Going to Opera

[Lady T]

Granted, there was a lot of gasping and moaning going on during the hot course...but that wasn't the reason!

[awbrig]

Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and wife Heather Locklear dined at Opera last Friday and were cooked for by Chef Paul Wildermuth...

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sneed/cst-n...ws-sneed04.html

[tommy]

Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and wife Heather Locklear dined at Opera last Friday and were cooked for by Chef Paul Wildermuth...

fran drescher and rosie o'donnell dined at Union Pacific yesterday and were stared at by tommy. so there.

[maggiethecat]

Did you check out the first page of the travel section of the Sunday NYT ?

Both Opera and Kleiner's other joint, Red Light, got favorable reviews. Wha hoo!

(They read eGullet.)

[guajolote]

Good article. I love Red Light.

Link to Article

[NeroW]

My mom and sister are coming into the city tonight.

My mom wants to eat here. Again.

I hope she doesn't change her mind.

[maggiethecat]

My mom and sister are coming into the city tonight.

My mom wants to eat here.  Again.

I hope she doesn't change her mind.

Nero: Did you make this happen? Did you have the duck? Did you get one of the "private dining nooks?"---aren't they pretty?

Tell.

[NeroW]

My mom and sister are coming into the city tonight.

My mom wants to eat here.  Again.

I hope she doesn't change her mind.

Nero: Did you make this happen? Did you have the duck? Did you get one of the "private dining nooks?"---aren't they pretty?

Tell.

No, we didn't get one of the private dining nooks. Boy, were they ever cute, though!

Opera was just on the edge of too-trendy for me. There was a photo shoot going on by the bathrooms, for the love of Pete. BUT! The food . . . excellent.

It was my mother, Fritz Brenner, our uncle, and me. We had:

Pork and Ginger Dumplings

Maine Lobster Springrolls

Some kind of Celery Curry soup with Shaved Scallops

Eight Immortal Squid (or whatever it's called, I didn't take notes) served with 2 dipping sauces and 5-spice

Peking Duck Three Ways

Kung Pao Beef

Pork Lo Mein (I think)--in some kind of mustard-y sauce

and Fritz had the special, a halibut and morel dish served on a big-ass wonton

Sorry these aren't very accurate. I just reread them, and boy, do I sound like an idiot!

I looked for a website to get exact dish names, but I couldn't find one. Suffice it to say we were all very, very pleased with the meal, and the next time someone wants to take me on a date (hint, hint), I'd like to go back.

[Lady T]

Fresser...paging Fresser...hungry lady on the Opera thread...

[Fritz Brenner]

I don't have anything of intelligence to add to Nero's post, but I want to say that I thoroughly (!!) enjoyed this meal. We had two servers for our small party, which I thought was nice. One took care of drinks (suggesting cocktails, wines) and refilling water glasses, the other focused a bit more on food-- explaining the menu, taking food orders...

I didn't find the decor over the top, like Nero did. I thought it worked well with the food they serve.

Our table was quite close to the chef and cooks. Sis and I enjoyed seeing the action, but I'm sure a private room would've been a nice (albeit different) experience as well.

So yes... going back would be great.

Has anyone been to Gioco, across the street? Same owner....

**Fritz

[ronnie_suburban]

I had a fantastic meal at Opera last Saturday night. All in all, I sampled 13 items (4 mains, 4 apps, 2 sides and 3 desserts) and everything was great. Ok, ok...a few of the items were better than the others and really stood out for me.

Whole, Fried Red Snapper (Hunan Crisp) with Black Mushroom-Winter Bamboo Sauce (main)

Unfriggingbelievable. The presentation is legendary and that's the least of it. The whole fish is brought to the table, posed upright on the plate as if it's swimming across it. But wait, this fish isn't moving and it's g-b and d (golden-brown and delicious--a great Altonism)! The flesh was flavorful, moist and tender. The skin was firm, crispy and totally irresistible. This was my favorite item of the night. May I have another please?

Peking Duck Service (main)

Duck served 3 ways--each one better than the last--as far as the order in which I sampled them. The first preparation was a crispy roasted duck leg quarter served in a sweet (apple?, quince?) sauce with plump golden raisins. It was very nice even though I am not a huge fan of meat with sweet sauces. The second preparation was very mu-shu like. Again, crispy roasted duck, this time strips of breast meat served with Chinese-style pancakes, plum sauce, Asian-style mustard and chopped scallions. I loved this take on the duck too and it was fun making the stuffed pancake I eventually gulped down. But surprisingly, my favorite version of the ‘service’ was the third…a noodle dish. The noodles were wide, flat and thick; very similar to what you’d find in the Thai dish Paad See-Iew. The flavors of this dish were intoxicating. Spicy, sweet and rich, this take on the duck blew away the other two IMO. Again, I’m not really a big fan of noodles which is why I was so struck by it.

Opera’s Beef Broccoli (main)

There’s been a lot of discussion about this dish recently. At the last minute I bailed out of my original plan (to order another noodle dish which I decided would be overkill) and ordered this instead. I have mixed feelings about this dish because I wish I’d been more adventurous with my order yet it was an interesting and memorable take on it. It was a beautiful, whole, black pepper encrusted, filet mignon served atop a bed of chinese broccoli and paper-thin cross-sections of mushroom. The sauce, described as a Cognac-Soy butter sauce on the menu, was great; toasty and caramelized but not too sweet and with a strong after note of cognac. When it arrived, I got the feeling that this was the ‘safe’ item on the menu. Yet, everyone in our group who tried it, liked it a lot. The elements of this dish which made it ‘original’ seemed to carry it away from the underlying theme of the restaurant as a whole. It was very fine, but ordering this dish may have been a missed bet on my part.

