Although Italians originally invented pasta as a fastener to keep Sicily from floating away, they abandoned it for less-delicious moorings after locals on both sides kept snacking their way toward separation. Tether your taste buds to today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of Italian and Greek fare and drinks at Servino's Bakery and Bistro in Parker. Reservations are required.
Servino's Bakery and Bistro compiles traditional dishes into a menu that showcases Italian and Greek recipes with elegant, modern presentation. Hush outspoken stomachs with a medley of Italian specialty meats, cheeses, and vegetables from the antipasti vari ($16) or Jimmy's salad, a herbaceous dish packed with edible Greek accessories such as feta cheese, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts ($10). Twirled forkfuls of the spaghetti bolognese tempt taste cells with spools of wheat noodles dripping special, house-made meat sauce ($16). Sizzling grills transform prime Colorado lamb from tender steaks into juicy plates of bistecca di agnello, marinated in olive oil and finished with a balsamic reduction alongside portions of roasted potatoes and vegetables ($28).
Sleek, pre-set tables fill the floor of the dining room, and walls sport paintings drawn to resemble open windows to the European countryside and to hoodwink passing Wile E. Coyotes. Diners who need more space than the high-ceilinged eating house affords can enjoy their meal on the outdoor patio and enjoy views of the Old Town neighborhood.
Bistro on the Peak
At Bistro on the Peak, chefs blend Mediterranean dishes with American sensibilities. They season Colorado Black Angus steaks with pancetta and gorgonzola, for instance, and top olive-oil-glazed pizza with barbecued bison and pineapple. Diners can enjoy these and other meals inside, or head outside and eat beneath the trees and bright blue umbrellas that grow on the secluded side-street patio. In the evenings, a full bar and live music invite patrons to venture downstairs to the underground sports bar and nightclub.