Favorite contact us
- Phone:(212)772-2220
- Fax: (212)772-2220
- E-mail:sales@opusnyc.com
- Adress:
- Manhattan/Upper
- East Side,
- Manhattan/Yorkville 1574
- Second Avenue.New York,
- NY 10028
- OPUS
1574 Second Ave. between East 82nd
and East 83rd streets)
(212) 772-2220 
- CITY New York
- STATE NY
- DRESS Casual
- WEBSITE www.opusnyc.com
- PRICE $18-$35
- CREDIT CARDS All major
- NOISE Moderate
- RESERVATIONS Suggested
- WINE 85 Choices, 19 By The Glass
- WINE MARKUP 150%-325%
- HOURS Seven days, 11:30 a.m.-
11:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., brunch
Trattoria team retries East Side
New spot Opus serves both gluten-free and regular
dishes; some steep wine markups
Restaurant success in today's economy takes more than a little creative tap-dancing. It may mean tapping new meal periods. As Tavern on the Green and Benjamin Steak House, among others, break out breakfast, Opus¡ªa new Upper East Sider¡ªlaunches lunch. But that is far from all that this heads-up hospitality venture of the Lentini brothers has going for it.
Chef Giuseppe and host Enzo are fighters and know their neighborhood. They are born again with street creds earned at their previous restaurants, Lentini and then Tini, a block from the new Opus.
They could point to events of Sept. 11, which deflated their original debut, or this year's stunning slump as they restarted their engine. They do not. They persist with an informal Italian trattoria of wide-ranging contemporary appeal, warmth and some distinctive traits.
The Lentinis are leaders in providing gluten-free cuisine and have specialized for several years in cooking for sufferers of celiac disease and other allergic ailments. Chef Giuseppe says his menu of pasta, pizza and main course options is more than 90% gluten-free.
That does not preclude many homey, seafood-rich Pugliese-style dishes prepared with normal ingredients. Thus, Opus has dual appeal. It also has two rooms decorated in simple, soft tones and patrolled by a responsive service staff.
Enzo Lentini supervises the front of the house and is author of many of the 26 martinis concocted at the small bar.
Raw bar seafood items are a popular starter, followed by appetizers, soups and salads ($8 to $12). An asparagus puree is among the cream-free soups, and delicious crab cakes are dusted with almond flour. I'm keen on artichoke hearts stuffed with shrimps, pureed scallops and fava beans.
The fine hand of Angelina Lentini, the brothers' mother, shows in items like an ¡°overnight fava bean and chicory¡± dish drizzled with olive oil. She also makes excellent limoncello, offered as a complimentary after-dinner digestivo.
Very adept at frying calamari, this kitchen also excels at shucking and baking clams to order, steaming mussels, and grilling or boiling octopus.
New spot Opus serves both gluten-free and regular
dishes; some steep wine markups
Restaurant success in today's economy takes more than a little creative tap-dancing. It may mean tapping new meal periods. As Tavern on the Green and Benjamin Steak House, among others, break out breakfast, Opus¡ªa new Upper East Sider¡ªlaunches lunch. But that is far from all that this heads-up hospitality venture of the Lentini brothers has going for it.
Chef Giuseppe and host Enzo are fighters and know their neighborhood. They are born again with street creds earned at their previous restaurants, Lentini and then Tini, a block from the new Opus.
They could point to events of Sept. 11, which deflated their original debut, or this year's stunning slump as they restarted their engine. They do not. They persist with an informal Italian trattoria of wide-ranging contemporary appeal, warmth and some distinctive traits.
The Lentinis are leaders in providing gluten-free cuisine and have specialized for several years in cooking for sufferers of celiac disease and other allergic ailments. Chef Giuseppe says his menu of pasta, pizza and main course options is more than 90% gluten-free.
That does not preclude many homey, seafood-rich Pugliese-style dishes prepared with normal ingredients. Thus, Opus has dual appeal. It also has two rooms decorated in simple, soft tones and patrolled by a responsive service staff.
Enzo Lentini supervises the front of the house and is author of many of the 26 martinis concocted at the small bar.
Raw bar seafood items are a popular starter, followed by appetizers, soups and salads ($8 to $12). An asparagus puree is among the cream-free soups, and delicious crab cakes are dusted with almond flour. I'm keen on artichoke hearts stuffed with shrimps, pureed scallops and fava beans.
The fine hand of Angelina Lentini, the brothers' mother, shows in items like an ¡°overnight fava bean and chicory¡± dish drizzled with olive oil. She also makes excellent limoncello, offered as a complimentary after-dinner digestivo.
Very adept at frying calamari, this kitchen also excels at shucking and baking clams to order, steaming mussels, and grilling or boiling octopus.
Among the pasta-bilities in either half or full portions are pappardelle tossed with a pesto-laced veal rag¨´,and gnocchi blended with sweet
sausage and porcini mushrooms in light tomato sauce. Penne, available gluten-free, is first-rate with rabbit and tomato sauce.
Twelve-inch pizzas ($15 to $19) are made either dairy-free or with cheese.
Main courses, marked with an asterisk if gluten-free, are characterized by straightforward preparation of honest, fresh ingredients in
flavorful ways. Branzino is roasted with black olives, filet of sole sauteed in white wine with lemon, and roasted pork loin is infused with
reduced apples. Among the grilled items are salmon, fresh sardines with fresh herbs, and sirloin steak. A fine cold-weather special is
sturdy venison stew in red wine with polenta as a garnish.
For dessert, Mama Angelina's gluten-free ricotta cheesecake made with almond flour hits the spot.
The varied beverage choices include some gluten-free beers, and wines with occasionally hefty markups.
Enzo Lentini says Opus will become the first location in New York next month to inaugurate a new automated system to expedite orders
for delivery or pickup. It will enable customers to visit the restaurant's Web site, scan the menu and click on the desired dishes. When
credit card info is added, the order goes immediately to the kitchen, where food preps begin as the credit card payment goes to the bank.
First, however, the Web site must be completed, which was not the case at this writing.
¨C Bob Lape