Opal Restaurant & Bar Restaurant Review
1325 State St. (Sola St.) 
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Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-966-9676 | Menu
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Opal Restaurant & Bar is one of our 2012
| Top 10 Santa Barbara Wine List Restaurants
|
Cuisine
Open
Lunch Mon.-Sat., Dinner nightlyFeatures
- Heart-healthy dishes
- Romantic setting
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Parking lot
- Casual
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
| Opal is big with the pre-theater and post-concert crowds in Santa Barbara's diverse, colorful theater district, offering a varied and original bistro-style menu heavy on wine-friendly foods with eye-opening flavors. We like to start with the rich oba fish wrapped in prosciutto, served on a bed of soft purple potatoes, red and yellow cherry tomatoes and crab meat; or tiger prawns enveloped in shredded phyllo and served with a silken coconut curry dipping sauce and a salad of napa cabbage, Mandarin oranges and toasted almonds, an inspired experiment originally developed to celebrate Julia Child's 90th birthday. Among the gourmet pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven, we recommend the version topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, garlic and spinach. The main course lineup features lemon grass-crusted fresh salmon filet, served with apple-and-orange-zest jasmine rice and a Thai curry sauce; and filet mignon prepared two ways, chile-crusted or herb-grilled. The wine list includes 300 served by the bottle and 40 poured by the glass. The full bar features a long list of inventive cosmos and specialty grappas, and desserts like a wild berry crème brûlée are made in-house. |
RESTAURANT AWARDS
We just published the 2012 edition of our annual restaurant issue, featuring the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. and much more. Check it out!
