Today's side deal gets you a hot-air-balloon ride, plus a post-flight meal and toast, from the Balloon Depot. Each Groupon is good for one person, and a maximum of two Groupon customers will be allowed per balloon (smaller balloons hold four to six passengers, and larger balloons hold eight to ten; Groupon customers will be paired with other flying partners). Budget around three-and-a-half hours for the entire experience.

Choose from the following options:

• $99 for a morning flight ($189 value). Upon landing, enjoy a light meal, such as a fruit tray and coffee, and a traditional post-flight toast.
• $109 for an evening flight ($210 value). Upon landing, enjoy a fully catered Italian buffet-style meal, including fare such as lasagna, salad, and breadsticks, and a traditional post-flight toast.

Balloon Depot takes intrepid riders over the scenic valleys between the Cascade Mountains and the waters of Puget Sound. Upon arriving, guests will help the Balloon Depot crew inflate the balloon, then set sail for about an hour over trees, lakes, and earth-bound walkers under the guidance of a commercially licensed pilot. Because balloons can only fly with the wind, departure location, landing location, and flight elevation change with the weather. Most flights take place at elevations of 500 and 1,500 feet, allowing you to see the world from a new perspective. Celebrate the occasion of your ballooning with a post-flight meal and traditional toast.

All flights are weather-dependent, so call two hours before your flight to ensure that weather conditions are favorable. In case of bad weather, flights will be rescheduled. Children under 5 cannot fly with Balloon Depot.

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Pizza was initially worn as a poncho to protect against vampires, which was stupid because vamps invented pizza to make people taste better. Today's deal tilts the scales by adding garlic to the mix: for $9, you get $20 worth of gourmet pizzas, ribs, wings, drinks, and more at Garlic Jim's Famous Gourmet Pizza. Choose from any of the 22 locations in Washington.

Garlic Jim's menu was handcrafted with nothing more than a dream and an incredible reserve of pizza-making expertise. Open an order with some gourmet chicken wings, available in barbecue, garlic, and buffalo hot, before moving on to pizza territory. Put an end to eating Legos by piecing together a custom pie. Choose from the hand-thrown thick, garlic thin, or gluten-free crusts, slathered in one of seven sauces (from classic red to zesty chipotle pesto) or olive oil, and then slap on any of 15 standard and 11 gourmet toppings (14-inch large pizzas start at $12.99, gluten-free crust $15.99, each additional topping $1.79). To achieve customization without the stress of having to choose, turn to one of the pre-determined specialties. Meat-maul hunger with the Hercules (salami, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, spicy Italian sausage, and bacon, $19.99 for large thick crust, $22.99 for gluten-free), or discover the secret of pizza-temperature fusion in your head with Jim's bacon-cheeseburger pizza (beef, bacon, red onions, tomatoes, mozzarella, and cheddar, $16.99 for large thick crust, $19.99 for gluten-free).

Pizzas are most delicious when savored in their natural environment, the pizzeria, but can also be enjoyed in the captivity of diners' own homes. Stalk a steamy, piping-hot disc of delight at one of Garlic Jim's locations, or call to check delivery availability at the location nearest you.

This Groupon cannot be used toward delivery charges and is not valid for online ordering or with other offers. Prices may vary slightly by location.

Groupon Says

Another Stakeout

Wow. Those medallions really accentuate your fangs. Did they come with the cape?

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Originally invented by an ancient Italian tribe of nomadic warriors, wood-fired pizzas doubled as both rations and shields. Defend your stomach from hunger's hordes with today’s Groupon: for $20, you get $45 worth of Italian fare and drinks at Cafe Lago in Montlake. Cafe Lago's daily-fresh dough, handmade noodles, and apple-wood-fired pizza earned it a spot on Seattle magazine’s Best Restaurants '10 list. This Groupon is for dine-in only, and it must be redeemed in one visit.

After stepping inside Cafe Lago's airy atmosphere—where floor tiles are bicolored and tiny alien spacecraft masquerade as hanging lights—start your feast in proper Italian fashion with a lovelorn aria and an antipasto plate such as the olivata, a black-olive puree/goat cheese combination served on grilled bruschetta ($6.95), or grilled eggplant with a gorgonzola doorstop ($6.95). Risk-takers and physics majors can follow this with a pasta dish such as gnocchi ($19.95)—potato dumplings in a tomato, vodka, and cream sauce—just to see what happens to the space-time continuum when pasta comes in contact with an antipasto. The majority of people, though, will want to try Cafe Lago's celebrated pizzas, all of which are cooked to perfection over burning pieces of apple wood. Meat-eaters might like the romana pizza ($18.95)—which features sausage, smoked mozzarella, and sliced sweet onions—while herbivores and herbivoyeurs can opt for the caprino pizza ($18.50), served with goat cheese, caramelized onions, marinara, garlic, and mozzarella. Wash everything down as easily as a greased rubber duck with a glass of wine from the restaurant's cellar.

