Divino Ristorante Review, Belmont

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Divino Ristorante

968 Ralston Ave (Near Sixth Ave)

Belmont, CA 94002

650-620-9102

650-620-9103 (Fax)

Divino Ristorante Website

Book Reservation

Divino Ristorante Belmont Exterior

Restaurant.com sells discounted Certificates for this restaurant.

Divino Ristorante, opened in 2006, is run by Chef Vincenzo Cucco who previously ran Bacco in San Francisco. They focus on Italian cuisine and make home made pastas. In 2012 they added a full bar by the main entrance as well as a wine room.

Divino Ristorante Belmont Interior

Decor, Vibe – Divino features decorative lighting sconces and lots of art throughout the two rooms. Most folks were in the 40’s and 50’s range. Place was about 60% full when we went. This restaurant is more of a local’s place than a destination restaurant.

Divino Menu (Click to zoom into any picture)

Website Divino Menu

Divino Picks:

Divino Ristorante Belmont Papardelle

Papardelle AL Cinghiale ($17) was a special. Homemade large noodles with wild boar sauce was the best pasta of the night. Lots of chopped up boar with their home made papardelle egg based pasta.

Divino Ristorante Belmont Salumi

Salumi Parma Prosciutto, Salame Gentile, spek, Castelvetrano Olives ($12.50) is a nice appetizer with some nicely done deli meats in reasonable quantities.

Divino Ristorante Belmont Gnocchi

Gnocchi Homemade Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Fresh Mozzarella ($16.50) is clearly homemade and a must order for fans of this dish. Tender, fluffy balls of wonder in a nice tomato sauce.

Divino Ristorante Belmont Spaghetti

Spaghetti con polpetta toscane –  Spaghetti with slowly braised Tuscan style meatballs and tomato sauce ($15.50) eggless noodles with a very nice meat sauce. Not very al dente though.

Divino Ristorante Belmont Tomato Eggplant Mozzarella salad

Torre ($9) Heirloom Tomatoes, Grilled Eggplant and Fresh Mozzarella Tower made for a decent salad. Lots of cheese, lots of eggplant, drizzled olive oil, and 2 kinds of tomatoes.

Gelati e Sorbetti……Assorted Artisinal Gelatos and Sorbets was a berry and fruit version on our visit. Liberal quantity and it tasted homemade.

OK:

Brasto DI Bue Con Gnocchi ($24) Braised Boneless Short Ribs Served with Potato Gnocchi had a big short rib that still had its bone! The meat was on the dry side, requiring the sauce to be passable. The gnocchi was plentiful and very good. Stick to the pasta.

Sfogliatina Di Mele Con Gelato DI Vaniglia E Salsa DI Caramello ($7.50) Puff Pastry Apple Tart with Vanilla Gelato and Caramel Sauce took about 10 minutes to cook. The tart was very large and the caramel sauce made it really sweet. Vanilla gelato was fine.

Agnello ($27.50) Grilled Lamb Chops with Mint and Almond Pesto had 4 small chops cooked to a slightly overdone medium rare. Heavy charcoal grill flavor, making it hard to taste the meat, so don’t get this if you aren’t a carbon fan. The potatoes and beans were good.

Pans:
None

Divino Ristorante had decent service with no worries about refills or help. The waiter was typical, but not extremely knowledgeable. This restaurant serves up decent Italian food, especially pastas. Meat does not seem to be their strong suit. There are plenty of nearby Italian restaurants, but this place is right up there with them.

You’ll have to travel to San Francisco for better Italian Restaurants. They may have a problem with Opentable as it looked full for a particular time slot online, but a phone call indicated otherwise. Other San Francisco peninsula Italian restaurant recommendations include Osteria Coppa in San Mateo, and Donato Enoteca in Redwood City.
Wine by the glass from $8, bottles from $31, $18 corkage, moderate markup.

Divino on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Map:


Divino Ristorante Overall Rating: (Good 2)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Very Good)
Service Rating: (Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Good)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Full Bar
Attire:Casual
Hours:Tu - Fri 11:30am - 2pm, Tu - Sat 5:30 - 9:30pm, Su 5 - 9pm
Parking:Street
Reservations:Yes
Prices:15.75 - $24

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2 Comments

  • KK
    September 15, 2009 at 7:43 pm

    The spaghettini con vongole is also very good, as are the salumi platter, the meatballs being excellent (as an appetizer or with pasta), as well as the bread stick (grissini) that are served with the salumi platter. Try to finish the meal off with the affogato, which I think is a better choice than the apple tart (I agree is too sweet)

  • $25 Restaurant Certificate with BIG Discount from Restaurant.com, Coupon Code | Foodnut.com
    March 29, 2010 at 8:06 am

    […] restaurants include: Bistro Luneta, Ceviche Taqueria, Dali Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Divino,  Espetus Churrascaria, Melting Pot, Oola, Red Lantern, Red Lotus, Tannourine, Zen […]

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