IL DIVO......Translated As The Divine Performer.........

has a ways to go...........but very doable. What the restaurant was going for was a tribute to Rudolph Valentino. My husband wanted a “new” “hot” restaurant. My son found Il Divo on Eater. It was UES. Crystal chandeliers. White table cloth. Chef from Italy. Food got good reviews.

Figured we’d give it a shot. Arrived 9:15 for a 9:30. The restaurant was a corner storefront. The place was tiny. I think they said it sat 40. Maybe. The tables were tiny also and very close to each other. We rejected the first two tables so we had a drink at the bar while waiting for one of the better “twos” in the restaurant. I would call the bartender a professional. I think she was a mixologist. She made me a chocolate coffee martini which I had seen her send to another table. It was delicious but sooooo sweet it started my stomach turning half way through. My husband said she made him a great drink. Forgot to ask what. The crystal chandeliers were present. They were teeny. Most would fit into my little hands. They were almost silly looking. If they were trying to make a statement, it was “we have a lot of growing to do”. The restaurant was three weeks old that night. Some, not all, of the staff had the look of a deer in the headlights. Others had worked at some of the better restaurants in the city. And it showed. When we were seated, my husband ordered a good bottle of wine. (They did not have it.) The bread was hard and inedible. The breadsticks were good. They ran out of the focaccia by 10pm so I can’t tell you about that. (But if you want amazing bread, have dinner at Sant Ambrose on Madison.) We each ordered three courses. Mine were vongele clams sans pasta. They were excellent but there were nine of them. Each is a half bite. (Oh, and those nine were $24.) I had fresh egg spaghetti with tomatoes. Excellent. My beef with frois gras was tender and rare and it was served over very fattening and rich mashed potatoes. My husband ordered octopus which was good. Soft enough. Not tasty enough. His smoked eggplant was served cold and very unexpected. His third course was penne with three meat sauce. I said good. He said fair. For dessert we shared a fresh light creme caramel, not served in the traditional manner. It had a light fruity sauce and it was the perfect end to MY dinner. The service was good. Very attentive. I would return. My husband would not.