Endless possibilities

Quick! Before summer moves on its merry way--For all you pizza and/or lovers of all things Italian (oops, my biases are showing) here are a couple of promotions to hop over to before they vanish--

Zucca's: PIZZA AND PERONI
Thursdays, 5-9pm
$5 oven-fired pizza and $5 Peroni beer on the patio. They say: "It’s the best place to gather after work or before a night on the town!"

Now, hold your horses but that Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's hip trendy spot that does a rushin' business from 5:30pm to close, you know, the one where you can squeeze in beside a celebrity whose name you forget or really never did know because you're not that actor's target demographic, yeah, that's right, Osteria Mozza is offering this:

Every Monday through Thursday a special three-course menu exclusively at our "Amaro Bar." Choose one item from Nancy's Mozzarella Bar (or share the Mozzarella Tasting for two), one Pasta, a Dessert and a glass of either Bastianich Friulano or La Mozza Morellino di Scansano for $35 (plus tax and service). No reservations are necessary; the seats at the bar are available on a first come first served basis so walk on in.

Also, Ruth's Chris in Pasadena is offering complimentary wine tasting on Mondays from 5-7 to the end of August. Unaware of this I dashed in there last Monday, just like a tourist, looking for change for a dollar and, after feeding the meter was rewarded with sips from three different wines. They also mentioned the possibility of complimentary snacks. I left a bit happier than I had entered.

Despite the recession, job dramas, the endless back to school supply list of books, clothes, what, what do you mean you need pencils and paper too? all I can say, in a word, is andiamo.