After the main meal, a lemon tart with honey-whipped cream ($7.95) and chocolate-truffle cake ($7.95) make hearty desserts, especially when washed down with a 2007 Maculan Dindarello ($6.95)'s hints of baked pears, honey, and vanilla. Pizzas, much like kisses and evil plans for world domination, are best when shared, so treat some amici to a little circular cuisine at Cafe Lago with today's Groupon.

Reviews

Cafe Lago has received glowing press both local and national, including features in Bon Appétit, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Seattle Times, and MSNBC.com. Seattle magazine rates Cafe Lago's pizza as one of 2010's best in Seattle. Zagat gives the food a 23 rating. More than 60 Yelpers give Cafe Lago a 3.5-star average, as do Citysearchers. TripAdvisors give an average of 3.5 owl-eyes and 81% of more than 200 Urbanspooners recommend it:

• Nearly two decades and two expansions later, Café Lago still sets the mark with its handmade pastas, pillow-light potato gnocchi, and thin, blistery-crusted pizzas. I'm hard-pressed to pass through Montlake without peering longingly through the front window, watching the fire in the pizza oven sway and flare. It's almost impossible to know what to order. ? Molly Wizenberg, Bon Appétit
• fabulous pasta. the gnocchi is "to die for." personal pizzas are delicioso. ? BrianV0268, Zagat
• There is a pitiable dearth of Italian food in this town, so it's a delight to occasion upon a place like Cafe Lago that does it right. ? Jeannette C., Yelp
• If Food Network came to Seattle for a lasagna smackdown with Bobby Flay, Cafe Lago would win hands down. ? likewaterforchoclate, Urbanspoon

Groupon Says

Tomorrow's Cooking Technology Today

When will food be replaced with a nutrient-rich frosting?

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Funds are a little short for a full-blown Euro excursion. The next best thing? A trip to Danube Bistro, where the best of Europe is brought to you.

Ever heard of a restaurant that serves German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Russian, AND Italian cuisine? Well, now you have -- thanks to Danube Bistro, a Bellevue gem that prides itself on authentic cuisine from each of these regions and more. From fresh salads and sandwiches to homemade goulash and hearty stews, it takes customers on a culinary journey that's as memorable as it is diverse.

Dive into Danube with a plate of Assorted Sausages, Salamis, and Cheese from Slovakia and Hungary, or Garlic Potato Pancakes "Bramborak", a favorite starter in the Danube region. Next, take a trip to the Czech Republic with Baked Beef Tenderloin "Sví?ková", a traditional Czech dish made with creamy vegetable sauce and served with homemade bread dumplings. Mini Potato Dumplings "Bryndzové Halusky" tempt the palate with a tender layer of imported Slovak sheep's cheese and smoked bacon, and the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli will take you straight to the heart of the Italian kitchen.

What's more, Danube Bistro uses the freshest organic ingredients from the Northwest to create the tastes of eastern and western Europe. (Cool mash-up? We think so.)

* It's different than the usual "European cuisine". In addition to more familiar Italian dishes he might have seen before, Danube Bistro also offers traditional selections from Germany, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. That means he can take the flavor excursion of a lifetime without even leaving the city.
* It's known for great service. According to repeat customers, Danube Bistro knows how to treat its guests right. Awesome food and awesome people? That's a winning pair if we've ever seen one.

If you ask us, this is one Bistro to rule them all.

-Larkin Clark

Shipping and coffee were the twin pillars of every great civilization—and caused the ironic downfall of Rome when hordes of Visigoths mailed themselves to the capital and clubbed its citizens with sacks of espresso beans. Keep America from sinking into the sea by combining the two with today's Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of organic coffee, shipping, and more at Sip & Ship, a one-stop shipping center that's also a full-service coffee shop. This Groupon is good for its locations on Market Street in Ballard and Greenwood Avenue in Greenwood.

