My friend Christine owed me money for the Chicago Film Festival and the play we went to, "The Glory of Living," so she called me on Friday and suggested she repay me by taking me to dinner at her new favorite restaurant, BlueWater Grill. She then said that her parents had opera tickets but couldn't go, so would I want to go to that afterwards? After hemming and hawing, becuase, you know, its the opera, I said, "sure, I guess." I had never been to an opera before and didn't place much of a premium on ever going. But a free ticket is a free ticket, and as I've said many a time, I'd see Carrot Top for $10. So I figured I'd see an opera for free.
We went to the restaurant, which is mainly seafood and sushi. It looked nice enough. I got the Blue Water Cocktail, which was only ok (I almost never drink cocktails, so I'm not accustomed to them, but I got it because Christine kept saying how great it was). Then I had the Golden Beet and Crusted Goat Cheese salad, which was great, and would be the best part of the meal. After that was the Sage Roasted Free Range Chicken, which was very disappointing. The skin was left on and it created this thick layer of cooked on fat that usually I would eat, but was so unappetizing in this case. The risotto was underwhelming as well. For desert, we got the Slice of Blue Water cake which is 12 layers of chocolate cake, graham cracker something and marshmallow, topped with a marshmallow topping. Sounded better than it was. It was basically cake-shaped sugar. And it was enormous. After a few bites, it got too sweet and that was the end of that.
If I go again, I'd get the lamb or filet. If you go, don't get the chicken.
Then we went to the Lyric Opera House on Wacker. The opera was Puccini's Manon Lescault. I was told it'd probably be a couple hours max. It ended up being THREE HOURS PLUS!!! The venue itself is really ornate and resplendant. But c'mon, sitting for three hours watching a play being sung in Italian is asking a little too much. Maybe I'm not as cultured as I thought.
What I thought was hilarious was that the docents or ushers or whatever they're called all have to wear these long velvet capes and gloves. This one obviously gay guy was standing by an exit over an air vent. During the intermissions (there were three) he would keep people from going down an exit hallway, but his cape was catching the air from the vent he was standing on and so it was flailing about everywhere, like he was a model and there was a big air fan in front of him. He looked like it was all he could do to keep from suddenly taking off in flight.
I told Christine that during the first act, I wasn't really paying attention and all I could think about was how I one day wanted to go to Transylvania. Who wouldn't want to go there, really? I'm totally serious.
All in all, I will never go to the opera again, but now I can cross it off my list as something I've done. It's just not for me.
3 comments:
Why wouldn't you get seafood at Blue Water Grill, it isn't a steakhouse.
Don't mean to be rude at all, just meant that you might have had a better meal if you tried their specialty.
Anon.,
You're right. If I were going tonight, I would have gotten a seafood entree, but it's only recently that I've been coming around on eating our friends in the sea. I usu. only eat shrimp and occasionally white fish -- though no sea bass as they're over-fished -- but I'm slowly conquering the only main food I "don't like."
I should note that I don't consider weird foreign "specialties" to be "main food" as referenced above. I'll try a lot of things, but I have no intention of trying pig's ears and the like.
That being said, I still am not warm on sushi, though it's American prominence is strong and growing. I've had it some in college and in London but always the basic, california roll-esque variety.
Anon., do I know you?
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