Menu Preview at Opal Divine\’s

Full Disclosure: I recently attended a complimentary tasting at Opal Divine\’s Davenport. All opinions are my own.

I recall my first visit to Opal Divine\’s on West 6th street about 10-12 years ago. I sat on the patio with the misters cooling us off while sipping a margarita. Did you know that Opal Divine\’s made there margaritas with agave nectar way before the \”skinny\” margarita was a thing? While the 6th street location is no more there are 3 locations spread over Austin. The first Opal Divine\’s opened their door 14 years ago. The owner named the restaurant after his grandmother\’s name.  The Davenport location boasts 43 taps of which 80% are local. The Pinky Friedman remains one of their most popular cocktails and their tasty margarita are a happy hour favorite. The Scotch selection is the most extensive I have seen and both the whiskey & tequila selections are incredible too. All three Opal Divine\’s have a dog friendly patio and there is a secret pup menu. 

I recently joined a small group of food writers and the owner Michael Parker for a preview of new menu items at the Davenport location. Michael is a phenomenal host and we enjoyed his company as much as we enjoyed the food and refreshing cocktails. We started our meal with creamy salmon dip with delicious hummus served with house-made grilled pita chips, carrots and celery. Recommended drink pairing is the Divine Paloma, Live Oak Pilz or the (512) WIT.

The house specialities included the savory pork ribs and the stacked cheesy polenta fries. I couldn\’t get enough of those lightly crisp polenta fries served in a pool of rich gorgonzola cheese. 

The tender perfectly seasoned pork ribs were grilled to perfection. Recommended pairing includes Independence Bootlegger and the Old Fashioned with H & M bourbon.

Opal Divine\’s wedge salad has a special ingredient, pork belly! Genius right?! The wedge salad is sprinkled with fresh diced tomatoes, decedent pork belly bits and creamy gorgonzola crumbles. Recommended pairing includes the Snap Dragon, Live Oak Hefe, Real Ale Devil\’s Backbone or the Divine Peach Lemonade.

While the tacos are not new to the menu the ability to mix and match them is. You now don\’t have to decide between the Baja fish, the pork brisket and the Zihuatanjeo shrimp tacos but instead get one of each! The crowd favorite was the pork brisket but my favorite was the Baja fish with blackened mahi, shredded cabbage and a delightful jalapeno cream sauce on corn tortilla. Recommended pairings include Tamaulipas Rita, Twisted X Fuego Pilsner and Little Bull Shots with 512 Blanco served with a refreshing sangrita chaser.

Off the Char Grilled menu we sampled the billy goat burger, Cuban Sandwich and the chicken cordon bleu sandwich. The billy goat burger was my absolute favorite from the char grilled menu. This flavorful burger has creamy goat cheese, slices of vine ripe tomatoes, arugula and topped with an incredible bacon onion jam on a whole wheat bun. 

The crowd favorite was the decedent Cuban sandwich with ham, pulled pork with Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on a pressed Amorosa roll. The chicken cordon bleu was also tasty with all natural grilled chicken, ham, Swiss cheese with a light Chardonnay dijon mustard.

Opal Divine\’s knows how to take care of a sweet tooth! They make these fabulous banana Nutella chimichangas served with vanilla ice cream and Nutella caramel sauce. They also serve locally made Sweet M desserts like the strawberry and old-fashion cheesecake.