Italy has given us legendary artisans, from the evocative paintings of Caravaggio and da Vinci to the deliciously daring miniature meat sculptures of Boyardee. Admire edible Italian masterpieces with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of Italian fare and drinks at Mezzo Italian Ristorante & Lounge.

Mezzo Italian Ristorante & Lounge plates locally sourced takes on Italian culinary staples with options that are gluten-free. Competitive eaters can warm up with fork calisthenics as they dig in to lunch or dinner menu selections that demonstrate why WindsorEats.com voters named Mezzo the 2009 Favourite Restaurant and Favourite Italian Restaurant in Windsor. Ultramodern decor accented by white tablecloths and booths with curved panels form a fetching backdrop for consuming daring pasta platters such as whole-wheat penne ($20) and fettuccine nero, which jumbles mussels, scallops, and calamari in its own sea of white-wine sauce ($25). Meat entrees such as the bacon-wrapped chicken breast of pollo Mezzo ($27) and gluten-free options such as beef tenderloin served with aged balsamic-beef reduction ($36) can be paired with red or white wine escorts from Mezzo's varied wine list. As live music fills the dining space three nights a week, troupes of flamboyant desserts sashay their way into diners' mouths, leading to satisfied sweet teeth and a scout badge for the diner with the most-licked plate.

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