Food review: Opus

I need your help. As a southern girlie who loves good food, I am imploring you to help me make this restaurant a blazing success. Last Sunday I decided I would try, Opus, a restaurant in Lumina Station at Wrightsville Beach. I will admit I was hesitant because it has advertised itself as "contemporary cuisine" which is often code for "lots-of-height-and frightfully-expensive-ingredients-and lots-of-premade-products-from-highend-food-purveyors-because-
we-are-so-busy-trying-to-be-innovative-we-can't-actually-make-
anything-simple-and-stunning."

It would seem that perhaps the space itself is jinxed as Wilmington has seen quite a few restaurants come and go through this location. We walked through the familiar plasticine porch area complete with swings and heaters and into the foyer.

Do you know what happened then? Two things QUITE unusual in this town; first we were greeted by a very gracious hostess who – gasp -- smiled AND made eye contact, and then this wonderful aroma came wafting around the corner, you wanted to follow this savory scent straight into the kitchen, I was so excited!

The ever so charming hostess led us to our table, it was 7:30 on the Sunday before Valentine's and there was not a soul in sight. NOT GOOD. I know, I know, shut up already and tell us about the food.

Banana guacamole. Yep, that's what I said. We had an appetizer that consisted of tender, tender slices of squab artfully draped atop yummy corn pancakes sitting next to a generous mountain of a cool crab salad that was slightly spicy and tangy and on top of this was the BANANA GUAC. It was the BEST combination of flavors in your mouth! The warm delicate squab in rich wine reduction on the hot corn pancake with the spice of the crab and the sweetness of the banana, it was beautiful.

The salads were made with a nice variety of fresh greens and double dressed in a lovely balsamic orange vinaigrette and then a warm bacon mushroom dressing. The bread, sadly, a low note, thick slightly sweet brioche type breads that they did toast and serve warm but were too soft and sweet to play nicely with the bright and beautiful pesto.

My companion had a good chunk of filet mignon (one day I will bore you to death with my opinion on filets, but not today) served exactly as he requested in nice sauce with fluffy mashed potatoes and fat asparagus spears, so Mr. Meat and Potatoes was happy.

I HAD FOIE GRAS IN SAUTERNES AND A DELCIATE LAMB LOIN. Mouthwatering is an understatement. These two beautiful meats were each served in their delicious pan juices with a big stack of creamy three cheese potatoes, more of the fat asparagus and (this shows you how good this guy is) sautéed spinach, it was so flavorful with small brunoise of onion and the exact amount of salt, pepper and maybe a little nutmeg?

There was nothing on my plate that wasn't excellent.

Desserts are all made in house (yes, of course I ate dessert after eating my body weights equivalent in meat and veggies) and we chose "malasadas" little fat doughnuts made to order and stuffed with chocolate and served with ice cream. They were undeniably fresh but I found the cinnamon, nutmeg spice combo on the outside a bit much and think they would be superb with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. I went for the sorbet trio, wild strawberry, blueberry and white peach saffron. The blueberry tasted purple it was so full of berry goodness, strawberry was yummy the peach was close to being sublime but was so heady with saffron as to almost taste medicinal...

The decor, standard beach, attire-well if you feel like dressing up you won't feel out of place, the atmosphere is cozy and the service was great (another thing we don't get here much). Prices are fair for the portions and the quality of ingredients that they use. The wine list is nice and easy with a few very nice selections. Please go, the food is really that good.