Divino lunch

Timballo
Papardelle with beef and red wine sauce
Chicken Parmigiana
Cannoli

For Our Protagonist, who doesn't like eggplant (except in baba ganouj), the Timballo was an eye-opening experience.  Described as a "pie of zuchini, eggplant, and mozzarella", he wasn't sure if it would be in a crust or not, having never tried such a dish before.  As it turned out, the only crust was the crispy skin of the zucchini which had a wonderful flavor.  The eggplant had a nice tenderness, and didn't taste the horribleness that had always associated with eggplant.  Even eggplants frying with parmesan could make Our Protagonist run from a room screaming just from the very smell.  On the contrary, he thought this was very good; imagine if he actually liked eggplant!  Homemade papardelle was very tender, with chunks of braised beef (also tender) in a lovely sauce.  It made one think of what beef stroganoff would purpose to taste like if only it could lose the awful accompaniment of sour cream, that catchall to add "flavor" when none is to be found, otherwise.  Simply, it was comfort food at its finest; was it the best dish ever?  No.  But was it excuted well?  Certainly.  The few bites shared of another's chicken parmigiana proved a nice experience as well.  This tired-old recipe really sang in the hands of the chef, as it was nicely spiced, not over breaded, and the chicken wasn't overdone!  The server assured that the cannoli were made from scratch, and a lovely thing they were, too.  The ricotta cheese filling had just the right amount of sweetness without being cloying, and the shells had delightful crispness.  This reminded Our Protagonist why he was so sad that Ben & Jerry's "Holy Cannoli" ice cream flavor had been retired; now he'll have to get some to cannoli shells to go and see if he can't crumble them into some sweet ricotta gelato...

Divino Restaurant & Bar
1766 Main Street
Sarasota FL 34236
941-330-9393