In Calgary, there seems to be a new restaurant opening up every week. With all the buzz about the latest next-best-thing, I sometimes forget about long-standing favourites.
Fortunately, the oldies-but-goodies find new ways to lure back the regulars, as I discovered during a recent happy hour at Divino Wine & Cheese Bistro. The Stephen Avenue mainstay has launched a new happy hour program (Mon.-Fri. from 3-6 p.m.) that pairs a cellar gem with something delicious and cheesy.
For example, I sipped a crisp 2010 Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Riesling from Germany ($9) in between nibbles of a savoury “tart flambé” ($6) with caramelized onions (a kind of fancy share pizza).
“Choosing a new wine from the cellar each week to feature allows our customers to try a wine that they may never have considered,” says Brad Royale, wine director for Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts (CRMR), which owns Divino. “With this program, we want to offer a unique bottle of wine for a great price.”
Fear not, cocktail lovers. Divino also features a small but enticing cocktail list. Try the Kitten Belly ($14), a seasonal sip with Calvados, rose lemonade, apple drinking vinegars, lemon and egg white. Divine!