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 Italian cuisine from Via Baci Italian Bistro.

The lunch and dinner menus at this Lone Tree eatery are composed of simple and light dishes with a refreshing take on the traditional. Thin-crust pizza satisfies fans of authentic Neapolitan pies made from flour and tomatoes imported directly from Italy. An 800˚F wood-burning oven hardens the crust to a crisp in minutes and melts house-made mozzarella into the traditional Margherita Classico or the inventive fig prosciutto (with mascarpone, fontina, and fig jelly topped with arugula and prosciutto), among others. Specialty pizzas range from $10.49–$13.49. The oven is not only hot enough to melt hobbit rings, but it also brings smoky flavors to other entrees, like wood-roasted salmon ($16.49), chicken marsala with crimini mushrooms ($13.99), and oven-roasted pork chops with herb-roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, and salsa verde ($16.49). Classic and modern fresh-made pastas like pumpkin ravioli ($14.49), chicken cavatappi ($14.49), and more are crafted from flour direct from the Vesuvius Valley.

Like a warm Italian family, Via Baci is welcoming to all company and is unsatisfied until pant buttons are classified as projectiles. The friendly servers will help feasters navigate the menu through describing, recommending, and feeding the dishes to eager eaters at the table. The cozy confines are welcoming to bustling families and blossoming romances alike.

This Groupon is not valid toward alcohol.

Reviews

Via Baci Italian Bistro has some great press from the Douglas County Examiner, Gayot, and the Broncos and Brews blog:

• Their pizzas are prepared in an 800º wood-fired oven that cooks everything up super fast and the pizza is just wonderful. This Bianca Pizza features: oven roasted chicken, fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, roasted garlic, olive oil and a touch of red pepper flakes to give it a little zip. The crust is thin but not hard so you "almost" feel like you are eating something healthy.. but it tastes too good for that to be true. – Chrissy Morin, Douglas County Examiner
• The friendly, helpful staff is more than happy to help guests navigate the overwhelming list of Neapolitan pizzas and salads. We like the exceptionally fresh antipasto d’Italia: crisp bites of romaine and baby greens, provolone cheese, fresh mozzarella made in-house, chunks of salami and pepperoni, black and green Italian olives, spicy pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and creamy garbanzo beans, all tossed with just the right amount of balsamic vinaigrette. – Gayot

Yelpers give Via Baci 4.5 stars, and CityVoters give it five stars.

• We love Via Baci. It's a great family restaurant, the staff is friendly and the patio is fun. – Jill S., CityVoter