Sip & Ship's ship-and-sippers can buy their parcels a ticket out of Seattle with Sip & Ship's expert packaging services ($6 for a packed 6”x6”x6” box), ship it hassle-free, then come back later to receive a reply package—the shop is an authorized receiving location for FedEx, UPS, and DHL. Sip & Ship's friendly staff can also gift-wrap presents (starting at $4.75) so that Grandma can excitedly unwrap her new Twilight boogie board when it's delivered. This comes in especially handy for last-minute shoppers, who can snag a stylish local T-shirt, mug, or jacket on-site, along with a wide assortment of cards for every occasion from "Thank you" to "Get well soon from your freak javelin accident."

After finally firing their priceless collection of antique packing peanuts toward its end zone, postal quarterbacks can reward themselves with a cup of organic, farm-direct coffee, featuring fresh, locally roasted espresso. The sipping end of Sip & Ship brews up a full array of hot and iced espresso drinks, green chai teas, and fruity Italian sodas. Stubborn shippers who insist on waiting in the store until their package receives a reply can stay nourished with homemade scones and cookies, seasonal soups, and sandwiches for both breakfast and lunch. Relax within Sip & Ship's spacious, tasteful coffee shop, surf on the café's free WiFi, and renew your pen-pal relationship with a Turkmenistan totalitarian with today's Groupon.

Groupon Says

Our Enemy Earth

Do you want the Earth to stick around and tell your grandkids a bunch of corny jokes?

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If you've never had authentic pizza made with fresh dough, then what you think is pizza might in fact be a cunningly disguised pretzel. Today's Groupon clears up the confusion: for $10, you get $25 worth of pizza, drinks, and more at DaVinci’s Pizza e Pasta on Aurora Avenue. This Groupon is good for dine-in, take-out, delivery, and catering services.

DaVinci’s Pizza e Pasta's menu blends the culinary styles of California and New York to create appetizing pastas and pizzas made with fresh dough and never-frozen toppings every day. Pizzas by the slice ($1.99–$2.99) let you take the full tour of DaVinci’s specialty pizza creations. The Greek Special serves up a boisterous circle-dance of feta cheese, olives, pesto, fresh tomatoes, and even fresher garlic. More adventurous appetites can sing in a shrill, pinched voice to the Tandoori Chicken pizza—a subcontinental masala of grilled tandoori chicken, ginger, cheese, cilantro, onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, and sauce—or the Sheekh Kabab pizza's enticing ensemble of onion, garlic, green pepper, ginger, mushroom, and cheese. For more classic circular cuisine, opt for the Cucina Vegetarian's garden of toppings or the House Special, which combines three kinds of meat with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and fresh tomatoes. And foodie Dr. Frankensteins can always create their own pie before giving it life during an electrical storm. All pizza creations cost between $13.99 and $23.99 depending on size, except for the pineappley Hawaiian Passion with Canadian bacon ($11.99–$20.99).

Customers can prep for their pizza feast by snacking beforehand on garlic bread ($2.49), mozzarella sticks ($5.99), or a Caesar salad with grilled chicken ($5.99) while gargling a bottle of Jarritos mandarin drink ($1.50) or an order of beer or wine (dine-in only). After juggling a plate of pasta and beefy Italian meatballs cooked in DaVinci’s special marinara sauce ($9.95), keep a hand open for swashbuckling swordfights with a California calzone ($8.99) or a meat calzone's ($8.99) carnal treasure chest of Canadian bacon, pepperoni, salami, sausage, and chicken. A dessert of chocolate mousse cake ($3.50) ends the evening on a sweet note no matter how often a first date cryptically prophesies your doom.

Whether you’re stopping by DaVinci's to pick up a pizza pie or visiting the neatly tiled restaurant to count its exposed bricks and talk to its potted plants, DaVinci’s will satisfy circular cravings until 3 a.m. any day of the week.

Groupon Says

Renaissance Man

Leonardo? More like Leo-nerd-o.

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With today's <b>$50 deal</b>, you'll get <b>$100</b> to spend on food and wine at Osteria La Spiga, the best spot for a hot date on Capitol Hill. When the deal tips, everyone's voucher will increase to include two drinks <b>(a $20 value)</b>. Try a toast of bubbly prosecco or a round of Basilico cocktails to start the night out right.

Tippster Elizabeth melts for the Carpaccio di Barbabietola (razor-thin roasted beet salad) and their hand-rolled potato gnocchi. Tippr founder Martin suggests ignoring the menu and asking Pietro the owner to just start bringing yummy food.

Impress your date by making a fool-proof selection with their mind-blowingly awesome wine list that spans all of Italia's primo regions for vino. Now <b>that's</b> amore.

