Divino Wine Bar near UTEPoffers cheese, meat and fruit plates, as well as salads, paninis and pizza. The menu is designed to complement the wine. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)

DIVINO Wine Bar

Review by El Paso Times, Thursday, March 18,2010

There are a few restaurant locations in El Paso that just seem cursed. You know the ones. Every few months or so, you see a new restaurant pop up and, just as things look like they're going to work out, the restaurant shuts down.

Divino Wine Bar has opened in one of those spots near UTEP. (It previously was Butterflies of Wisdom and most recently Expresso Coffee Wine & Beer).ÊBut if a good atmosphere, good food and, yes, good wine have anything to do with it, I think the spell might be broken.

I went to Divino on a recent Friday night with my boyfriend, Larry, and our good friends Rick and Alma. We didn't know too much about it in advance, so we were instantly impressed with the restaurant's elegant decor, which included both tables and sofas for those who want to lounge while drinking wine.

We opted for a cozy table and our waitress offered us the impressive wine list, along with a menu. First things first, we ordered a bottle of 337 Cabernet from the list. Once I found out the restaurant also carried a Framboise Lambic (a raspberry-flavored beer that tastes more like raspberry soda than beer), I couldn't resist. I ordered some for myself.

Next, the food. We quickly learned that the showcase of Divino is indeed the wine, but that doesn't mean the food isn't delicous. Just don't expect the oversized portions you've become accustomed to at other restaurants. Here, the menu was designed to complement the wine.

The menu offers cheese, meat and fruitplates, as well as salads, paninis and some personal-sized pizzas.

We decided to share a couple of things: a house salad ($8), a caprese salad ($7), an Il Divino pizza ($9) and a pepperoni and basil pizza ($8).

It didn't take long for one of Divino's owners, Pepe Delgado, to come to our table and introduce himself. Pepe shared his enthusiasm about Divino with us and told us about the years he spent studying and the sommelier classes he took, all in preparation for Divino. You could just tell this was a dream come true for the young Pepe.

Our food arrived and we were extremely happy with our choices. The salads were fresh and the pizzas were piping hot and delicious with a thin, crispy crust.

The Il Divino pizza was the table's favorite with a wonderful combination of prosciutto, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, capers, marinara sauce and mozzarrella. We couldn't resist; we ordered a second Il Divino pizza and a second bottle of wine. This time, however, we took our waitress' wine suggestion and ordered the Barbera d'Asti. Not all of us were impressed with the suggestion, though.

About an hour into our visit, an acoustic duo arrived and played everything from Jewel and Jason Mraz to Gloria Estefan. Pepe told us he also has a waiting list of musicians who want the opportunity to play at the wine bar, so it will be interesting to see how that develops.

We ended the night on a sweet note, with a slice of cheesecake ($5) and a cup of strawberry gelato ($5), which is delivered daily from a local gelato business.

The restaurant's clever motto is "Think Outside the Wine Box" and we were glad that Pepe and Cesar Diaz (the other owner) did just that. They had the vision to see beyond the cursed location and opened a sophisticated wine bar that offers an impressive wine list and an equally impressive menu. Divino is now serving brunch, too.

You know a restaurant is good when, during your first visit, you're already talking about "next time." Here's hoping the address curse has indeed been broken!

Maribel Villalva may be reached at living@elpasotimes.com.

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