Divina’s ‘modern Italian’ offers inventive vegetable dishes
Divina, now open at the Courtyard Stamford Downtown, bills itself as “modern Italian.” Its owners say it’s just more of a reflection of how Italians really dine.
“When we go to Italy, the table is full. There are a lot of different things to try and taste,” said Enzo Bruno, who opened Divina in early April with Domenico Iovieno and Walter Cappelli. “When we say modern Italian, in actuality, it’s been that way for many, many years.”
The partners, who also own and operate Stamford’s Table 104, decided to structure the menu to focus less on full-sized entrees and more on shareable options: a tempting list of small plates, artisanal cheese and charcuterie boards, wood-fired pizzas and housemade pastas.
Among the small plates ($7 to $16) are some “usual suspects,” Bruno said, like calamari with arrabiata sauce, arancini, smoked housemade mozzarella, meatballs with grilled focaccia and sausage with broccoli rabe. But the list is also on seafood: a linecaught tuna crudo with soy-lime marinade is a big seller, he said, and there’s also shrimp crostino with escarole, Portuguese octopus, Eastern shore crab cakes with saffron aioli and avocado mousse and swordfish spiedini with romesco sauce.
Bruno said Divina was also looking to offer more exciting and inventive vegetable options, and its woodfired eggplant plate, with shishitos, piri-piri dust and romesco, quickly became a top seller. A veggie “ceviche” features grilled corn, hearts of palms, jicama and aji amarillo with lentil crackers, and diners have also enjoyed the misto, a vegetable tempura plate with Calabrian chile mascarpone.
Artisanal boards offer selections of local and imported cheeses and charcuterie, and housemade pastas ($13 to $21) are available in two sizes, allowing diners to try smaller portions along with the rest of the menu’s shareable theme. Pasta options include lobster ravioli, spaghetti alla chitarra, papheavy
pardelle Bolognese, fettuccine with prawns and mint, gnocchetti with wild asparagus, zucchini, kale and guanciale; and cannelloni, filled with short rib and broccoli rabe. Gluten-free pasta is also available, Bruno said.
Wood-fired pizzas are Neapolitan style, Bruno said, with specialty pies like the verde (cauliflower, asparagus, forest mushrooms, arugula spread, mozzarella, vincotto); market (prosciutto with arugula, figs and Gorgonzola dolce) and the Inferno, with ‘nduja (a spicy spreadable pork sausage) and
long hot peppers. Pies are also available gluten-free.
For those looking for traditional entrees, there are plenty of options ($22 to $48): whole char-grilled branzino, salmon a la plancha, pan-roasted chicken and chicken parmigiana, braised short ribs, skirt steak frites and a cast-iron ribeye. There’s even a cheeseburger ($21), with cheddar, truffle aioli and guanciale, and a Connecticut-style lobster roll ($25) with harissa butter.
Current dessert offerings include a lemon coconut cheesecake, hazelnut tiramisu and chocolate souffle, Bruno said, as well as gelato. The extensive wine list focuses on Italian, French and California
bottles, he said, and the cocktail list offers intriguing specialty drinks ($14) like a strawberry balsamic Negroni and an “Empress 75” with indigohued Empress gin, prosecco and St. Germain liqueur.
Divina is open daily for breakfast (6 a.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. weekends) and then for dinner at 3 p.m. Lunch will start by the end of April, Bruno said, and the restaurant will also add weekend brunch in the coming weeks. The restaurant also offers outdoor sidewalk seating and private dining room options.