Divvy

I mentioned last week that I had the most fabulous girls' night at a terrific local restaurant. 




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Divvy in Carmel is meant for sharing and is quite an experience.  We ordered a couple dishes from each portion of the menu, which is exactly what I would recommend doing.  I was focused on enjoying the evening (rather than photographing) so please pardon the quick snaps I took.  Unfortunately, they just don't do the food justice.

For our first course we ordered from the toppers and cheese portion of the menu.  We enjoyed edamame hummus; roasted pepper artichoke spread; and black mission fig jam with bruleed brie, green apples, and toasty crostini (all of which I'd order again, especially the brie).

The second course included balsamic tomato bruschetta with pesto, onion, and feta (I'm not usually a huge bruschetta fan, but this was terrific!); shitake mushrooms with ginger soy, roasted red peppers and sesame seeds; fried pickles with horseradish sauce; and mac and cheese with panko breadcrumbs and bacon.  Everything was delish! The only adjustment I might make is to leave out the mac and cheese.  It is divine....and any mac and cheese lover should order it....I just didn't think it fit in with the small bite concept as well.

Bruschetta - so pretty!

And the food just kept coming....for the third course we enjoyed calamari with a chili mango sauce; grilled quail with maple bourbon sauce, cipollini onions and horseradish mustard (one of my favorite items of the evening); pork eggrolls with a Thai chili glaze; beef empanadas (not pictured because there wasn't room on the plate and I'm weird about my food touching); and corn crème brulee with jalapenos (which our server lovingly referred to as corn crack -- he wasn't far off!). 

Finally, we ended the night with a sweet little treat of beignets served with chocolate sauce, strawberry agave nectar, and butterscotch bourbon glaze. Heavenly.

There were several things I really enjoyed about this meal, aside from the really delicious food.  We were each able to choose something allowing for an interesting mix of items.  There were items I wouldn't have necessarily ordered on my own, but I still had an opportunity to try them and vice versa.  (I have to say, I'm grateful my friends humored me in ordering the quail when they've never before had it and I was thrilled they enjoyed it, too!  Next time I might have to order the pheasant, too!)

Although this was a hefty amount of food, with only eating little bites of it, and taking our time in between courses, we didn't feel too overly indulged.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the service.  It was very good.  As I said, this is the type of meal that is spread out, over the course of quite a bit of time, and the restaurant was hopping.  Never once did we feel rushed in either making a decision on what to order, or in finishing a course (even when we realized we were having such a great time that the restaurant had, in fact, closed a half hour before). 

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We were lucky enough to be seated in the savor booth in the bar.  It was comfortable and private...so private we didn't notice we were the only ones in the restaurant.  If you're in the area, I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy Divvy! 

Girls' Night Happiness!