Boston - March 29, 2006

Big Softie

Diva Lounge Opens

Too often, a pretty face means a lot of attitude. With people, sure, but just as frequently with bars and restaurants.

Not so, Diva Lounge. Despite its self-aggrandizing name, the swanky, just-completed joint is pulling out the softer side of high design.

Abutting Somerville’s always packed Diva Indian Restaurant, the newcomer is the work of the good folks behind Mantra, Kashmir, and Bukhara. Its kitchen doles out what can only be called Indian fusion tapas — amritsari fish with garlic-chive aioli, minted scallops in saffron sauce, and minced lamb naan — while the bar pours liquids like the Karma Sutra (sic) — an ice-cold, cardamom-laced elixir.

But the real spotlight is on the design: Illuminated white panels line the walls and dip down from the otherworldly ceiling, while curvilinear wooden benches and amber light still keep the room feeling as down to earth as the rest of funky Davis Square.

All in all, it feels very much like you’re having a drink inside a marshmallow.

And really, you can’t get much softer than that.

Diva Lounge, 246 Elm Street, Somerville (617-629-4963).