Playing with your food was finally banned in the '50s, but playing Cupid with your food is a legal form of entree entertainment that has led to numerous plate-and-pour romances. Fix up a delicious dream couple with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $45 worth of Italian fare at Barolo Ristorante Italiano, located on Towne Centre Drive.

Marinate mouths and please palates with Italian dishes and drinks at Barolo's warm, inviting trattoria. Noontime noshers will enjoy lunchtime sandwich, pizza, salad, and pasta possibilities, and the dinner menu serenades suppers with Old World classics. Lock lips with the ravioli di pera ($16), homemade pasta pillowcases fluffed with pear and parmesan and blanketed in mascarpone, walnut, and sundried-tomato sauce. Other entrees include the beef fillet with balsamic glaze and gorgonzola ($32) and the veal scaloppini with pesto, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and cream ($20). A glass or bottle from the wine list will help boost digestive processes and confidence in performing night-capping magic tricks. Chef Luca Mazzolani domesticated his Italian recipes in their natural habitat, attending culinary school at age 14 in Senigallia, Italy, eventually graduating first in his class.

Reviews

CityVoters named Barolo Ristorante Italiano the Best Italian food in 2007. The San Diego Union-Tribune raved about the cuisine. Four Insider Pagers give the restaurant an average of five stars and Yelpers give it a 3.5-star average:

• Barolo Ristorante offers a warm and charming escape into authentic Italian cuisine. – Maria C. Hunt, San Diego Union-Tribune
• The atmosphere is inviting and soothing country-italian [sic], but what draws me every time is salivating over the thought of eating their pear ravioli. The ravioli has a tender cheesy inside that is slightly sweetened by pear puree and covered in a rich marscapone [sic] cheese sauce. – Tiffany J., Insider Pages