Diner, Know Thy Place at Opal Jazz Lounge

It's Friday night. Everyone has had a long week but we want to catch up with our friends the Sybarite and the Connoisseur. (You may well ask a connoisseur of what, and the answer to that is: wine and meat, as far as restaurants go!) We decide on Opal Jazz Lounge on Queen and Bathurst. In fact, I am really looking forward to it, because it's received glowing reviews. Tonight, I discover that there are a few caveats to having a nice dining experience at Opal.

First, one is stunned by the prices. None of us object to pricey menus, but the prices elevate our expectations. And expectations have everything to do with how we end up feeling about this new resto-lounge.

Overall the food at Opal Jazz Lounge is very good. I start with the potage, which this evening, is roasted red pepper. It is fine, but not exciting. I am disappointed - I live for soup. The Connoisseur has the beef carpaccio, which he declares excellent. The Sybarite casts longing glances at the Tête de Moines that comes with the carpaccio. The shredded Indonesian crab appetizer is flavourful and has a perfect consistency, and we definitely recommend it. The snow goat app is a bit disappointing. It consists of a slab of Quebec snow goat cheese too large to balance accompanying beet carpaccio and rhubarb coulis, which everyone admits is an inspired pairing.

The mains we sample this evening includes the fish of the day, which is salmon. We also try the ostrich; at $47 we are expecting sublime flavour but it disappoints. It's served with kohlrabi that I did not find to be a particularly good pairing, but the one tiny piece of roasted peach was fantastic and I found myself wanting more of that flavour with the ostrich. The Sybarite - who has very strong feelings about meat - has the lamb rack. It is perfectly done and overall one of the best dishes. The Alberta AAA strip loin is also very much appreciated by the Reluctant Cook, who could never be bothered to actually source the meat to make this at home.

All in all, we aren’t “wowed” by the meal and feel the restaurant has a way to go to justify a $500 meal for four. This is affected by the sad baked Alaska we have for dessert, drowned in sambucca. As far as wine goes, our waiter took an interesting approach. Some waiters recommend wine to match one's main. Our waiter started by asking us what kind of wine we like before making a suggestion. I don't mind this approach at all, but I think it's still good to ask, if there is one wine that would be truly fantastic with the main, what is it? The diner can either take the plunge or tread safely on comfy terroir.

We probably would not have walked away feeling disappointed, if it had not been for the atmosphere. Although stunningly decorated, the physical set-up battles with management’s intention. The lounge area up-front is small and tight. Past that is the bar, and across from the bar a small stage, that on our night fit a piano, a bassist and a singer. Past this little area is the main dining room, which if you can’t tell by the description above, feels separated from the stage. So, is Opal a serious dining destination or a serious jazz joint? Currently, management can’t get the balance right.

Clearly, the diners are subsidizing the jazz and the loungers. Yet the service is focused on anything but the diners. The front-of-house manager lectures the patrons about being quiet at all times during the performance. The performer on our night is mediocre at best. She does not appear to have sets booked at a specific hour, say at 8pm and 10pm, between which dining could be scheduled. During our dinner, the singer sings sets of 4-6 songs with barely a 20-minute break in between. She sings so often, and the manager scolds everyone before each “set”, that we feel we cannot enjoy any conversation with our dinner companions.

Opal is trying to have its diners – who have no chance to fully enjoy the chef’s creations – pay for its overly serious approach to jazz. Opal cannot be a restaraunt and jazz lounge with their current formula. Food is meant to be enjoyed and shared with good friends after a long hard week. We should not be lectured or shushed like kindergartners. We love jazz and would appreciate a spectacular dinner plus a performance to remember, but not a tepid performance during an overpriced dinner. After all, we’re the ones keeping them in business.