Italy resolved to develop culinary dominance in response to a youth spent enduring the cruel nickname "Boot Boy." Taste superior flavors born of an inferiority complex with today’s Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of Italian fare and drinks at Ferrante’s in Mequon.

A fourth generation restaurateur, Ferrante’s owner Amy Ferrante-Gollwitzer mines her rich ancestry to feed the North Shore irresistible Italian cuisine made from enduring family recipes. Pie guys go for specialty pizzas such as the olive oil and garlic-coated tomato basil ($22.15 for a large) or the Amy’s, a meaty mix of sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and ham (22.15 for a large).

The hot irons of the panini maker sear the Ferrante, a grilled sandwich stuffed with italian sausage, sautéed spinach, and mozzarella cheese and smeared with roasted-pepper mayo ($9.95). Communal starters such as the sun-dried tomato and artichoke dipper, baked and served with pizza chips ($7.95), help teach greedy pet parakeets the importance of sharing. Other entrees, including the chicken picata ($14.95) and pesto portobello pasta ($12.95), light up taste buds without burning down the roof of your mouth.