Opus 5 - Palm Beach County

I love the location of this restaurant — in the Shops at Boca Center which are on Military Trail just north of Palmetto Park Rd. — because it has a wonderful open feel. Great patio to dine on and the view and sound of the fountain in the middle of the shopping plaza is wonderful. An upscale shopping center with some wonderful strolling to be done after dinner, Opus 5 serves delicious food at great prices. Try the new lunch menu that offers an all-inclusive lunch for only $12 or something from the regular creative menu. Very good staff and service. Great management and all-around one of the best looking restaurants in Boca. Call (561) 544-8000 for reservations.

We reserved a table at Opus 5 for Valentine’s Day and it was a fabulous meal! The atmosphere of the restaurant was both modern and elegant yet warm and inviting. The staff, helpful and confident without the usual Boca arrogance. Our server was excellent. We brought our own bottle of wine which was opened and served for us (the corking fee was waived — nice touch). Our meal began as a gentleman strolled by with a basket of various warm breads — delicious! I started with the Steak Tartare. My husband started with the Tuna Tartare which he thought was wonderful. I ordered the wrong thing. I thought Steak Tartare with like Beef Carpaccio…hardly. I sent it back exchanging it for a Caesar Salad thinking I’d just wasted my money. In the end, the server took the Steak Tartare and the salad off the check (again, nice touch and classy too). Next came the Lobster Bisque which was outstanding. I’m not a seafood fan but this special was just that…special. For my main plate, I had the Petite Filet Mignon which was cooked to perfection. It was accompanied by potato pancakes and spinach. My husband had the special which was seafood paella. He said most paellas are loaded with fillers (rice). This one was smaller than most but loaded with seafood. We shared the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi which we requested because it no longer appears on the menu. Much to my husband’s chagrin, we passed on dessert although what we saw passing by our table looked great. There’s always next time… Couple of tips: Opus 5 features hot and cold plates to enjoy tapas style. If you would like dinner out but not a huge meal, keep Opus 5 in mind. Look at the Opus 5 menu online for ideas but don’t get your heart set on any one item. The online menu isn’t current. Some items are no longer being offered. If you mention the item to the server, perhaps they will make it for you (like we did with the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi). Enjoy!