Divino - Great Food & Sleek & Stylish Surroundings
August 20, 2009
Divino. It's Spanish for divine.
And in this case it's a small, intimate, stylish, restaurant on Vancouver's Commercial Drive, with the same name.
It specializes in small tapas-like charcuterie and cheese offerings.
A Savvy Insider subscriber, Suzanne, told us about it and said it was terrific. So we checked it out and we agree - it is terrific.
The service was exemplary. The Swiss-born waiter was outstanding in his food knowledge.
We started off with several different Bruschetta's - small toppings atop a round crusty crunchy dried slice of bread.
The first one was a tomato and Mozzarella one. The tomatoes were sweet and mellow and the smooth and creamy Mozarella added up to a yummy combination.
The eggplant and Mozzarella one was rich and complex - the eggplant a bit chunky with an herbaceous taste to it and the cheese gave it another taste dimension.
The mushroom and Zucchini Bruschetta was earthy and fresh as if it had just been picked out of the garden.
And then there was the piece d'resistance the Gorgonzola and caramelized onions one. That cheese was something else, totally devoid of that so often strong Gorgonzola taste. Instead it was light, but kept its flavour intact.
And what a punch the cheese provided for those sweet onions.
Another one was made with fresh pesto and tiny little morsels of Prosciutto with small Asparagus spears.
The Antipasto plate was full of goodies - Buffalo Sopresetta (a dried-cured salami) and Bresaola (air-dried) salted beef that was lean, tender and sweet.
And then there was the Chaum cheese from a southwestern French cheesemaker - it was dense, rich and almost meaty in its aroma and flavour.
And that French Camenbert was exquisite, slightly salty, creamy but not as rich as a Brie.
It was served with several types of mustard, a home-made marmalade and pieces of a French baguette.
The beef tenderloin steak with a combo of house-made seasonings was robust and quite tasty. A simple Ruccola (a herb with long leaves and a spicy garlic-mustard taste) salad with some superb Parmegano cheese slivers was perfect with the steak.
Dessert, again all house-made, was a rich deeply flavoured Tiramisu and another Italian classic ice cream, Tartufo with hazelnut praline.
Prices are really reasonable with dishes ranging from $9 to $19.
Rachelle Goudreau's Weekly Wine Pick
When I think of Zinfandel, I think California.
So I was pretty surprised when I came across this great Aussie example - a 2005 Kangarilla Road Zinfandel. It is from McLaren Vale, an area in South Australia better known for Shiraz and Chardonnay.
This wine is immediately likeable, rich and mouth-filling without being heavy. Chock full of classic Zinfandel character- dark berry, cola, cocoa, licorice and a bright juicy acidity.
Velvety smooth tannins round out the palate with a touch of caramel and smoke on the length. No need to age as this is delicious now, but it could hang out in the cellar for a couple years if you have the patience.
I, on the other hand, will be cracking a bottle at my next barbeque.
At just over $30, you could put this up against any California Zinfandel in that price range and it would surely hold its own. Available at specialty stores around the Lower Mainland.
