The best part is the small shelf containing olive oils and a few bottles of hand-selected Italian wines. The Lodali Barbera d’ Alba alongside the spaghetti with aioli is a masterful combination. The wine is loaded with fruit and that hint of earthiness and fresh herbs that accompany Italian wines. What was once dismissed as an inferior grape, the barbera has made up for lost time.

This place isn’t complicated. The food is good, and freshly prepared, and the wine is authentic. The best part is that two people can have a good dinner, a good bottle of wine and spend just under $40. — Layne Witherell

Coppola’s ($)

2900 W. Cary St.

359-6969

Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4