L'Opera celebrates 20 years on Pine Avenue
Posted: 04/20/2010 05:45:43 PM PDT
L'Opera co-owner Enzo DeMuro greets little Matteo, 6, and co-owner Terry Antonelli welcomes Christine and Roberto Saracino back to the restaurant where the couple met 20 years ago. (Tracey Roman/For the Press-Telegram)
L'Opera, 101 Pine Ave.,
Long Beach (Tracey Roman/For the Press-Telegram )
At that time, the 101 Pine Ave. location - a corner space in a building that first opened in 1906 as a Bank of America - looked nothing like a place that could serve food, much less fine Italian dining.
"It was like a bomb shelter, all steel beams, no windows, no doors, nothing," Antonelli said.
"We had to walk down scaffolding to get down below and (the customer) said, 'Are you crazy?' And I said, 'Yeah, I might be.' "
But Antonelli, a native New Yorker, was crazy about opening a restaurant downtown, with its high-rises and promise of vertical living. He saw potential in Long Beach.
"Here's this large metropolitan city with no restaurants," said Antonelli, who used to live in Naples. "Where do all these people go, my neighbors in Naples, Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights?"
So he and partner Enzo DeMuro began the nearly two-year process of building out the industrialized space and on April 19, 1990, during a hectic Grand Prix weekend, the partners opened one of the first fine-dining establishments in Long Beach.
Since then, the partners have lived through L'Opera's
On its anniversary Monday night, L'Opera was filled with more than 100 longtime customers, city officials and former and current employees who noshed on the restaurant's signature appetizers and swayed to a live band that played upbeat music. Rotating pictures of smiling employees were projected on a screen. Guests walked up to a red carpet and were greeted by the partners with hugs and a picture.
"This is a piece of history," said Roberto Saracino, who worked at L'Opera for seven years as a sous chef and chef before starting his own business.
"How could I not be here to celebrate this special day? I think that not only Terry and Enzo were great employers but great friends. They always cared ... and those are things that will stay with you forever."
City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, whose 2nd District includes L'Opera, called the restaurant an "iconic establishment."
"They started us on Pine Avenue, along with John Morris at Smooth's, these two are really the godfathers of this street and to see those two establishments still here is really quite amazing," she said.
Downtown was a very different place when Antonelli and DuMuro opened L'Opera in 1990. There was a Naval shipyard, no Blue Line and a couple of restaurants open, Antonelli recalled.
L'Opera, which sought to bring authentic, Italian fine dining to Long Beach, was "successful out of the gate," quickly becoming one of the top 150 Italian restaurants in the country, Antonelli said. They've served a number of celebrities, including Roger Penske, Jimmy Vassar and Mario and Michael Andretti. L'Opera was a longtime favorite restaurant of the late actor Paul Newman.
"It's not that we cater to those people, because we treat everyone the same, but when you have people who have dining experiences all over the world, and they call this their favorite restaurant, it's pretty special," Antonelli said.
In recent years, the slow-to-rebound recession has tested L'Opera like other restaurants, prompting Antonelli and DeMuro to cover a few restaurant shifts and re-examine ways to save money without sacrificing quality. The landlord has been very cooperative as well, Antonelli said.
"We've learned a lot through this recession because we've looked at a lot of areas we weren't looking at before," Antonelli said. "There are savings we have taken advantage of just by pure necessity."
Gary Zee is a longtime customer.
"For 20 years I've been going here, 20 years and I just love the place. I love the people in there," he said. "It's a classy, well put together place with a worldwide reputation. And they managed to maintain consistent business through a very difficult economic time, but it goes to show you that people know quality."
L'Opera continues to be one of three restaurants that received the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association's highest honors, the Golden Bacchus and Golden Sceptre awards in the same year. Zagat described L'Opera's customer service as "Bend over backwards service."
"We continue to strive on the details of food and service. Without that food and service you just don't last in this business," Antonelli said. "There are ups and downs like anything, but for the most part, we're still standing. A lot of restaurants come and go and there's a lot of restaurants that don't last two years, much less 20 years."
For DeMuro, the milestone is an emotional one.
"Twenty years, to me, is one of the most important achievements I've ever done in my life," said the native of Italy who came to America unable to speak English.
"It's very special to me. After what we went through in 2009 - very, very hard - and 2008 wasn't easy. But the beauty of it is, we have regular, Long Beach customers and a city that supports us.
I'm proud to be here, and I get very emotional every time I think about it. We're still going, and we're still growing, and we're still kicking butt."
karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1303
Repost
Los Angeles Food Photographer, Alan De Herrera
"This is a piece of history," said Roberto Saracino, who worked at L'Opera for seven years as a sous chef and chef before starting his own business.
"How could I not be here to celebrate this special day? I think that not only Terry and Enzo were great employers but great friends. They always cared ... and those are things that will stay with you forever."
City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, whose 2nd District includes L'Opera, called the restaurant an "iconic establishment."
"They started us on Pine Avenue, along with John Morris at Smooth's, these two are really the godfathers of this street and to see those two establishments still here is really quite amazing," she said.
Downtown was a very different place when Antonelli and DuMuro opened L'Opera in 1990. There was a Naval shipyard, no Blue Line and a couple of restaurants open, Antonelli recalled.
L'Opera, which sought to bring authentic, Italian fine dining to Long Beach, was "successful out of the gate," quickly becoming one of the top 150 Italian restaurants in the country, Antonelli said. They've served a number of celebrities, including Roger Penske, Jimmy Vassar and Mario and Michael Andretti. L'Opera was a longtime favorite restaurant of the late actor Paul Newman.
"It's not that we cater to those people, because we treat everyone the same, but when you have people who have dining experiences all over the world, and they call this their favorite restaurant, it's pretty special," Antonelli said.
In recent years, the slow-to-rebound recession has tested L'Opera like other restaurants, prompting Antonelli and DeMuro to cover a few restaurant shifts and re-examine ways to save money without sacrificing quality. The landlord has been very cooperative as well, Antonelli said.
"We've learned a lot through this recession because we've looked at a lot of areas we weren't looking at before," Antonelli said. "There are savings we have taken advantage of just by pure necessity."
Gary Zee is a longtime customer.
"For 20 years I've been going here, 20 years and I just love the place. I love the people in there," he said. "It's a classy, well put together place with a worldwide reputation. And they managed to maintain consistent business through a very difficult economic time, but it goes to show you that people know quality."
L'Opera continues to be one of three restaurants that received the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association's highest honors, the Golden Bacchus and Golden Sceptre awards in the same year. Zagat described L'Opera's customer service as "Bend over backwards service."
"We continue to strive on the details of food and service. Without that food and service you just don't last in this business," Antonelli said. "There are ups and downs like anything, but for the most part, we're still standing. A lot of restaurants come and go and there's a lot of restaurants that don't last two years, much less 20 years."
For DeMuro, the milestone is an emotional one.
"Twenty years, to me, is one of the most important achievements I've ever done in my life," said the native of Italy who came to America unable to speak English.
"It's very special to me. After what we went through in 2009 - very, very hard - and 2008 wasn't easy. But the beauty of it is, we have regular, Long Beach customers and a city that supports us.
I'm proud to be here, and I get very emotional every time I think about it. We're still going, and we're still growing, and we're still kicking butt."
karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1303
Repost
Los Angeles Food Photographer, Alan De Herrera
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