Eating Italian fare is one of the best ways to cross-train your tongue for the lasso competition in the Facelympics. Pasta-cise to gold medaldom with today's deal: for $20, you get $40 worth of Northern Italian cuisine at Il Poeta, a family-owned eatery in Forest Hills.

Unearth the traditional delights of Northern Italy with Il Poeta's menu, and commence face-hole caulking with the carciofi in tegamino, baked artichokes served with shrimp and smoked scamorza cheese ($12.50), before bringing on the workhorse of Northern fare— tagliatelle alla Bolognese, homemade pasta with beef-ragout sauce hearty enough to sate the most vicious pangs of hunger ($17). A wide variety of salads greet the green-eater such as del poeta, with romaine, olives, mozzarella, tomato, and balsamic dressing ($10). Meat lovers can sate a craving with pollo spezzatino con capperi in salsa di pomodoro e origano (diced boneless chicken with capers, tomato, and oregano) for $19.50 or tagliata di manzo con palate al rosmarino (grilled and sliced sirloin steak with roasted potatoes and rosemary) for $28.50. Il Poeta's thoughtfully constructed wine list provides a pairing for every meal, so don't be too shy to ask a server about the current varieties.

Without restaurants, people would have no place to have romantic, business, or accidental dinners, which would wreak havoc on the financial-marriage sector and lead to a mass commitment to panic. Safeguard the country and your loved stomachs with today's Groupon to Il Poeta.

Reservation required.

Reviews

Yelpers give the Il Poeta an average of 4.5 stars, and 91% of 68 Urbanspooners like it. The eatery was also reviewed on The Gotham Palate.

• The dishes were solid, yet imaginitive [sic] and easily avoided the tired hot and cold antipasto formulas and combinations of many Italian or Italian American places, without sacrificing taste. – The Gotham Palate
• The food and wine were excellent. The service and attention to detail for a large party was superb. – John Byrne, Urbanspoon