Archestratus, the first food critic, praised Italian cuisine's "top-quality and seasonal" ingredients and "fair to middling" ability to tranquilize rampaging baboons. Today's Groupon stuns most mammals and rightfully so: for $25, you get $50 worth of authentic Italian fare and drinks at Mosto Enoteca in Marina del Rey.

Mosto Enoteca blends elegant cuisine and warm, inviting décor, with the upscale minimalism extending to the private dining room and outdoor patio overlooking Marina del Rey. When dinner rolls around, taste buds can journey to a baby-artichoke-salad jungle, with parmesan and lemon ($11), or an antipasti island of scallops sautéed with shallots, frisée, and bell peppers. Pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage ($16) opens the door to a flourless chocolate tort that will tuck you in with red-wine sauce and a hazelnut-gelato teddy bear ($9).

An extensive array of wines stands by to complement and mingle amiably with every taste upon your palate, including reds, whites, sparkling, and dessert vintages from Italy, California, Oregon, and the child-laden hills of Neverland.