Back in the spring, I spotted that this cafe would be opening a location in Sorrento Valley, not too far from my work. The idea of a little cafe with desserts set my heart aflame and I couldn’t wait for it to open so I could try it out. I saw a sign that it had in fact opened up in late July and I made my first apperance there in August.
My friend and I met here for lunch. The cafe itself is super cute. They have indoor and outdoor seating, a very clean, crisp interior and a chalkboard, handwritten menu up behind the counter. Next to the counter is a display case of the desserts they have, which look beautiful.
Now then… for the food. I tried a few things on my first visit. The dish I got actually has been changed on the new menu, but I got a shrimp and spinach crepe with swiss cheese ($7.95). The version I had was “spicy” but on the new menu it doesn’t seem to be spicy anymore.
I didn’t really enjoy this. The shrimp tasted like they were old and/or from a can – it had a very fishy flavor to it and halfway through eating it I was done. The crepe itself it good, just the shrimp were not good. It also came with a little side salad with a vinegarette. I liked the salad a lot and enjoyed the vinegarette, which was a simple dressing.
On a whim (and after eyeing the menu), my friend and I also decided to go back and try the Blue Cheese Fries ($1.95). This actually again, sounds better than it actually tastes. I think the idea is good, but its not quite spot on yet. They just put chunks of the blue cheese in with the fries and its actually hard to eat. You have to grab a piece of cheese with your fries. I was thinking it would be more of a blue cheese sauce than just chunks of cheese. But oh well. Fries + cheese is still good.
The other thing we springed for was a chocolate sampler dessert tray. This had five little mini desserts on it which look so cute and pretty you hardly want to eat them. But again, as with the other dishes, it just kind of lacked oomph fo me. The desserts were just okay. They were a little dry and not as melt in your mouth delicious as I was hoping they would be.
Actually, the best item I had was one I got for free – a french macaroon. Finally something on the menu I could rave about! These little gems are soft, slightly crisp on the outside and chewy delicious on the inside. Totally heavenly. The flavors they have: Pistachio, Chocolate, Raspberry, Cappuccino, Pecan Caramel, Cinnamon. I personally tried the Raspberry, Pecan Caramel and Pistachio. The Pecan Caramel – well – let’s just say I could eat a lot of these and not feel guilty about it because they taste too good.
I took a second trip to Opera for a take-out lunch. I felt that since they had just opened and I wanted to give them another chance to make it up to me and my tastebuds. I went in at rush hour and ordered the Goat Cheese Croutons salad ($8.50).
This is a salad with bacon, tomatoes, a dijon vinaigrette. The croutons … were not exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting a salad with goat cheese mixed in, with croutons. Instead, I got some very large chunks of bread with goat cheese on top of them. The croutons were soft in the middle which pretty much ruined it for me. I was expecting crunchy, crunchy, crunchy and not “a little crunch, soft, no crunch”. Ah well.
They now sell boxes of the french macaroons in the cafe – but there’s no indication as to how much they cost. But they were still giving them away, so that’s something at least.
I may attempt a third visit to try a sandwich. The steak and brie cheese sandwich ($8.95) sounds like it could be a winner. Third time’s a charm, right?
Opera Patisserie
9254 Scranton Rd., Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 458-9050
Hours:
Monday-Friday, 7:00A-2:30P
Hi Mary – I think your third time was a charm! Your steak and brie was so good!!!!! I want that next time! 🙂
OMG, that’s so funny that FIVE years later I finally went back and got that streak & brie! hahah! It was so good and the desserts seemed to have improved with time. Yay!