Chef of Forthcoming Divita's Project Pops Up at Heritage Fine Wines

It wasn't long ago that the new proprietors of the former Divita's space on Wilshire between Barrington Ave and Bundy Drive were shrouded in mystery. Paper on the walls of the longstanding pizza parlor held wine-related quotes and the note "Coming Soon: Your new local and independent restaurant and wine bar," signed "Vincent & Chase."

Well now the mystery is solved, as the owners are revealed to be not Entourage fanatics but chef Vincent Samarco and his wife Chase. While the duo preps their unnamed wine bar, chef Samarco will be popping up at Heritage Fine Wines on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 pm.

The pop-up, dubbled Le Cercle, offers a pretty expansive menu with dishes like fish and caper kebabs, prune and leek osso bucco, and a variety of mezze. When wine can be purchased at retail price without corkage fees, it's a fine opportunity to sample what the chef has to offer.

Reservations can be made here. Check out the full menu below:

Mise en bouche
Winter veggie with hummus

To start
Stuffed pepper
Roasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad
Barley and feta tabouleh
Baby spinach salad with dates and almonds
Roasted butternut squash, red onion, tahini and zaatar dressing
Fish and caper kebabs with burnt eggplant

To continue
Prunes and leek Ossobuco
Basmati, wild rice with chickpeas dry cherry and herbs
Eggplant chermoula with bulgur et yogurt

Intermission
Fattoush
Cheese from the Mediterranean 

The sweet finish
Chocolate Krantz cakes
Cardamom rice pudding with pistachios and rose water