A love of Italian food is as universal as a love for warm, summer nights, the USB drive, and righteous comeuppance. Indulge in an international classic with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of Sicilian fare at DiSalvo's Trattoria in West Palm Beach.
Head chef Johnny Donza fills platters and tables alike with a menu of southern-Italian classics, as well as generations-old DiSalvo family recipes from Sicily. The lasagna classico lies smothered under a homemade meat sauce that mingles with mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan cheeses ($9.90 lunch, $14.90 dinner), and the chicken piccata is sautéed in fresh lemon, butter, capers, chicken broth, and parsley after first being butterflied with protractor precision ($11.90 lunch, $16.90 dinner). A side order of DiSalvo's signature meatballs ($8.90 for three) in a tomato-basil sauce arrives family style so that children receive the same handful of sustenance as adults. Diners who love the taste of tradition indulge in DiSalvo's family recipes, including the Zio Tomaso's spitini, which fills lightly breaded beef filets with imported Auricchio provolone, onions, and parsley ($17.90, dinner only), as well as the white-wine-simmered Pasquale's anelli con salsiccia, composed of anelli pasta, sausage, garlic, onions, peas, and mushrooms ($16.90, dinner only). Pasta dishes for dinner allow a house salad to warm up the crowd, and all other entrees provide a choice of pasta in addition to a house salad and an affectionate embrace.
DiSalvo's complements courses with an international selection of wine that emphasizes Italian vinous offerings. The Terrazze della Luna pinot grigio and the Nobilo sauvignon blanc ($7/glass each) prime palates with crisp fruit flavors, while diners hoping for a sip with more structure lean toward the Col d'Orcia rosso di Montalcino or the SIMI cabernet sauvignon ($13/glass each). Family-style conversations echo off the intimately lit walls adorned with photographs of Italian and Italian-American celebrities, scenes from the Old World, and cooked strands of pasta. Reservations are recommended for Friday and Saturday.