Conditional Amore

The cool gray color scheme with wooden furniture is very appealing. I especially admire the lighting. Track-light spots on the ceiling are focused on each tabletop so that your food shines theatrically. The lights were a bit too bright this time. But luckily there wasn't any music playing.

On my first visit to divino, a couple of weeks ago, the music was loud. There were only a couple of tables occupied at the time, and the electronic dance beat bouncing around the empty space got pretty annoying. One member of our party asked the waiter if the music could be turned down a little. The waiter graciously agreed, and the volume was reduced. That night we ordered the antipasto misto, Parma-style risotto, pork tenderloin medallions and Sicilian seared tuna.

Before the food was delivered, the music was blaring again -- at an even higher volume. The waiter shrugged when we asked him about it, and we were left to conjecture. Perhaps the building, which used to house Toopees Coffee Company & Catering (see "Dark Day at Toopees," by Margaret L. Briggs, October 14, 1999), is haunted by the spirits of Toopees' radical waitresses who once walked out in protest over new male ownership. Then again, maybe the new waitstaff just likes dance music -- a lot.

The antipasto was an artful array of thinly sliced meats, cheeses and olives. But instead of the usual accompaniment of Italian bread, it was served with grilled polenta. I like grilled polenta, but I found myself puzzling about how to eat it with sliced salami and cheese. I still don't know.

The risotto was perfectly cooked -- not too firm, not too mushy. The rice was mixed with prosciutto di Parma, mushrooms and green peas. The first bite was exciting, the second soothing, and the third boring. Divino's version of the classic Italian dish was long on the Arborio and short on flavorings. It rotated around the table but couldn't keep anybody's interest. Most of it went uneaten.

The pork medallions were served in a sauce of pistachios, shallots and cream with asparagus and rosemary roasted potatoes. It sounds a lot more intriguing than it tasted. The cream sauce was lackluster, and it didn't do much for the pork. "It tastes bland and fattening," the woman at the table remarked. It too went unfinished.

Which left all three of us fighting over the Sicilian seared tuna, which was rare in the middle and served on a bed of one of the best lemon risottos I've ever tasted. The fish and risotto alone would have been good, but they were accented with a tart and salty sauce of white wine, cherry tomatoes, black olives and capers. The dish was sensational, especially with the light Rhône red we were drinking. I fought for as much as I could get.

Next time I go to divino I'll skip the table service and sit at the wine bar with the locals. If you think of divino as a neighborhood joint with good food, rather than a fine-dining establishment, you won't be disappointed. The good dishes are stellar, and the wine list is amazing. Of course, the downside of a weekly wine list is that the bottle you fall in love with this time probably won't be there next time. Oh, well. You'll just have to fall in love all over again.

Wine Notes: 1997 Barbera d'Alba, limited bottling, Gigi Rosso, $29

This is a smooth, light red with rich black-cherry notes and real finesse, one of the best Barberas I've had in some time. Barbera is a fluky Piedmont varietal that tends to have an overly acidic taste when produced in the traditional method. But the Piedmont's new generation of winemakers is crafting Barberas that rank right up there with their expensive Barolos and Barbarescos. (Don't confuse the generic Barbera d'Asti for the much scarcer Barbera d'Alba.)