Good things happen in grottoes.

For one: spelunking.

For another: whatever passes for a nightcap at Hef’s joint.

For another another: spaghetti and meatballs.

Meet Macchialina, a cozy Italian cavern that’s brimming with handmade pasta and copious pours of chianti, opening tomorrow in South Beach.

This place: the latest extension of the Pubbelly empire (you’re intimately familiar with their work in the field of pork belly). This look: mood-setting Italian. Think rustic brick walls, warm wood tables and chalkboard menus chock-full of words like “short rib” and “lasagna.”

In a perfect world, you’d want to save this for an unpretentious third date. Something where there’s some sort of deal that requires sealing. Settle into a corner banquette. Order your date a Barberini (strawberries, tupelo honey, Cocchi Americano) and yourself an Innis & Gunn. Then, queue up a slew of small plates, like polenta dotted with spicy sausage, or polpettine (veal cheek and pork meatballs).

Now, loosen your belt. Great. That should make room for the lasagna stuffed with braised short rib and taleggio.

Your third dates tend to resemble your second Thanksgivings.