A spaghetti noodle, much like a swimming-pool noodle, maintains its shape until it's exposed to boiling water or sat on by children. Savor pasta's forced flexibility with today's Groupon for authentic Italian fare to Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant in Las Cruces on University Avenue. Choose between the following options:

• For $7, you get $15 worth of Italian fare for lunch, which is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For $15, you get $30 worth of Italian fare for dinner.

Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant's culinary whizzes craft a menu of family-style Italian fare from traditional and progressive, fusion-inspired recipes. Old World Italy and New Mexico seductively tango like mismatched police partners throughout the grilled chicken fettuccini Alfanso, festooned with sausage and green chili ($14.25 for full order). A dozen dynamite pasta preparations grace the dinner menu, as well as grilled rib-eye steak, served with mushrooms sautéed in merlot and a side of fettuccine alfredo ($23.25). Lunchtime yields a crew of 18 pizzas (starting at $11) to satiate stomachs, and half-portion lobster ravioli ($11.50) with lemon and butter sauce tickles tinier appetites. Lips sip on one of seven Italian sodas ($2.50), supplemented with whipped cream to mimic the experience of drinking a carbonated cloud.

Diners' eyes can drink in the rustic, adobe-walled atmosphere of Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant as they fill their maws. Through the dining room's exposed brick enclaves, guests can peer into the kitchen to witness poetry in motion as chefs sauté and plate dishes while penning haikus about parmesan cheese.