Opera

[awbrig]

Hi Ed,

Could you please tell me more about your involvement with Opera in Chicago...I read that Arun Sampanthavivat is involved - I am a huge fan of his!

Thanks!

Edited December 4, 2002 by awbrig (log)

[Suvir Saran]

Hi Ed,

Could you please tell me more about your involvement with Opera in Chicago...I read that Arun Sampanthavivat is involved - I am a huge fan of his!

Thanks!

And rumor has it that Arun is a fan of Ed.

Speak up Ed. Tell us about Opera. Please.

[eatingwitheddie]

Hi Ed,

Could you please tell me more about your involvement with Opera in Chicago...I read that Arun Sampanthavivat is involved - I am a huge fan of his!

Thanks!

ABOUT OPERA RESTAURANT

Last month, Opera, a new contemporary Chinese-inspired restaurant, opened in the South Loop, Chicago's newest about to be trendy neighborhood. Created by the increasingly influential and unusally imaginative restaurateur, Jerry Kleiner, Opera features the cooking of Chef Paul Wildermuth. For a number of years Paul has been the executive chef at Red Light on W. Randolph, another of Mr. Kleiner's creations, and one of the busiest addresses in town.

A few years ago Arun was brought on board at Red Light to help oversee the food program. In fact, his role has been as a kind of 'consiglieri' to Mr. Wildermuth, the chef.

He continues in this capacity with Mr. Wildermuth at Opera, and has also started working with well known Chicago chef Jackie Shen, who has taken over the kitchen at Red Light. By the way, Red Light was recently awarded 3 stars by the Chicago food press.

Arun has been working with me as well. I was hired by Mr. Kleiner to collaborate with Mr. Sampathaviat and Mr. Wildermuth on Opera's menu. In October I spent a couple of weeks developing recipes and helping to define the restaurant's food propram.

While in Chicago, I had some fantastic experiences with Arun, aside from Opera, when he invited me to two different tastings at his restaurant.

The first tasting found Arun and I sitting together in his dining room at dinnertime with his other guests. The kitchen sent out a parade of sequenced tastes, perhaps as many as 25 different Thai flavors, while Arun gave me a running commentary, explaining each item and what tastes to look for and what sequence they might come in and what he was trying to achieve in each instance. For me this was a magical kind of night.

A few days later Paul and I were invited to Arun's Restaurant for a lunchtime tasting of Chinese food. This time Arun was cooking himself - his brother and the kitchen staff had cooked our dinner. He made us very regular and classic Chinese dishes: chow fun noodles, fried rice, chow mein noodles, wonton soup, spicy chicken, lobster Cantonese. Yet each recipe was executed with a little twist, a showcase for Arun's own personal style and culinary point of view. The food was the best. Eye opening in his way of layering flavors and freshness.

In any event try Opera if you're in town. It's still evolving and it's starting from a very good place.

PS: I don't know if you're familiar with Jerry Kleiner's work, but it is really special. Each of his restaurants, he owns Marche and Giocco as well, is a unique artistic vision, typically characterized by warmth, color, exuburance, funk and casual sophistication. Mr . Kleiner personally imagines, designs, and then manufactures every element of his restaurant's interiors. Chairs, lights, curtains, stairs, hardward - Mr. Kleiner has designed and then made it all. Art work, collages, painted floors and ceiling - all done at Mr. Kleiner direction. Pretty cool stuff. ART! And Opera may be his best work to date. Which would mean it's fabuous. And yes Jerry Kleiner is my friend and client, but it doesn't matter. It's true!

[eatingwitheddie]

Hi Ed,

Could you please tell me more about your involvement with Opera in Chicago...I read that Arun Sampanthavivat is involved - I am a huge fan of his!

Thanks!

ABOUT OPERA RESTAURANT

Last month, Opera, a new contemporary Chinese-inspired restaurant, opened in the South Loop, Chicago's newest about to be trendy neighborhood. Created by the increasingly influential and unusally imaginative restaurateur, Jerry Kleiner, Opera features the cooking of Chef Paul Wildermuth. For a number of years Paul has been the executive chef at Red Light on W. Randolph, another of Mr. Kleiner's creations, and one of the busiest addresses in town.

A few years ago Arun was brought on board at Red Light to help oversee the food program. In fact, his role has been as a kind of 'consiglieri' to Mr. Wildermuth, the chef.

He continues in this capacity with Mr. Wildermuth at Opera, and has also started working with well known Chicago chef Jackie Shen, who has taken over the kitchen at Red Light. By the way, Red Light was recently awarded 3 stars by the Chicago food press.

Arun has been working with me as well. I was hired by Mr. Kleiner to collaborate with Mr. Sampathaviat and Mr. Wildermuth on Opera's menu. In October I spent a couple of weeks developing recipes and helping to define the restaurant's food propram.

While in Chicago, I had some fantastic experiences with Arun, aside from Opera, when he invited me to two different tastings at his restaurant.

The first tasting found Arun and I sitting together in his dining room at dinnertime with his other guests. The kitchen sent out a parade of sequenced tastes, perhaps as many as 25 different Thai flavors, while Arun gave me a running commentary, explaining each item and what tastes to look for and what sequence they might come in and what he was trying to achieve in each instance. For me this was a magical kind of night.

A few days later Paul and I were invited to Arun's Restaurant for a lunchtime tasting of Chinese food. This time Arun was cooking himself - his brother and the kitchen staff had cooked our dinner. He made us very regular and classic Chinese dishes: chow fun noodles, fried rice, chow mein noodles, wonton soup, spicy chicken, lobster Cantonese. Yet each recipe was executed with a little twist, a showcase for Arun's own personal style and culinary point of view. The food was the best. Eye opening in his way of layering flavors and freshness.

In any event try Opera if you're in town. It's still evolving and it's starting from a very good place.

PS: I don't know if you're familiar with Jerry Kleiner's work, but it is really special. Each of his restaurants, he owns Marche and Giocco as well, is a unique artistic vision, typically characterized by warmth, color, exuburance, funk and casual sophistication. Mr . Kleiner personally imagines, designs, and then manufactures every element of his restaurant's interiors. Chairs, lights, curtains, stairs, hardward - Mr. Kleiner has designed and then made it all. Art work, collages, painted floors and ceiling - all done at Mr. Kleiner direction. Pretty cool stuff. ART! And Opera may be his best work to date. Which would mean it's fabuous. And yes Jerry Kleiner is my friend and client, but it doesn't matter. It's true!

[Lady T]

On the strength of this thread, I'm going to find an evening soon to get down to Opera -- any Chicagoan/out-of-town eGulleteers want to come along?

[eatingwitheddie]

On the strength of this thread, I'm going to find an evening soon to get down to Opera -- any Chicagoan/out-of-town eGulleteers want to come along?

I haven't been there since opening night but I hear that things are going well. Please remember that the restauranti s still in its shake down period. I'd be interested in getting your feedback. By the way I hear that the 2 daily papers will review the restaurant in the next week or so: word has it that they will get 2 1/2 stars. And if you don't get there soon tell me, because I plan to return to town later this month. Perhaps we could go together.

Like Mr. Kleiner's other restaurants I'm sure they will keep working on Opera and it will improve with age.

Ed

[Lady T]

Thank you kindly! The current thinking seems to be that the period through the end of December is far too fraught with shopping/social engagements/high-calorie holiday binges/bill paying to do this in the next 3 weeks, and that early January is going to be much better. If there's any possible chance that this could be made to work out with your schedule, we'd all be delighted.