Opera
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 461-0161
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- 13th Street
- Directions:
- El: Red Line to Roosevelt
- Hours:
- Mon-Wed 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-10pm, Thu 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-11pm , Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-12am, Sat 5pm-12am, Sun 5pm-10pm
Editorial Review for Opera – by Citysearch Editors
The Scene
Restaurateur Jerry Kleiner strikes again with this wild Asian dining room, where touches like red silk light fixtures and velvet curtains blend with graffiti-sprayed walls and distressed paint for a gritty, South Loop-chic feel. The crowd is mostly local hipsters from the neighborhood.
The Food
Fans of Chef Paul Wildermuth's fun Asian fare at Red Light will dig the menu here, which boasts the same Far Eastern influence, creative presentation and, for the most part, delicious results. Like crispy prawns, crusted with almonds and hiding under greens in a sweet-and-sour blood orange sauce; lobster Cantonese, served in the shell with a fragrant, curry-scented lobster sauce; and kung pao beef, tender chunks of N.Y. strip plated simply with broccoli in a super-hot chili-garlic black bean sauce. The perfect cool off? Tao of Chocolate dessert, with white chocolate ice cream and milk chocolate sticks side-by-side with flourless chocolate cake.
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Insider Tips
Where to SitThree sexy, semi-private vaults (tables 142-147) seat four apiece; there's also a private dining room hidden behind an eight-foot by six-foot foot oil painting that accommodates up to 12.
Save MoneyGoing to a show? Show the parking valet your ticket and get free parking, plus a free chef's choice appetizer. The offer is valid 5:30pm-7:30pm nightly; be sure to mention the offer when you make your reservation.
ParkingValet your car for $9.
When to GoVisit Sundays and Thursdays for a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $28.95.
User Reviews for Opera
03/31/2008 Posted by daw1999
Opera has a nice atmosphere but that is about it. The food is expensive and average and the service was incredibly slow. Ten minutes after we finished our apetizers the waitress came to take our main course order. My check for two (with tip) was $260 - this is partly due to the fact that we had to order two bottles of wine (what else are you going to do when the wait staff ignores you). We sat in one of the vaults - which sounds charming but is a bad idea; the vaults hide you from the only part of the experience that is worthwhile... the colorful interior. My advice - save yourself a few bucks and order Chinalite. Opera is an overpriced, average restaurant, with inadequate service.
Pros: Atmosphere
Cons: Food, price, and service
03/24/2008 Posted by ahkitekt
My wife and I stopped in on a Tuesday night for dinner after wanting to try Opera for quite a while. We were pleasantly surprised to find they have a dinner special on Tuesday nights which includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert for one fixed low price. From start to finish our service was wonderful. The Maine Lobster and pork sui mai was very tasty and the crab and chopsticks was pretty good also. My main course, the Mongolian Beef, was as advertised and extremely flavorful. My wife had the Orange Chicken and that too was wonderful. Both desserts, the Banana Date and Tao of Chocolate, were a perfect finish. We will surely return.
Pros: food, drinks, service, prix-fixe
Cons: could not find any
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