Divino Wine and Cheese Bistro

Calling Divino a “wine and cheese bar” is a bit of an undersell. True, they have a great wine list and numerous delicious cheeses. However, the lunch and dinner menu there is mouth-watering – so much so that you’d be doing yourself a favour by going on a very empty stomach.

If you’re going to Divino for lunch, they offer the staple of business lunches, the Chicken Cobb Salad. For a main, the Pistachio Penne stands out – with duck confit, purple plums, roasted shallots and basil pesto, you might want to consider extending your lunch meeting so you can sample this exciting dish.

Divino is owned by Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, so you can expect the same quality of menu as favourites like Cilantro and The Ranche. The meat served at Divino comes from the naturally-raised game at Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts own ranch. The Buffalo Tartare showcases this meat in a fascinating first course that combines ranch-raised buffalo tenderloin, Saltspring Island chèvre and a black pepper vinaigrette. For your main, you can’t go wrong by choosing the ever popular Lobster Cannelloni, which combines chanterelles and ricotta in a lobster bisque. Other seafood offerings include the BC Salmon with citrus and parsley risotto and the Roasted Halibut with romesco, baby leeks, clams and chorizo sausage.

Among the dessert offerings, you’ll find some old favourites with unexpected twists. It’s somewhat unusual to see rice pudding on a dessert menu outside of a family restaurant, but the Baked Vanilla Rice Pudding at Divino is a rare treat with a mango glass biscuit and passionfruit coulis.

The wine list at Divino is so impressive that it comes with its own table of contents – and you’ll need it to help guide yourself to this amazing list of carefully selected wines. However, if you end up being completely overwhelmed by the options or have questions about what wine to pair with which cheeses, the well-informed wait staff will be happy to help you. Divino Wine and Cheese Bistro, 113 8th Ave SW, Calgary, 403-410-5555.