Dine out, takeout often go together at DiVine

Skinny people have fat appetites, too.

"We have a group of people who eat here twice a day, every day," says DiVine Cafe owner Pam Howatt.

"One of the ladies is a very trim, lovely young lady and she eats the red velvet waffle and the creme brulee French toast at least once a day. I always tease her that I gain 10 pounds just walking by her table."

That doesn't even take into account their "big-ass breakfast burrito."

Colorful dishes -- and you can include the "big-ass roast beef hoagie, "the "rigatoni ala vodka" and handmade potato chips among them as well -- have beckoned from the menu of the DiVine Cafe at 6380 S. Valley View Blvd. since its mid-July opening, serving breakfast and lunch.

"Our cafe menu features a lot of our catering options as well as fresh, new options," says Pam's daughter, Cassie Howatt, whose title of creative director applies to both DiVine Events, the pair's catering company, and its new restaurant offshoot. "But the day-to-day business is a completely different facet compared to the off-premise company."

Culinary synergy between the two comes from executive chef David Lani, supervising the same kitchen for both enterprises.

"We kind of hesitated to open the cafe because we had not been restaurant owners before, we'd just been caterers and had menus we worked out of," Pam Howatt says.

"But we're attracting new customers. We're in an industrial area here, just a block north of Sunset. Our offices have been here for two years and there's no place to eat except one deli within a two-mile radius. We're right next to the Homeland Security office and the air marshals frequent us daily."

That industrial feel also inspired the DiVine's decor, which Cassie Howatt infused with a distinctive style. "It's kind of an industrial farmhouse with a slightly modern twist," she says. "We showcase local art as well on the walls, which in this area is kind of unheard of."

Beyond its regular service, DiVine Cafe also features an event element with its "secret dinner club," for which patrons purchase $35-$40 tickets for themed meals once a month. "The chef just goes crazy -- last month it was pumpkin, so everything had a wonderful pumpkin flavoring, and people are still talking about it," Pam Howatt says.

"The cafe has a whole different feel at night, we've got great lighting and it turns into a warm glow feel."

Ultimately, though, what people talk about are those "big-ass" portions. Says Pam: "Takeout boxes are a big part of our service."

DiVine Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.

Specialties: creme brulee French toast, $6.50; red velvet Belgian waffles, $7.25; Big-ass breakfast burrito, $8.75

Appetizers: sweet potato tater tots, $4.25; DiVine chips, $1.25; chipotle mashed potatoes, $4.25

Soups and salads: turkey taco salad, $7.75; cranberry chicken salad, $6.75; house-made chicken noodle soup, $3.25 and $4.75

Entrees: turkey meatloaf, $8.75; grilled wahoo tacos, $7.50; rigatoni ala vodka, $9

Desserts: Holy cow cake, $2.50; seasonal fresh-baked cookies, $1.25; seasonal fresh-baked muffins, $1.25

Information: 893-6444.

By STEVE BORNFELD