Between the Opera, the dining room in Avery Fisher Hall and my exploration of Putnam County, this weekend became a juxtaposition of comfort and adventure. 

Saturday night, I has tickets to see Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera.  My cousin Michele had never seen Carmen before, so she picked me up and trekked into Manhattan to see it. 

Going to the Metropolitan Opera is always an extravagant experience.  The beauty of Lincoln Center is breathtaking, no matter what season you visit.  The opera is also an excuse to dress up and feel glamorous, which I have to believe every woman enjoys sometimes. Then there is the opera itself – Carmen is a sorted tale of romantic intrigue and betrayal.  

There is a restaurant at Lincoln Center that I have come to love.  Located inside Avery Fisher Hall, Panevino is an Italian fine-dining restaurant managed by restaurant associates that offers pre-theater dining. 

Within the past six months, I have eaten there at least four times.  Each experience has delivered the quality and consistency I expect from a well-organized fine-dining restaurant with the ambiance befitting the Symphony lobby. 

I have a few favorites on their menu.  First, they have this wonderful salad with fresh beets and goat cheese.  They also make a fantastic mushroom and papperdelle ragu prepared with several different mushrooms and finished with black truffle oil.

Saturday night, I didn’t feel up to a heavy three course meal.  I worried that if I ate too much, I would pass out in the middle of the performance — or worse, sit through four hours with heartburn. 

Luckily, Michele drove, so I began with a glass of the house white and ordered the cehf’s special, roasted hen with potatoes, as my entrée.  Michele indulged in the fabulous mushroom papperdelle and I savored the wafts of truffle oil that made their way toward my olfactory senses.

We had a funny, charming waiter that emigrated here from Russia and loved the arts as much as we did.  He asked us if we were off to see Carmen and told us of a ballet he had seen in Russia set to the score of Carmen.

Michele wanted dessert.  She ordered a hazelnut chocolate mouse.  The pastry chef layered mouse with a light hazelnut crunchy and encased the whole thing in a chocolate purse.  I had to taste it, of course, to accompany my cappuccino.

Each time I see an opera at the met, I am completely blown away by the set design.  This production utilized horses, dogs and other “life” props to bring the story to life.  The role of Carmen is difficult to play.  It is, perhaps, one of the most difficult female operatic roles because Carmen is supposed to be a master seductress.  She has to be able to sing and dance well.  She is supposed to be so beautiful that no man can resist her.  However, the skill required to sing this contralto role is no less than masterful.  So the most talented opera singers tend not to be sexy and seductive.  Many cannot manage the dancing at all. 

This Carmen is no exception.  Her voice is absolutely incredible.  She tries hard to dance and act the role of Carmen, but she is a stout, stocky woman.  She is not what one envisions when they think of Carmen the seductress.  After the second act, the stage manager came out an apologized to the audience because “Carmen” injured her foot during the first half of the performance and would not be able to move around as much, I felt sorry for her, because she troughed through the second act like a trooper. 

Carmen is about three and a half hours long.  The performance ended around midnight, I live an hour from Manhattan and Michele lives another hour from me, so rather than drive home at 2:00 AM, she crashed on my couch.