Martin has a new restaurant, the Opera House, which is located in downtown Martin. The building had been under reconstruction for the last two years, and finally opened on March 21.

“The building originally was Martin’s opera house. It’s been a lot of things since: ice skating rink, hardware store,” said Floor Manager Daniel Fitzgerald. ”We maintained the original walls and the ceilings in our building.”

“Owner Brenda Ofenheusle wanted to give Weakley County and surrounding counties a fine dining, casual restaurant for adults,” said Fitzgerald. Indeed it really is a fine restaurant. The atmosphere was gorgeous.

“We prefer reservations because we have a limited staff, and we want to give the best service possible,” said Fitzgerald. He said he has a lot of dish recommendations. His recommendations are Orange Roughy ($20), Chicken Monte Carlo ($16), Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad ($9), Fillet, and New York Strip. The prices of the last two dishes depend on the market.

If you are a vegetarian, you could eat one of the pasta dishes, Lasagna Florentine ($15). It is a classic Italian vegetarian dish made with a three cheese mix & spinach. All pastas are served with garlic bread and a petite Caesar salad. They also have desserts and wines. One dessert is chocolate Mil Crepes ($6) which is the chef’s select. It is layers of delicate crepes with rich chocolate mousse and fresh fruit. Their house wine is Fusee. It is $4 by the glass.

“I have been a chef for approximately 15 years,” said Sous Chef Rob Vance. He said his main strengths are in the Latin and European style foods.

“Orange Roughy is a really, really good dinner with black beans and grits so I highly recommend that,” said Vance.

His other recommendations are Lasagna ($15), and Grilled Salmon ($18), which I ate and thought really delicious. Grilled Salmon is served with steamed broccoli & rice pilaf.

“The food is really good and the service is great,” said student Tetsu Chinen. “I am definitely going there again.”

The Opera House is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. between Tuesday and Thursday, and from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Opera House’saddress is 214 South Lindell. Call 731-587-8000 for reservations.

So next time you decide to spend a special night with a special someone, keep the Opera House in mind.