Opera

06/29/08

Decent, but not extraordinary

by Truthsayerlives at Citysearch

Opera aims to dazzle, but the food is far from extraordinary. I was excited about trying this place, but it is indeed a fact that there cuisine lacks sophistication. There are great upscale chinese places in New York that far outshine anything the chef can muster up at Red Light or Opera, which have great decor but neglect what is of paramount importance to a great dining experience- the food. I realized immediately after tasting the food that this had to be a part of a franchise. The ingredients lacked freshness. The flavors were not creatively matched, and lacked depth of flavor. Last year, I went to a restaurant called Swagath in Defense Colony, New Delhi (that's India, so it's a ways from here). But, i must say, it will be worth your trip. The chef specializes in regional Indian fare and Chinese Fare, and excels in his execution. Brilliant combinations of flavor and ingredients await you in every single dish you try. This is exceptional Chinese (and Indian). One trip to a restaurant like Swagath, and you'll understand that cuisine can be far more enriching and creative than one experiences at Opera or Red Light.

• Pros: Decent Food
• Cons: Very Good Service

05/25/08

Too pretentious

by Kateeej at Citysearch

We went on a Sunday at 6 pm without reservations and excited to eat at Opera again. We walked in with tons of tables available. We went in and the hostess told us that there is a 20-30 minute waiting time and we should just wait at the bar. What we don't understand is why can't they sit us when there were so many open tables, inside and outside the restaurant. To seem like they are so hoppin? So, we went next door to Zapatista, got seated immediately and got a great meal. After our dinner, we looked at Opera and it was stil not full. They lost business from us that night but will lose more because we will never come back there again to be treated bad and will definitely tell our friends about this pretentiousness.

• Pros: great ambiance, good food when you get seated
• Cons: even with available tables, 20 minutes wait!

05/20/08

Reserve a Vault!

by Pharoah1 at Citysearch

If you want somewhere to take your girl; this is the spot.

Make a reservation and ask for a vault. I repeat: reserve a

vault. The vaults are dimly lit, semi-private, cozy little squares in

the back of the restaurant. The restaurant offers pan-asian food

that is moderately priced. You and you date can eat well for under $80.

Valet parking is $10. So bring $90 to be safe. The food was pretty good.

I was impressed with the Tao of chocolate, which is flourless chocolate

cake and cherry-vanilla ice cream.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: no cons, Opera is all good

03/31/08

Not worth it

by daw1999 at Citysearch

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

03/24/08

Wonderful food, great service, will return soon

by ahkitekt at Citysearch

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

03/11/08

Like the Testarossa of chinese food - too intense!

by badjuju at Citysearch

I've been meaning to try this place for the longest time. Clearly, one of the best decors in Chicago. Great colors, great structure, very cozy and original. The service is great. Very polite. Not overbearing.

Now, to the food. First of all, the food selection was so-so. There is a lot to choose from, but I felt that there wasn't a lot of variety "within" their menu. A lot of fancy sauces and interesting combinations of flavors, but very similar sounding dishes. We ordered the duck mushoo appetizer. But then the chef gave us a complimentary singapore noodle appetizer as well. The noodles were truly delicious. Small portion, just right. The duck mushoo was essentially duck in a glazed hoisin sauce, on top of nachos. The large avocado slice on top really complemented the dish well. In truth, at Opera, the first bite is always the best. But later, it becomes WAY TOO INTENSE. This is not really how I like my food. It was simply TOO flavorful. The tangy sweetness numbed my tongue. I think a smaller portion of that appetizer would have been great.

Then I ordered the scallops w/ polenta. The polenta was delicious. The scallops cooked right. slightly burnt on the top but moist and yielding inside. Again, the sauce was intense, but there was less of it, so I enjoyed that dish a bit more. My sister had a chicken dish w/ a lychee/tangerine sauce... And again, no exception here, it was too sweet and too strong a flavor. But again, great first bite!

Then came one of the best dessert I've had in a while. So the story is that I rarely order a creme brulee but I make sure that the person I dine with orders one. I think creme brulees are great to compare to each other. At Opera, They rotate their creme brulee flavors. So we had one w/ a jasmine tea touch. The sugar top was hard, the way I like it but the creme layer was too thin. It was very flavorful though, with fresh blackberry, strawberry, and lychee fruit on the side. One of the best creme brulees in town. Original food here!

• Pros: Taste, originality of flavors, service, decor.
• Cons: too intense, hold back a little!

03/09/08

Wonderful & generous Peking Duck Service!! Oh, MY!

by greaydane at Citysearch

GO NOW! I'm sorry I waited so long to review Opera, because the CHEF WILL BE GONE by the end of March! I go there all the time & have a long list of favorites, which include 1) the Golden Shrimp: little shrimp tempura fried & tossed in a spicy mayo. Sinful! 2) the Pork & Ginger Dumplings: No one does peanut sauce better in this town. It has the perfect balance of spicy/savory/sweet, which brings me to 3) the Peanut Noodle Salad: The noodles are perfectly cooked, and you already know about the sauce. More fav.'s include 4) the Crisp Ahi Tuna, 5) the Chicken Salad: great flavor with that toasted sesame oil; great texture with the crisp noodles & hicama, 6) Chicken Coconut Lime Soup: OK, not really Chinese, but Opera doesn't pretend to be REAL Chinese, just really INSPIRED by Chinese! 7) Green Beans 8) Orange Beef: the best I've ever had! 9) the Mahogany Quails: Stuffed with BROWN rice, thank you, plus lop chong, water chestnut, etc. I'm not vegetarian, but, still, I recommend trying the vegan menu - morel dumplings and that veggie stir-fry w/ the coconut milk.YUM! 10) Peking Duck Service & 11) the Scallops. The Peking duck is served three ways. They actually bring you a tray with three dishes, so be sure to save room! There's pulled duck meat tossed w/ fabulous thick pan-fried noodles, sliced duck breast w/ the crisp (not fatty) skin & mu shoo pancakes and hoisin sauce, and the best part - the whole leg, roasted & served with some house-made fruit sauce!! I read one review that said the scallop portion was too small for the price. I hate to be argumentative, BUT, these scallops are NOT the same as what you get in the freezer section at the store! These are not harvested en masse, kept for DAYS on the fishing boat, nor treated with chemicals. i've just described what you get in China Town! Opera's scallops are hand- harvested and brought in that day. Anyway, forget about it; they are perfectly seared and the sauce ROCKS! Hear me, now! Time's a waistin' GO!

• Pros: FOOD!, Ambience, Chef tasting, Vegan menu
• Cons: Only 3 weeks until the chef is gone!