Steamed Manila Clams with Chinese Sausage and Garlic-Shao Xing Wine Broth (app)

The clams were delicious and tender but the sauce was the thing. It was so good I was longing for a pile of rice or hunk of bread to sop it all up. Hell, even a straw would have been okay.

Morel Wonton (app, from the Vegan menu)

Also fantastic, these were stuffed w/ Morels and possibly some other ingredient (it’s all a fog now), then fried until g-b&d and served with a small salad of asparagus sprouts which were dressed in a sesame and chile vinaigrette.

Lobster and Pork Shu Mai with Roast Chili Pesto, Scallion Ginger Sauce (app)

A great combo of flavors--especially when dipped in the accompanying pool of chili pesto which also tasted strongly of corriander. The sauce was also dotted with black and white sesame seeds. Upon first glance, I thought it might possibly be a kiwi sauce, but it absolutely wasn't . I was absolutely delighted when my wife couldn't finish the last one and asked me to help her out with it.

We had 2 wines. With the appetizers, it was a half bottle of Schramsburg sparkling (don’t remember if it was a specific vintage or not). I liked it but it was eventually trumped by the other bottle we ordered. That wine, which we had with the mains, was a Gewurztraminer, Barmes Buecher Witzenheim 1998. It was a great choice, made by my friend whose wine knowledge is universes beyond mine. Because it was appropriately sweet and distinctively acidic, it allowed the food to shine without being a ‘background’ beverage and thus greatly enhanced the meal.

The made-on-premises ice creams were great. We tried a trio of flavors…coconut, peanut butter and chocolate. Wow! Rich, refreshing and astoundingly accurate representations of their given flavors. The crème brulee was delightful and featured a wonderfully wrought ‘crust’ that resembled a round piece of amber glass. It crunched in the mouth and fulfilled. We also sampled the freshly-made donuts which were filled with both a tart lemon cream and a brightly-flavored berry sauce. Alongside the donuts was served (in a cute little demitasse) a “Coffee Chocolate Mousse” which was my favorite sweet of the evening. The texture was more of a ganache than a mousse. As full as I was, it was hard to stop snarfing it down. When I got to the point just before explosion, I managed to force the spoon out of my hand. I was probably less a minute away from my companions launching an intervention at that point.

The service was great. Our server was a bit soft-spoken but knowledgeable and intuitive. As others have mentioned, the room is cool, interesting and hip. I loved the light fixtures--they looked like illuminated panels taken from the Partridge Family’s bus. The kitchen is open which also gives a great feel to the space and adds some drama to the dining experience. There are also few private alcoves off the main room toward the back of the restaurant. Within each alcove, from what I could tell, were two tables for two. My understanding is that these rooms were originally vaults where sheet music was stored (and I’m also pretty sure the space where Opera is located was originally a storage building used by the Opera). These alcoves would probably be a perfect setting for ‘romantic’ dinners on the right occasion for those who are so inclined. We, on the other hand, were there for the food. It was a love affair in many ways, I’m just not sure I would describe it as a romantic one.

=R=

Opera

1301 S. Wabash Avenue

Chicago, IL

312-461-0161

Edited February 9, 2004 by ronnie_suburban (log)

[Lady T]

Makin' it real as always, Ronnie -- beautiful report!

It's good to hear Opera's menu is developing and evolving.

[Aurora]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ronnie. Opera holds a warm spot in the heart of eGullet Chicago.

Lady T, Mags, please refresh my memory. We had a fish dish that was too spicy even for us. Was that the whole red snapper. Whatever it was, it was good, but POTENT!

Perhaps we should try Gioco?

[Alex]

Thanks for a wonderful report, Ronnie. Opera's now officially on the list for my next Chicago visit (especially now that I have that $25 gift certificate).

As full as I was, it was hard to stop snarfing it down. When I got to the point just before explosion, I managed to force the spoon out of my hand. I was probably less a minute away from my companions launching an intervention at that point.

Should we just call you Mr. Creosote?

[Lady T]

Lady T, Mags, please refresh my memory. We had a fish dish that was too spicy even for us. Was that the whole red snapper. Whatever it was, it was good, but POTENT!

Perhaps we should try Gioco?

The snapper was a hot one; so was the tofu. By my recollection, though, the 'dear GOD that's hot!!' item was the kon pao beef. I still relish remembering how much Mags loved it, even so.

Gioco? I'm listening. When, do we think?

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks for a wonderful report, Ronnie. Opera's now officially on the list for my next Chicago visit (especially now that I have that $25 gift certificate).

As full as I was, it was hard to stop snarfing it down. When I got to the point just before explosion, I managed to force the spoon out of my hand. I was probably less a minute away from my companions launching an intervention at that point.

Should we just call you Mr. Creosote?

=R=

[NeroW]

Let's go. I've got that gift certificate too. Opera was in "New City" as one of Chicago's essential 100 restaurants ( ) and they did a feature on the Chef.