Rate-A-Restaurant, #16 in a series
Restaurant: Opaline
Location: 7450 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
Type of restaurant: contemporary bistro with a Mediterranean-accented menu
They stipulated: No reservation? Wait in "The Den" (their bar, which doesn't actually have a bar) and try to pounce on the first available table
What we ordered: Appetizers: crab salad for Maria and butternut squash soup for Mike; Main: Seabass for Mike and Pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with Oxtail ravioli for Maria.
High point: The wine, for one. I stuck with their house wine, the Opalmina, which is the personal wine of managing partner David Rosoff. The food itself was decent, but not overly memorable. Oxtail ravioli was a fascinating idea, but perhaps not fully realized.
Low point: See our account below of the first-date couple sitting next to us. Then again, that might have been a high point-- after all, we got a blog item out of it!
Overall impression: I always liked Red, the restaurant that formerly resided in Opaline's spot. But there was a nice vibe to Opaline the night we went. Waitstaff was superb-- the maitre'd made sure we got a table. The decor is has a nice grey-and-lime green feel. And the portions were perfect sized.
Chance we will go back: Sure. But there are quite a few new restaurants in the Beverly district to conquer, so we may try other new establishments like Grace first.
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