As you ascend the marble steps and enter L’Opera between two massive columns, it is as if you are stepping off a great Florentine piazza into a historic monument. Once inside, the dining room appears surprisingly modern, and it is this mix of antiquity and modernity that gives L’Opera its elegance. Serving Northern Italian cuisine in a refined setting, L’Opera offers a stunning dining experience, with warm and friendly service, a comfortably elegant ambiance, and exquisite cuisine.
Read More ...If I lived in Long Beach, I know what my favorite restaurant would be. L'Opera would be my first choice after a late night at work to stop for a capesante e ricotta and a glass of Italian wine. In fact, given the amazing variety on the listi di vini available by the glass, I'm pretty sure it would take me many happy evenings to explore all the possibilities.
However, I don't live in Long Beach, I live in Los Angeles. So a trip to L'Opera is more of a special event. Rather than battling the 405 commuters, the cool way to do this serious Italian restaurant is via the metro. The Blue Line stops right at L'Opera's front door. Not only is this a stress-free way to arrive, but it also allows one to enjoy the seduction of wine without worrying about driving impaired.
To be blunt, it's the wine cellar at L'Opera that makes it a worthy designation. There's such pleasure in being able to select something more interesting than the typical pinot grigios or chiantis from the corporate distributors clogging so many trattorie americane. This is a wine cellar that has been honored with every major award in the industry -- The Golden Sceptre, The Golden Bacchus, and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
This is the kind of place where part of the thrill is being plied by the staff. You want to come here after work for your burrata delicata and glass of Soave Classico because the wait staff remembers you. After all, many of them have been around since the place opened fifteen years ago. A kind of service emerges that is informed not only about the difference between cured meats of Piedmont versus Emilia-Romagna, but also about you, where your tastes run to. This type of trust is not easily built. It requires an investment on the part of the owners and management. They are not out to fleece the fickle in-crowd for six months until the next hot place pops up. How nice.
To have the full dining experience at L'Opera, I suggest you do not order anything. Let them do it for you. Allow the sommelier to match the wines for your courses. That's what we did. We just sat back in the wide upholstered booth, took in the glass-walled kitchen, the large flower arrangements, the well-coifed crowd, and experienced a melodious meal.
We began with Bruschetta all Caprese, which my dining companion claimed to be the best he'd ever tasted. The mix of green and opal basil is a comely stroke. But the appetizer that had us both humming and buzzing was the Gamberi e Pomodoro, shrimp and tomato salad, with the freshest arugula either of us had ever tried. The nuttiness of the wild leaf engaged the tiger shrimp, but we found ourselves marrying it with everything -- cheese shavings, caramelized pears as well as the tomatoes.
Most of the pastas, come in Italia, are made in the kitchen, and have that youthful skip that dried pasta can't match. The Cappellacci di Zucca, homemade pasta filled with yellow butternut squash and ricotta cheese, blanketed in a spicy tomato sauce and completed in a brown butter sage sauce, would not be something either of us would have ordered on our own. Another reason to let il cuoco choose for you. Of all the pastas, this is one not to be missed. It's not a dish you can easily do at home. And that's part of the fun of eating out after all.
The Maile alle Mele, a pork tenderloin wrapped in pancetta, marinaded in apple-thyme sauce and served medium rare, disappeared fast as our forks tore into it. A rack of lamb at the next table caught my eye as something to remember for next time.
Our meal was well-paced. This allowed for natural digestion and time to fastidiously study the dessert menu. Though Italians may finish their meals with cheese, here we prefer i dolci. We shared a "Maria," warm dark chocolate cake infused with a gianduia praline truffle and softened with Italian vanilla gelato.
The metro trip home was going to be sweet and easy.
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L'Opera
Food and bar were excellent. Hostess was very attentive.
It is a toss up whether to go to L'Opera or The Madison, their other restaurant across the street. Both are excellent!
Always a good meal, nice atmosphere and excellent service.
