A fine excuse to play hooky some Friday

AT 1:30 p.m. last Friday, Opaline, the chic year-old restaurant at Beverly Boulevard and Vista Street, was filled with a festive buzz. And I couldn’t help noticing the wine on almost every table. It felt like an end-of-week party that people attended in threes and fours instead of twos.

Friday lunch at Opaline is a great argument for playing hooky for the afternoon. Not only is the lunch menu appealing, but all wines by the bottle and half-liter carafe (about three glasses) are 30% off.

When Opaline offered lunch Monday through Friday, “we used to do a fine lunch,” says owner-manager-wine buyer David Rosoff, “and sell a lot of iced tea. Now every table is drinking wine.”

And interesting wine. Rosoff’s list is one of the best, filled with eclectic treasures, cutting-edge appellations and true bargains. The list of wines by the glass and carafe is tremendous. And he’s organized wines by body (light, medium, heavy) and added comments to many.

You can start with oysters on the half shell, a celery root soup with a little Comte cheese and tomato sandwich, or steamed Maine mussels with melted leeks and a tarragon aioli. Jason Travi, a former sous chef at Spago who took over the kitchen in October, scripts Opaline’s menu to the seasons. To celebrate spring asparagus, he’s serving grilled jumbo stalks topped with a two-minute egg on frisee with roasted fingerlings. It’s a wonderful dish for a minerally Chablis or Vouvray sec. Warm wild mushrooms are scattered over arugula doused in a juicy citrus vinaigrette.

I loved the strozzapreti (“priest stranglers”), a twisted pasta tossed with earthy braised chard, a splash of vinegar and a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano.

But you can also get a fine patty melt on toasted rye. It’s ground rib eye lavished with Gruyere cheese and roasted shallots. The spiced red snapper sandwich is terrific too. Just be sure to tuck in some of the pepperoncini. The fries are crisp and golden.

This is definitely one place to do lunch in L.A. But only on Fridays.

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Opaline

Where: 7450 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles

When: noon to 3 p.m. Fridays

Cost: appetizers, $8 to $12; entrees, $12 to $20

Info: (323) 857-6725