Weekly dinner specials: Mount Vernon

Thursday

Sopra $10 pasta

Food specials in really nice restaurants are like the holy grail for foodies who don't have a lot of money. Sotto Sopra fulfills that fantasy Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. This is when it offers its $10 pasta special, and lets you choose from two different plates. Chef Bill Crouse offers different dishes every night, so folks who want to take advantage of this deal often without tiring of repeats are in luck. Eating Crouse's Italian comfort food in Sotto Sopra's beautiful restaurant helps diners forget the recession, and makes them feel as if they were in a simple trattoria in Northern Italy.

In another attempt to help the working man get a good bowl of food on the cheap, Crouse offers the ultimate food special: On April 15, tax day, Sotto Sopra sells bowls of pasta for $1. That's right—$1. Sotto Sopra feels your pain, and wants to make you happy on a day usually reserved for whimpering about all the money you just gave the government.