Phone: (206) 323-8881 / Email: hello@laspiga.com / For more info: http://www.laspiga.com

Hot rocks and buckets of mud can alleviate almost any stress, particularly if it stems from being marooned on a desert island where there's enough of both materials to build a bridge back to the mainland. Dispel desert-island tension caused by an anti-climactic conclusion to Lost with today’s Groupon: for $86, you get a one-hour hot-stone massage and a 45-minute Rasul mud chamber treatment (a $172 value) at Club Biella, located downtown on Pacific Avenue.

Offering luxurious spa and salon services, Club Biella soothes minds, bodies, and souls throughout its 10,000 square feet of classy European-village-themed interior, designed to feel like its namesake Italian villa at the foot of the Alps. Upon entering Club Biella’s comfortable lounge area, guests are greeted by the sight and sound of water coursing over two walls of glass mosaics, curlicue-shaped plants, and dark-brown sofa chairs. Under the hands or tentacles of one of Club Biella's expert therapists, guests will begin their calming, therapeutic experience with a 60-minute hot-stone massage ($115), which combines the oily treatments of Ayurveda with warm basalt river stones to melt the tension from your tired body's locomotors.

After the massage brings back happy memories of blissful weeks spent trapped under a volcanic boulder, customers can relax even further by submitting their skin to the detoxifying powers of a 45-minute Rasul mud chamber treatment ($57), an Arabian treatment that mixes all-natural, nutrient-rich Austrian moor mud and steam to revitalize and rebalance the skin, tissues, and organs while you recline on heated benches in a dimly lit, glass-tiled bronze chamber. After rinsing off with a special tropical rain shower, clients will feel rejuvenated and renewed in time for their nightly harpy visitations.

Stressful things such as jobs and stress can transform your once-nimble muscles into rigid two-by-fours. A hot-stone massage and mud treatment will relight your internal furnace, drain away tension, and bring your muscles to optimal stress-exorcism temperature. Carpe this diem’s Groupon to Club Biella, and buy extras for friends so that you don't have to get stoned (and mudded) alone.

Groupon Says

Stone-Onyms

Mommy, where do bar fights come from?

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This is especially true when the shoe in question is from Unit Holdings, the premier online retailer for handsome, Italian leather men’s shoes.

Perfect for Dad or as a special treat for yourself (and don’t forget about your beau, ladies!), Unit Holdings shoes are an effortless way to add class and sophistication to any outfit. Their two primo collections, Bellesco and Ronaldo, feature a wide-range of day-to-night lace-ups, slip-ons, and loafers that are hand-crafted in a small town in Italy by experienced cobblers.

The butter-soft leathers, supple suedes, and scaly snake skin, eel skin, and crocodile come in a variety of colors from burnt cognac to rich tobacco. Designed for both the classy chap and the every-day gentleman, Unit Holdings shoes look just as good with a pair of jeans as they do with a pair of suit pants.

We had Nik in the office try on a pair and he swears he was walking on heaven. Thanks to hidden elastic details for just a touch of stretch and thick, cushy soles with the right amount of support, Unit Holdings promise the perfect, comfy fit.

Already offered for over 50% off MSRP, Unit Holdings is giving Tippsters even further discounts. For only $50, you’ll receive a $100 voucher good toward any pair of shoes on their website. Once the deal tips with 50 purchases, everyone will also receive free shipping – a $10 value.

Whether you’re stepping out with your lady, stomping around town, or running your usual errands, you can look good doing it in a pair of Unit Holdings.

<i>Redeemable starting Tuesday, June 15. You will receive an email containing a promo code to be entered at checkout at www.unitholdings.com.</i>

Email: info@unitholdings.com / For more info: http://www.unitholdings.com

Contrary to popular belief, when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a lawsuit. Enjoy Italian cuisine without fear of physical reprisal with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $35 worth of authentic Italian fare at Osteria da Primo.

The Burien eatery boasts a menu of Old World authentic Italian fare inspired by the chef-owner’s southern Italian upbringing. Start with an order of the crispy carciofi fritti ($7), and dunk the deep-fried artichoke hearts into a flavor-filled bath of spicy aioli, or opt for the fresh pepata di vongole ($12), steamed intra-shell clams in a white-wine broth. Italian film buffs will analyze the dramatic depth of the eatery’s entree selections, noting the complementary selection of palate-pleasing pastas and protein-packed piatti alongside wood-fired pizzas and insalata. Split a Primo pizza ($16.50) with a co-diner, and savor the prosciutto and green-olive-enhanced flavor of the disc-shaped dinner, or hoard an order of the agnello al terrone ($21), a tender rosemary-seasoned lamb chop, for the post-modern prometheus you keep in the basement next to the unused flower pots.

