Archestratus, the first food critic, praised Italian cuisine's "top-quality and seasonal" ingredients and "fair to middling" ability to tranquilize out-of-control mayors. Today's Groupon similarly stuns, and rightfully so: for $12, you get $25 worth of fresh Italian cuisine at Via Baci Italian Bistro in Lone Tree.

The chefs at Via Baci hand-press authentic neapolitan pizza crusts, make mozzarella fresh daily, and fire entrees in wood-burning ovens for the lunch and dinner menus of simple, light Italian fare. The thin-crust pizzas are built on foundations of flour imported directly from Italy. An 800-degree Fahrenheit wood-burning oven hardens each crusty base to a crisp in minutes for pies such as the traditional margherita classico and the inventive fig prosciutto, with mascarpone, fontina, fig jelly, and arugula ($10.99+ for specialty pizzas). The oven is not only hot enough to melt Hobbit rings, but also brings smoky flavors to other entrees, such as wood-roasted salmon ($16.99) and chicken marsala with crimini mushrooms ($13.99). Freshly made pastas include pumpkin ravioli ($15.49) and chicken cavatappi ($14.99).