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 similarly stuns, and rightfully so: for $20, you get $40 worth of wine, pastas, and more at the Memphis location of Amerigo, an upscale Italian restaurant near the Park Place Mall. Your Groupon is valid for dine-in or carryout.

Amerigo's dark, wood-paneled interior and orange-hued walls paint a picture of the quintessential Italian restaurant, a hunger-inducing setting ideal for business meetings and poorly timed breakups. When evening stomach grumbles need snuffing, Amerigo's menu answers with decadent Prince Edward Island mussels ($12) swimming in garlic wine broth, diced tomatoes, and capers, and paired with grilled bruschetta. A wood-fired grill and wood-fired oven infuse Amerigo's smoky foodstuffs with a flavorful variety of tree flesh. From a pasta selection that stretches to Rapunzel-like lengths, diners may choose a savory smoked chicken ravioli in parmesan cream sauce ($13) or a breaded eggplant parmesan ($15) atop angel hair. Post-dinner sugar seekers can crown an evening of romance with an indulgent tiramisu ($6.50).

The attentive and friendly waitstaff at Amerigo ensure your date will have a full water glass to toss on you when provoked, and these knowledgeable guides will happily help you pair your dinner with the perfect wine by the glass or bottle, offering New and Old World reds and whites ($24 to $125 a bottle).

Often, mammals feel emptiness in their core, an emptiness that rises to its highest pitch just past noontide. To curb midday hunger pangs, Amerigo serves lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring a variety of sandwiches, paninis, soups, salads, and light entrees. Whatever time of day a customer rolls in, dressed to the nines or unshaven and kimono-clad, the friendly staff at Amerigo will provide top-notch service and fresh, flavorful edibles.

This Groupon is not valid on Mother's Day.

Reviews

In 2007, Nashville Scene readers listed Amerigo as having the best Italian food. Gayot also recommends the eatery:

• At Amerigo you won’t go wrong with straightforward pastas, fish entrées that are uniformly well prepared, and wood-fired pizzas (a favorite comes topped with Italian sausage, cheese, fennel and rosemary). – Gayot

Eight Yelpers give Amerigo a solid 3.5 stars, while OpenTable users rate it four. Eight Citysearchers give it a near-perfect 4.5:

• Great service. Good salmon. Good pasta. Great selection of wine. – jmcalpin, Citysearch
• Very large portions, reasonable price, excellent food. Crab cake benedict, bow tie pasta, blackened tilapia, and veal w/ ham were excellent. – OpenTable.com user who dined on 01/24/2010
• I tried the Pollo Salad w/ fried chicken for the first time...was pleasantly surprised. It was über delish and, honestly, big enough to serve as a meal! – OpenTable.com user who dined on 02/13/2010