Pioneering Italians were not only the first to put tomatoes in cuisine, they were also the first people to take photographs of themselves pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Delight in their inventiveness with today's Groupon: for $7, you get $15 worth of traditional Italian lunch or dinner fare and drinks at Pasta Primavera in San Mateo.
Spaghetti savants at Pasta Primavera expertly sculpt a menu peppered with an assortment of authentic Italian eats and wines. Fresh ingredients festoon suppertime starters, such as mussels in a tomato-herb sauce ($11.95) and prosciutto paired with mozzarella, tomato, and red onions ($9.95). Then an entourage of entrees strolls across tablescapes, with the al pomodoro leading the way, flaunting linguine tossed with chicken breast, tomatoes, basil, and wistful daydreams of brushing angel-hair pasta's heavenly locks ($14.95). Decimate cheese cravings with parmesan-doused cheese tortellini ($14.95) or cheese ravioli heaped with ground hazelnuts ($13.95), and then forego chocolate-chip-cookie clichés by washing down the dairy deluge with sips from Pasta Primavera's extensive wine list.
Italian cuisine aficionados in the ivory-walled eatery serve similar Mediterranean munchies on the lunch menu, including bites of a mixed seafood linguine ($14.95) and a cheesy take on spaghetti with meatballs ($11.95). Enjoy sating stomachs atop an ebony chair in Pasta Primavera's cozy culinary cubby, or step out for a high-stakes game of I Spy at an outdoor table.
Pasta Primavera
Pasta Primavera's kitchen has forged traditional Italian dishes for 15 years, using fresh ingredients and culinary know-how to craft hearty meals. Lit by twinkling bulbs overhead, plates piled with steaming pasta and glasses of wine drawn from a well-curated list travel through the dining room, ushered in by Primavera's attentive staff. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant also serves up a kid-friendly menu for insatiable whippersnappers and adults still wearing 90s-era L.A. Lights.