Italian dish is cooked using a wood-fired grill and oven that injects an Old World feel into the fresh produce, meats, seafood, and fine cheeses, such as Grana Padano parmesan. Prep your palate for Italian dinner abbondanza with the signature cheese fritters fried with marinara and honey mustard ($5 for a small plate, $9.50 for a full plate). Pastas include traditional favorites such as five-layer lasagna ($10) and shrimp scampi ($13.50), as well as creative dishes such as wild mushroom ravioli with baby spinach, wild mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and pan-seared vegetables in an herb broth atop cheese ravioli ($12.50). Amerigo's Mediterranean pasta salad ($8) or arugula with flame-grilled apples ($7) offer lighter alternatives, particularly to the fillet with gorgonzola and rosemary butter ($30) and roasted pork tenderloin in a honey-merlot reduction ($19). Pair any plate with an Old or New World wine by the glass or by the bottle.

Much like the rich world presented in the gritty documentary Ratatouille, the cuisine is only the half of the dining experience. Amerigo provides the other half with its casual yet classy atmosphere of white tablecloths, an upbeat black-and-white checkered floor, dark wood, high-backed booths, and intimate lighting—all refreshingly free of hypnotic pulses. Service is polished and professional yet earthy and venerable, just like those silver spoons that kids commonly find lying on the forest floor.

Valid for takeout or dine-in. Call ahead to make a reservation.

Reviews

Amerigo Nashville won a 2009 Diner's Choice award from OpenTable in the romantic category, along with a four-star average from reviewers. It has been covered by Nashville Scene and many others:

• It's hard not to leave the lush dining rooms of this small Italian chain without feeling completely stuffed with pasta, seafood, meats and pizza, which are consistently well cooked and moderately priced. A menu of small plates offers a variety of Northern Italian fare. – Nashville Scene
• Fantastic food. Some of the best veal I've had. Our waiter was extremely informative [sic] and very personable.. – OpenTable user who dined on 9/3/2010