Opera   

According to a bartender at Opera, the owner decided to call his new upscale Chinese restaurant "Opera" because he wanted to recreate the vibrant, bustling atmosphere he had seen at the Chinese opera. One of the latest KDK restaurant group creations, Opera follows the aesthetically pleasing path of its predecessors Marche, Red Light and Gioco (which is just across the street). But Executive Chef Paul Wildermuth of Red Light and Arun Sampanthavivat of Arun's created a unique menu, putting a gourmet spin on traditional Chinese fare. Tantalizing menu items include Scottish salmon with bok choi black mushrooms and smoked salmon dumplings with a tangerine Sichuan peppercorn sauce, and the lobster is served with an oyster-garlic cream and drawn butter. The upbeat atmosphere of the large, renovated warehouse space is compounded by the visibility of the open kitchen, and candles lining the steps of the staircase in the middle of the room add a warm glow. A decorative mural of Chinese newspapers along one of the walls completes the festive decor. If privacy is what you're after, semi-separate rooms, housing two tables of four, offer more intimacy to small parties.