This entry is about D’Vine Bistro and Wine Bar in Chandler. I wish I was more competent with my word processor, because I’d like to divide the review into three columns: Very Successful, Adequate, and Giant Flop. I think it would mean more if you could see side-by-side comparisons, but you’ll just have to try and visualize it.
I’ll be nice and start with the Very Successful column. (1)The menu: it’s full of innovative selections. There are a number of Tapas, such as fried plantain cakes topped with grilled mango poke, seared pork belly, and a habanero vinaigrette ($8) and salmon cakes with chipotle molasses ($7). Many of the entrees come with interesting sides and sauces, for instance grilled pork tenderloin with a pan seared goat cheese polenta cake and roasted peppers, finished with a chipotle, espresso and raspberry BBQ sauce ($18). Which leads me to the Most Very Successful item of the evening. (2) Ken ordered one of the specials, a New Zealand farm-raised venison 2 rib chop with a juniper berry marinade, accompanied by spinach and roasted potato hash and the raspberry espresso BBQ sauce. Given how far the deer had to travel, the $32 price tag didn’t seem too unreasonable. The chop was truly superb, moist and flavorful but not gamey. The sauce suited it perfectly. (3): portion sizes were quite generous. And (4): White anchovies were featured in several of the dishes. That’s it for the Very Successful.
On to Adequate. (1) The ambience is pleasant, if somewhat noisy. There’s a bar, with a television above it, high top tables, and those of regular height. The paintings on the wall are for-sale originals, some good, some not-so. There is a patio (this will also appear in the Giant Flop column). (2); Our dessert selection of chocolate mousse cake was “corporate food”, not made in-house, and nothing special, but certainly both edible and size-able. The coffee fell in this column, too. (3) The nicoise salad ($12) ordered by our friend Sena came with seared Ahi tuna rather than the canned variety packed in olive oil. This would have put it in the Very Successful category for me, but Sena likes the more traditional canned tuna.
OK. Here’s the column you’ve probably been waiting for: Giant Flops. I’ll start with (1) the above mentioned patio. The misters were on and it felt like London on a foggy morning. When we asked that they be turned off, nobody warned us that we would get dripped on, and our drinks would get dripped in. We soggily moved inside. (2) Sangria shouldn’t be offered unless the proper ingredients are available. The white sangria ($5 at happy hour) given to us had a few slices of lemon in a poor quality wine. When we told our waitress that it was unacceptable she brought us a little carafe of “berry juice” to add to it. This made it even worse. (3) Nobody should ever put slices of cucumber in drinking water. While it may look stylish, after about 5 minutes it tastes really strange, and after 15 it’s horrible. Imagine drinking it while eating chocolate mousse cake!! (4) My entree. I ordered one of the specials - fried chicken marinated in buttermilk, served with gouda mac & cheese, sauteed vegetables and a rainbow peppercorn gravy ($18).
I asked for all dark meat, and my plate arrived with two huge chicken legs. I thought the coating was good, although the crispness of the coating was quickly lost to the gravy. The first few bites were quite good, the chicken was moist, with a pleasant taste. But then I noticed how pink the chicken meat was getting as I got closer to the bone, and it was actually almost raw in the center. The second leg, which I had given to Ken was somewhat smaller, and he said it was adequately cooked. The mac & cheese, if it had a flavor, was drowned out by the gravy which was cough-inducingly peppery. The sauteed vegetables consisted of a few strands of bell peppers.
When our bill arrived, $6 had been deducted from the price of my entree, and we had not been charged for the sangria (which we had not drunk). As we were leaving the restaurant a woman whom I assume is the manager asked how our meal was. I politely listed some of our complaints and she seemed genuinely upset and was quite apologetic. While we were getting into the car she came out to the parking lot and gave us a gift certificate to use if we’d give D’Vine a second chance. Because of the items in the Very Successful column, I think we will. It’s not every place that has pork belly, white anchovies and venison.
D’Vine Bistro and Wine Bar
3990 S. Alma School Rd. (at Ocotillo) Chandler
480-782-5550
dvinewine101.com
Monday - Thursday 11 - 10, Friday and Saturday 11 - 10:30, Sunday 4 - 9
I eat lunch at D'Vine about once a week, and the food and service are great every time. They have great lunch specials at $6.99, with quality and interesting entrees.
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