Last week, my whole family and I met with the intention of grabbing a bite to eat.  We made a huge mistake in not figuring out where to eat beforehand, so it took a solid 30 minutes on a Saturday night for us to come up with an idea that all of us could agree on and that would have room for six people at a moment’s notice.  Not easy!

Then, my sister remembered one of our favorite restaurants from when we were kids: L’Opera!  It has probably been at least 15 years since I have been there, but it has been one of the places that I think, “We have to go back soon.”

And we finally did!  Here is our delicious dinner at L’Opera!

The restaurant is in a historic building in downtown Long Beach, which I adore.

One of my favorite parts of the meal?  The focaccia!  I am a carb-aholic after all.  🙂

Here is a peek at the menu, which is very, very extensive.  We all had such a hard time picking because everything sounded amazing!

I thought it would make sense to list everything on the menu as listed, so you can read the exact description.  Everything was just so scrumptious!

Gamberi All Arancia: “Golden Brown Hazelnut & Bread Crumb Crusted Black Tiger Shrimp, Served with a Mild Citrus Sauce”

So delicious!  Somehow, the shrimp were neither overly oily, bready, nor heavy!  Also, the citrus sauce was very addicting.

Caprese Classica: “Sliced Italian Imported Mozzarella di Bufala & Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Topped with Fresh Basil & Drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil”

Simple and delicious!

Minestrone: “A Fresh Soup of Seasonal Vegetable & Herbs”

Can you guess that I ordered this one?

By the way, one of the reasons that you would want to visit L’Opera is that you love opera music!  The name of the singer was Sam A Capella, no joke!

Our last few appetizers were…

Bruschetta Tiepida: “Grilled Ciabatta Bread Topped with Creamy Burrata Cheese, Hand-Ground Pesto, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes”

Messalina: “Crisp Romaine Lettuce Tossed with Parmigiano Cheese, Homemade Focaccia Croutons & a Classic Caesar Dressing, Topped with Anchovy Fillets”

A must in every Italian restaurant, right?

Cappellacci di Zucca: “Homemade Pasta Filled with Butternut Squash & Ricotta, Served Over Spicy Marinara Sauce, Finished with Shaved Parmigiano Cheese & a Brown Butter Sage Sauce”

These little bundles of pasta were delicious!

Lasagna al Ragu: “Homemade Spinach Pasta Layered with Beef Ragu, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Parmigiano, Baked in a Béchamel Sauce, Served Over Garlic Tomato Basil Sauce”

A picture is worth a thousand words, no?

Agnello Ai Carciofi: “Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb Presented with Deep Fried Baby Artichokes, Drizzled with Mint Dressing, Served Over Sautéed Spinach & Roasted Potatoes”

Someone strayed from the pasta menu and ordered the lamb.  I was impressed!

Two people shared these two dishes:

Girasoli Di Polla: “Homemade Red Chile Ravioli Filled with Roasted Chicken, Ricotta & Asiago Cheese, Sautéed in a Golden Tomato Sauce, Finished with Fresh Arugula”

Rossalla: “Penne Pasta Sautéed with Kale, Yellow & Red Tomatoes, in a Roasted Garlic White Wine Sauce”

I had a nibble of both of these, and they were both beautiful and tasty!

Sacchetto di Cioccolata: “A Dark Chocolate Sack Bagged with a Grocery of Chilled Zabaione & Fresh Fruit”

Despite the funny description, this was a gorgeous dessert that everyone wanted to attack!

Panna Cotta: “Italian Creamy Milk Custard Intoxicated with Frangelico Topped with Fresh Fruit, in a Light Berry Sauce”

My personal favorite!  It even changed my sister’s mind because she was not a fan of panna cotta before tasting this.  🙂

Soffice E Leggera: “Caramelized Crushed Pineapple Baked Over a Light Tender Poundcake, Drizzled with Hot Caramel Sauce & Crème Anglaise”

This was also pretty good!  I was pleasantly surprised with all of the desserts.

We will definitely have to come back much sooner than later!  Everything was solidly good, and we were all satisfied.  That’s really hard to do, considering we are all very picky, opinionated people!

L’Opera
101 Pine Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 491-0066
lopera.com