The comfortable eatery boasts a warm atmosphere, enhanced by the friendly staff, rich red walls, and wood-fired pizza oven. With a wine list of over 50 small-batch estate-bottled Italian vintages and a selection of house-made desserts and imported gelatos, Osteria da Primo is an ideal setting for a flirtatious fork fight over the last bite of the signature tiramisu ($6.50) with the Dante scholar of your dreams. With a fervent local following strong enough to rival Deborah Gibson’s personal entourage, reservations are recommended, so call ahead.

Groupon Says

Can't-Miss Italian Destinations

If you think you saw the Eiffel Tower in Naples, you didn't.

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Hungry stomachs are forced to contemplate cooking their own food while our brains are busy plotting ways to make Hollywood starlets fall in love with our ungainly cousins. Quell an insurgent appetite with $20 worth of eclectic eats and drinks for $9 at Café Venus and the marsBar. Your Groupon is redeemable for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and happy hour at the space-age South Lake Union café and bar.

The café's eclectic menu offers vegetarian and vegan-friendly fare alongside classic carnivorous creations with fresh twists. Share an order of the green planet dip ($8), or opt for the moonscape bruschetta, a decadent goat-cheese and caramelized-onion-topped option ($8). Daily soups and fresh-made salads entice the veggie-inclined, and a selection of plentiful sandwiches, such as the hummus-based Vega’s vegan love ($8.50) or the big-bang pulled-pork barbecue sandwich ($9), offer handy options for bread enthusiasts. Pastas and personal pizza rounds round out the menu. The baconaut pizza ($8.50) boasts a bounty of fresh bacon, avocado, and cheese, and the mars mac ‘n’ cheese ($10.50) updates classic cheesy fare with a saffron-cheddar sauce. Cleanse the stomach's lining with a freshly mixed Italian soda topped with whipped cream ($3.50), one of the café’s espresso creations ($2.75 and up), or a Tazo tea ($2 and up).

Lounge in one of the comfy booths in the bright and glossy café, or retire to the marsBar and unwind with a pint ($4 and up) or pitcher ($12 and up) of one of the six beers on tap. Swanky specialty cocktails, such as the Himpletini (muddled limes and Stoli Vanil with a splash of orange and cranberry juice, $8), take tongues to a limbo contest aboard a cruise boat in the tropics. The café and bar offers a plentiful happy hour and weekend brunch. Nosh vegan tofu scramble ($8.25) or saffron-cheese-smothered baked egg Florentine ($8.75) while sipping a mimosa pint ($6.25) and trying to recollect if you really did promise to donate your car to this year’s Pat Sajak parade.

Groupon Says

Upcoming Space Initiatives

Was the acquisition of moon diamonds the real reason for the Apollo 11 mission?

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Highlights

• Authentic Italian cuisine
• Wood-fired grill
• Full bar and wine list
• Warm atmosphere

The Fine Print

• Expires in 1 year
• Limit 3 per person. Limit 1 per table. Must use in 1 visit. Not valid with tax and gratuity. Dine-in only. Not valid with other offers.

Groupon.com

$50 to Spend on Food and Drink

Let us paint you a (Renaissance) picture so beautiful it's gonna make you want to re-read The Da Vinci Code and hike it to the Louvre: Mix the colors on your palette with Italian classics like calamari bruschetta, pappardelle with lamb ragu, and Gorgonzola orchiette with Americana entrées such as mac 'n' cheese and shrimp tacos and what to you get? The portrait of perfection, Mona's, which is dishing out $50 worth of Mediterranean-inspired cuisine for just $25. Nestled in Latona, this romantic restaurant boasts a full-bodied wine list, extensive bar, and incorporates only seasonally fresh ingredients. Throw in an ever-rotating calendar of live music at night, and you might just find Mona's far too stunning to turn away.

The Little Details

Limit 1 per person, additional as gifts
• Gratuity and tax not included (Be nice and tip on the pre-discounted total!)
• Dine-in only (not valid for takeout or delivery)
• Limit 1 per table per visit
• Not valid on Friday, July 16; Restaurant will be closed due to a private event

Must be redeemed by July 15th, 2011

Additional Information

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