Prosecco Time

A Cure for the Mondays

By BY PATRICE ELIZABETH GRELL YURSIK

It’s 5:30 and you’re dying to get out of the office after a craptastic day. The last thing you want to do is slog through insane highway traffic and then slave over a hot stove for your dinner. Might we offer a suggestion? Head over to cute and romantic restaurant Blu La Pizzeria del Sole, and pull up one of the outdoor seats on the cobblestone street. Every weekday between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., it’s Prosecco Time, when you can drink your employment blues away on the cheap.

In case you’re not up to speed on Prosecco, it’s a variety of vino from the Veneto region of Italy. Think fruity, fun, sparkling, and -- at Blu’s price of $3.50 a glass -- affordable. The restaurant also offers lots of other varieties for the same happy-hour price, so if you’re a Riesling kind of dame or a Chianti type of guy, you can have those instead. Not to worry, beer-swilling philistines: Blu has your back too. Two-buck Tuchers, Warsteiners, and Sam Adams will bring a smile to your face as you enjoy your gourmet pizza dinner. There are also five-dollar special appetizers available during these magic hours, and the piadina al prosciutto goes perfectly with an early-evening buzz (trust us). It’s the kind of place you can typically wander up to, but call 305-666-9285 if you’d like to make a reservation.

This charming, moderately priced trattorialike pizzeria is a 40-seat (with 30 more chairs outside) spinoff of Trattoria Sole next door. A main benefit from that association is the wine selection, which is far more extensive than one could reasonably expect to find in a pizza place. Panini, focaccia, and half-moon calzone constitute some of the offerings for pizza-poopers, but it's the pies that bring Blú the green. The blissfully blistering treatment they undergo while baking rapidly in a smoldering hot, wood-burning oven yields a crisp, semicharred crust with thin, bready middle and seared topping of bubbling cheese and tomato sauce. Delicious, and 28 variations from which to choose: spinach/fontina, eggplant/Parmesan, artichoke/mushroom, and anchovies with oregano, a staple in Naples and Rome. There also are more than a dozen sauceless pizze bianche, which include "tartufon" with mozzarella, mushrooms, and white truffle oil; and "pizza blú," covered in mozzarella, fontina, eggplant, potatoes, and fresh rosemary. The priciest pizza costs $13.50, the average is around $10, but none is more rewarding than the basic fiore di campo of tomato, mozzarella, and basil that's yours to eat in or take out for $7.50.

• Cuisine(s): Italian, Pizza

  Hours: Sun-Thu 12pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-11:30pm

  Price: $$

  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover

• Attire: Casual

  Features: Smoking, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Delivery, Catering, Vegetarian Friendly

  Serving: Dinner, Lunch

  Alcohol: Beer/Wine

• Reservations: Accepted, Not Accepted, Call-Ahead Seating Available

  Parking: Lot Available, Meters, Valet