Amanda and I recently had one of the best dining experiences of our lives! Our two year wedding anniversary was March 12th and we had family in town that wanted to take us out to celebrate. Well, we called our favorite restaurant in Punta Gorda for a reservation, but they would not accept a reservation within 2.5 hours of the desired time. So, I thought about some other restaurants in the area, but many of them are “hit-or-miss” with the quality and consistency of their food. Then, I thought about OPUS restaurant, located in the Sunloft Center at the corner of Sullivan St. and Marion Ave. in downtown Punta Gorda. I have always heard great things about OPUS, but had not had the occasion to give it a try. Well, this was such an occasion. Also, none of our dinner party had ever eaten there so it would be a new and different experience for us all.
What an experience it was, too! From the minute we walked in the door, we were greeted by friendly, smiling faces of the hostess, bar staff, and wait staff. Our table of eight was already assembled, set, and waiting for us when we arrived for our reserved time of 7:30 pm. (The other restaurant wasn’t going to give us a table until 9:30 pm and with a new baby to get to bed, that simply wasn’t going to work.) Another great thing about this is that we were able to be seated without our entire party being there at the same time.
Visually, the dining room is simple and modern, yet very elegant. This makes for an incredible dining atmosphere. The accoustics are great too. On this particular Tuesday night, the dining room was close to full, yet backgound noise was very minimal.
Now, let me get into the important stuff… the food. This is where Opus truly shines. We started out with a couple of appetizers. I had the Crab Bisque and my wife and I split the Shrimp Tempura. First of all, the crab bisque was the best I have ever had without a doubt. Its the perfect color of awesome with just the right amount of thickness and creaminess. The base is well balanced and the blue crab meat is abundant. Shrimp tempura is one of my all time favorite appetizers, or entrees for that matter. I was born and raised here in Charlotte County and my favorite place to eat, as a kid, was Earl Nightingale’s, which is now The Captain’s Table in Fishermens Village. That restaurant had the best shrimp tempura in the world, well my world anyway. I have ordered it, as an adult, any time I have seen it on a menu and it never comes close to that childhood memory. That was until I found the shrimp tempura at OPUS restaurant. It proves that my memory of that shrimp tempura all those years ago was not a product of a child’s imagination. OPUS has equaled that outstanding shrimp tempura and taken it one step further to perfection by serving it with a perfectly balanced sweet and sour sauce. Next up was an amazing salad. I don’t normally get too excited about a salad, but this one left me wanting more. Our entrees were next. I ordered the 14 oz. Prime Grilled Rib Eye. It is served with roasted potatoes, French beans with pancetta, fingerling potato hash, and a port wine demi glace. Amanda ordered the Grilled Hanger Steak served with a roasted tomato grilled cauliflower and parmesan risotto, and seasonal veggies. Both of these meals were incredible. My wife couldn’t get enough of the risotto and was quite satisfied with her meal. The demi glace that was served with my seared and crusted rib eye was the best I’ve ever had. In fact, I ordered more on the side and our excellent server delivered an adequate amount to the table. One of my biggest pet peeves is asking for more of something and receiving a petri dish sized portion. Not here!
Finally, with the last little bit of room we could find in our stuffed bellies, we enjoyed a decadent dessert of Chocolate Pots de Creme. This is an unbelievably rich chocolate dessert, in a pool of raspberry coulis. This is one of the most popular on the menu, according to the menu. Now, if I had one gripe about the entire experience it would be here at dessert. Creme brulee is a favorite dessert of our entire family and coincidentally most everyone in our dinner party. Unfortunately, our excellent server had to be the bearer of bad news and inform us that they were out of the Chef’s Choice Creme Brulee. I think it was something about it not setting up properly. Blah, blah, blah. I describe it that way, not to be disrespectful to our server, but to point out that it really didn’t matter the reason. We so soon had forgotten all about the Chef’s Choice something or other with our first bite of the Chocolate Pots de Creme. This truly is a dessert worthy of the term “to die for.”
Well, there you have it. An incredible dining experience, by way of serendipity, made for an unforgettable anniversary dinner. Special thanks goes out to my Dad and step-mother for treating us and being with us to share it. Extra special thanks goes out to OPUS restaurant and its staff for taking our reservation and providing a world class dining experience. We have a new favorite restaurant in downtown Punta Gorda!
Make your reservation today by visiting www.opuspg.com
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