The best way to capture a wild, rampaging meal is to hook it with a gigantic pasta lasso. Test your throwin' arm with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of food at Rinata Restaurant.

With an emphasis on freshness, Rinata's menu changes daily to take advantage of the best ingredients available. Start with the sharp, creamy tones of the baked Bulgarian feta ($6.75) or the tongue-staining comforts of beet salad ($7.25). Rinata's pizzas are bursting with gourmet flavors; hack triangles from a circle of housemade sausage with roasted fennel and fresh mozzarella ($9.75) or artichoke with olives, pesto, and fresh mozzarella ($9.75). All of Rinata's pastas are freshly made in-house to ensure that each noodle is imbued with love and the ability to see through walls. The bucatini alla amatriciana features a hollow, spaghetti-style pasta, creating a delicate al dente snap when served with pancetta, chili flakes, and tomato ($13.50).

Rinata Restaurant is Minneapolis's portal to Italy's meatball-cobbled streets and handmade pasta power lines. Impressed with the Italian tradition of food as a social staple, owners Jonathan Hunt and Amor Hantous worked hard to create a resturaunt with a lively, family-friendly environment that is just as welcoming to a casual gathering as it is to loners who silently eat while playing cell-phone sudoku. Rinata's wine list will provide your party with eclectic, grapen conversation fuel.

Reviews

Rinata received favorable reviews from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Citypages, and Chowhound. Gayot gives Rinata a 12 out of 20. Yelpers and more than 270 OpenTable reviewers give it four stars. Citysearchers awarded Rinata 3.5 stars and 91% of more than 90 Urbanspooners recommend it.

• Rinata’s humble dishes with unassuming descriptions are distinguished by chef Jon Hunt’s subtle touch. – Beth Dooley, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
• They say if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Now I see that if life gives Minneapolis and St. Paul a credit crunch, Minneapolis and St. Paul give us stylish, cheap date restaurants that rank well on the Big Mac Index. Who says there’s no romance in a recession? – Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Minnesota Monthly
• Nice steaming hot plates of appropriately portioned pasta. I was pretty excited just looking at the stuff. – greenidentity, Chowhound
• I love Rinata! I go there all the time! Their food is always delicious, and you can't go wrong with homemade pasta! The spaghetti and meatballs are always my favorite, and the cream sauces are delectable! – FoodLover, Urbanspoon