Pasta became a staple of Italian fare after Emperor Caligula famously elevated a plate of lasagna to the Roman Senate. Feast on political recipes with today's Groupon to La Passione Italiana. Choose between the following options:

• For $20, you get $40 worth of Italian fare and drinks.
For $100, you get $200 worth of Italian fare for a dine-in party or take-out catering.

La Passione Italiana strives to be an anchor for its surrounding neighbourhood, offering a local hub where diners can meet to socialize over its menus of authentic Italian fare while sampling from an extensive wine list. During meals, steak entrees power chatterboxes for hours of knock-knock-joke one-upmanship with dishes such as the bistecca al pepe con funghi that dresses a 10-ounce certified Angus strip loin in a brandy, peppercorn, and mushroom sauce ($27.95). Stalwart entrees range from calamari alla griglia of grilled marinated squid ($11.95) to the pollo alla parmigiana, layering delicately breaded chicken breast, eggplant slices, and melted mozzarella in a pool of flavours that forks refuse to come out of ($16.95).

For a group-friendly meal, holiday or spelling-bee-watching parties can get together at La Passione Italiana or at home with carried-out Italian delights from the catering menu. Give discerning friends and family good reason to fall out of their chairs with a balanced caprese salad ($45 for 8–10 servings) or with one of the eatery's signature pizzas, such as the margherita or meat lovers, comprised of 24 mini square slices ($18.95–$25.95 each). Succulent pasta dishes such as the pasta dell'ortalono of julienne-cut vegetables and fresh spinach in a rosé sauce ($40 for 8–10 servings) and penne alla vodka ($40 for 8–10 servings) are also customizable with whole-wheat, gluten-free, or windsor-knotted noodles.

To complement its sun-kissed flavours, La Passione Italiana surrounds diners in a decor of tile work and terra-cotta-coloured walls, or in the fresh air of the outdoor patio when weather allows.