The Opera Café has the grandeur of an opera house, yet no opera was ever performed there.  The landmark has been home to many businesses in Bethel, including a hotel; but the closest it ever got to the entertainment business was during the early 1900’s when it was a silent movie theater.

It was during the 1930’s and 40’s, when it was used as a public meeting hall, that the town folk began referring to the building as ‘The Opera House’ – for no apparent reason other than its grand architectural flair.

When Lynn Kilmurray opened the building’s first restaurant in 1976, which had but one dining room, she made a minor change to the name – dropping House for Café.  If her name sounds familiar, it should.  She was the mother of the present executive chef and co-owner Tom Kilmurray.  She also was Tom’s first instructor in the culinary arts.

Ms. Kilmurray sold the restaurant in 1981, and Chef Tom began to explore a variety of restaurant experiences.  He accepted his first position as executive chef in 1985, at The Common Man restaurant in New Hampshire.  Four years later, he was back in Connecticut working for a major off-premises catering company, where he honed his skills on the grill.

It was about this time when Tom began giving some thought to owning his own restaurant.  He looked back upon the two significant influences in his life, his mom and Julia Child, and decided that when he did have his own restaurant, Regional American favorites would share the menu with daily International specials. “I wanted the meals to be indicative of the kind being served in someone’s home in the part of the country (or the world) where the dish originated.”

Tom’s dream became a reality in November, 2007 when he and his partner, artist JoAnn Simon, ‘reopened’ The Opera Café – in the restaurant’s original location, The Opera House. “I felt like I came home,” Tom recalled.

Unlike the Café of old, there are three dining rooms, the Linnie Room (the original dining room, named for Tom’s mom), the Barnum Room and the Brick Room. Each dining room has its own atmosphere and charm. There is also a pub and large patio, where Tom puts his expertise on the grill to work on Sundays.

On this evening, I perused the offerings from New England, the Southwest, the Midwest and the Deep South.  It was in this last region where the Biloxi Fried Oysters caught my eye.  This is actually an entree, however I ordered it as my appetizer and shared.   Don’t read anything into this, there were many tempting appetizers, but I seldom find this delicacy on the menu and felt I deserved to indulge my sudden craving.

I was not disappointed.  The oysters tasted as if they were just plucked from the water, and the batter was a deep gold color and crispy.  It was served with a slaw made of red onion jicama with remoulade that had a very unique flavor.  It kept pulling me back for another taste.

I really had difficulty selecting my main course.  There were several I wanted to try, such as St. Johnsbury Pot Roast from New England, and from the Southwest, the Amarillo Pulled Pork.  But one of the international dinner specialties had caught my eye, Chicken Macintosh from Canada.  I must say I have never tasted anything quite like it, it was very original.  The boneless breast of chicken was prepared to perfection, tender and moist, but it was the stuffing of apples and cheddar cheese that gave this entree its unique appeal.  Not to mention the nutmeg sauce that topped the chicken and blended perfectly with the apples and cheese to add a subtle sweetness.

At the Opera Café, the meal is not complete until you have dessert. And readers know by now, if there is a chocolate offering on the menu, it’s a good bet I will indulge.  And the homemade chocolate brownie was too tempting to resist.  I asked if I could have a ‘dab’ of fresh whipped cream on the side, and our attentive waitress was more than happy to oblige. A great chocolate brownie is one that’s rich and gooey.  This was that and more.  The whipped cream actually accentuated the rich cocoa flavor.  It was a perfect ending to a very enjoyable evening.

I must also add that The Opera Café has a wonderful pub and a extensive ‘pub menu’ – which includes mini-sandwiches appropriately named ‘operettas.’  Choose from BBQ Pulled Pork, Grilled Chicken and Angus Burger.  I must return to sample a selection.

The Opera Café, 186 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel is open Tuesday thru Sunday for lunch and dinner.  (203) 748-3900. Weekend reservations, strongly recommended.

Bell Rating: 3 1/4 bells

Beef Marinade

2 cups olive oil

1 ½ cups red wine vinegar.

1 cup Worcestshire Sauce

2 Tbls. Coarse Black Pepper

1 Tsp. Dry Thyme

2 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1 Tsp. Granular Garlic