LOUNGE & RESTAURANT
GAZETTE.NET
| DEC 11 2003
Divino's
diverse delights:
Food,
art and dancing, too!
by
M.J. Pleasure
|
||
Take one D.C. restaurateur, add an Argentine diplomat and a Spanish-trained chef and you have the recipe for Divino, Bethesda's newest nightspot.
Cantina La Frontera owner Nelson Ayala partnered with Carlos DiLaudo, assistant to the Argentine cultural attaché, to open the 5-month-old restaurant and lounge. Design magic transformed a deep, narrow space into an attractive street-side bar and lounge and stylish dining room. Changing exhibits of contemporary Latin American art line the red-brown walls. Some nights, the lounge's black leather furniture is moved out of the way and a dance floor emerges. Tuesday means salsa, and Sunday is for tango. Occasionally on Friday or Saturday, a deejay plays international music.
Mirrors down one side of the dining room give the illusion of more space. Candles glowing on the white-clothed tables add a romantic touch. Waiters look suave in black shirts.
Chef José Flores, formerly of D.C.'s Taberna del Alabardero, presides over a menu that mixes Spanish dishes like paella, Argentine grilled meats and Latin American fusion food.
Divino's 32 tapas (20 hot and 12 cold, ranging from $4.95 to $7) offer an introduction into one of Spain's most pleasurable pastimes.
Since we are four diners, our waiter suggests ordering the larger appetizer size salad of green asparagus with smoked salmon (a nice combination) rather than the tapas portion.
Four paellas display the chef's expertise: Valenciana (rice with chicken, pork, sausage and duck), langosta (lobster), negra (squid ink gives this seafood dish its name) and mariscos (seafood). Prepared for two, they range from $29 to $38 as entrées, but for $6 or $7, you can order a tapas-size mini paella Valenciana or mariscos. We opt for the seafood version and are not disappointed.
"I thought sardines were little things that came in cans," exclaims one surprised diner, surveying the sardinas a la plancha. The six-inch-long grilled fishes rekindle pleasurable memories of the Iberian Peninsula.
Alcachofas rellenas con mariscos y espinacas (artichoke stuffed with seafood and spinach) are flavorful, but two small hearts don't go far four ways. Surtido de hongas al vino blanco (assorted mushrooms with white wine) are easier to share.
Pulpitos a la vinaigrette (baby octopus vinaigrette) are savored by some, shunned by others. Rolls studded with olives or sun-dried tomatoes help soak up the sauce (good to the last drop) of our gambas al ajillo, the familiar shrimp in garlic sauce.
In the surtido de quesos españoles, the selection of Spanish cheeses, the country's popular manchego, a mild, briny-nutty sheep's milk cheese from La Mancha, is the most recognizable.
A fino sherry is the classic drink to go with tapas, but on this unseasonably warm November evening, we order the summer favorite -- sangria. Our server apologizes that they have to make it, but it proves worth waiting for. Still, our movie time is rapidly approaching -- Divino's relaxed European dining is not for people in a hurry -- and we skip dessert in favor of nibbling the fruit in our now drained pitcher.
On another night, we discover the chuleta de cerdo, a fine pork chop complemented by white beans and sweet garlic sauce. The pallarda de cordero, lamb pailliard served with fresh-cut fries, has a non-assertive port sauce. Among the fish and seafood entrées, the mahi mahi is a winner in a lemon-accented light crust, accompanied by steamed yuca, a pleasant change from potatoes.
Argentine crepes filled with dulce de leche (caramel sauce), fresh pineapple and mango, flambéed with rum make for a festive finish.
Divino, a handsome and welcome addition to Bethesda's downtown dining scene, has happy hour specials Monday through Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Parking in the county garage, just off Wisconsin on Montgomery Avenue, is free on weekends.