Happy Hour Report Card: Davanti Enoteca

By Nikki Buchanan Tue., Nov. 13 2012 at 1:00 PM

Categories: Buchanan, Happy Hour Deals

Continued from page 1

Courtesy of Davanti Enoteca

Clams, sausage, escarole, chiles

A bowl of fresh clams, swimming in broth and smothered in escarole and house-made sausage, redolent with fennel, was everything our served promised -- rich and aromatic, with just a hint of chile heat. This one was fabulous, and if we hadn't already mowed through the bruschetta, we probably would've asked for bread to mop up every last drop of the broth ($8).

We couldn't get quite as excited about a cold plate of tart white anchovies (milder and far less salty than the ones put on pizza), shaved celery, pecorino sardo (firm sheep's milk cheese) and lovely, grassy-tasting leccino olives. Nothing at all wrong with it, just not a favorite ($5). I generally love sheep's milk cheese but not this one. Oh well.

Courtesy of Davanti Enoteca

Davanti's burger

Since I've been on the happy hour beat, I've had a lot of great burgers, and now I'm adding Davanti's to my "best" list. Loved the smoky, juicy meat and the inspired toppings -- roasted tomato, bacon jam (yeah, Baby!), cheese curd, roasted garlic mayo and arugula. Good brioche bun and great shoestring fries too ($8).

If you're mentally locked in to happy hour prices, the Focaccia de Recco ($18), which isn't on the happy hour menu, may seem outrageous. But you shouldn't miss it. A specialty of Liguria, it's nothing like the thick, fluffy, bread-like focaccia we're used to but rather a thin, crispy cracker bread, filled with a layer of melted crescenza (aka stracchino, mild and creamy). Served with a tiny cube of sweet honeycomb to smear over the top, it's outrageous all right -- in a good way.

The Drink: Every beverage on the happy hour list -- which includes Davanti spritz, Daily Infusion (creative cocktail), clean, crisp Zonin Prosecco, Peroni beer and three wines (two of them red) -- is priced at five bucks. Gotta love that. This is, after all, the part of happy hour that makes us the most happy.

Conclusion: This is a terrific happy hour. Love the choices, the prices, the friendly service and the quality of the food and drink. Honestly, I can't wait to do it again.

Grade: A

Follow Chow Bella on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.