THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Opera

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Opera Restaurant Review:

Asian gets a spin around the block in this interesting, culinary-enlightened restaurant on South Wabash. There is room for improvement, but the talent is here, so expect an interesting, ongoing display of food fireworks. Opera is housed in an old film warehouse; if romance is on the menu, plan ahead and reserve one of the film storage vaults, which were converted into cozy dining nooks. Otherwise, the open room is broken only by a staircase in the middle. Velvet drapes swag and the color of red booms throughout the room. The ambitious menu sparkles with variety: slow-roasted, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with kiln-dried blueberry-hoisin sauce wins our hearts, along with the braised short ribs with kimchi fried rice. The Hainanese mussels with lotus, young bamboo, cilantro and chiu chow in chili-coconut broth is a winner, too. For dessert, try the five-spiced Opera cake. The eclectic wine list focuses on whites with some harder-to-find Alsatians. There’s a vegan menu, too.