M A G A Z I N E - Florida Wise

DiningWise
Wise Gourmet
Chef Joe
L’Opera
Vol Au Vent De La Mer
Seafood Stew in a Puff Pastry
A baked to perfection light
Puff Pastry busting with fresh
jumbo shrimp, large succulent
scallops, mussels and lobster.
All topped with an incredible
lobster sauce, served on a bed
of fresh green beans and
acompanied by carrots, potatos
and snow peas.
This entree is best when
enjoyed with a bottle of White
Meursault
As luck
would have it,
dining at some of
the areas best restaurants, in addition to
discovering some of the best kept
secrets, is an advantage of being a food
writer. Having dined at L'Opera recently
has reminded me of how lucky I am
once again.
From the moment we entered the
bistro, I felt we were in store for a
wonderful culinary experience. We were
not disappointed. We were approached
by a lovely host named Amy, who
seated us in a very private booth, which
instantaneously put us in a cozy,
romantic mood. The decor was tastefully
thought through. The use of dark woods,
brick, and "Gold Leaf", made you feel
you truly were dining at a brasserie in
the center of Paris.
After being seated, we were
greeted by our server, Seth, a young
epicurean willing to do whatever
it took to make our experience a
memorable one.
To start off we were given some
wonderful Artisan bread, with a pungent
black olive tapanade. This would help
with the choice of wine we selected,
a Laboure-Roi Poullie Fousie (2003).
This light, crisp wine was a wonderful
selection that would compliment our
choice of appetizer and salad. We
chose a classic escargot with a garlicherb
butter, and a frisee salad with
beets, walnuts, blue cheese, and green
apple. Both items were prepared and
presented tastefully. The frisee salad
was exceptional.
Our choice for entrees was a