RESTAURANTS : SECOND’S BEST : What’s Happening at Opus Now That the Big-Name Chef Has Left? Lots.

A year ago, the biggest news in the L.A. restaurant world was the arrival of Opus. It had a big-name chef, a big-name architect, big-money backers. It was fearlessly going where no local establishment had gone before--into the deep waters of expensive fish restaurants.

Chef Eberhard Muller’s food was wonderful. Architect Jeff Daniels’ room was elegant, quiet and comfortable. There was, it seemed, only one thing to worry about: Could a restaurant this expensive survive the recession?

And then the chef left. Under rather mysterious circumstances. One day he was simply gone. Spokespeople for the restaurant assured us that the food would continue to be of the very highest quality, but nobody really believed them.

“Have you been back to Opus?” people asked one another at big-deal dinner parties. “Why bother?” was the general answer--Eberhard Muller had been the big draw.

And so it was not surprising, when I went to Opus early on a recent Saturday night, to find the once-packed restaurant only half full. The room felt different: a critical person would say that standards had been lowered; a kinder person would say that the room was friendlier. The waiters were less correct and more personable. They smiled more. Was this happiness or nervousness?

The food was different, too. In its opening days, the food at Opus had been excellent; now it was better. On this particular night, each dish made you sit up and take notice.

Mediterranean fish soup looked like a mild-mannered orange broth. Nothing about this modest dish prepared you for the explosion that occurred when it hit your mouth. The soup had the texture of a bisque and the elegance that comes only from long, slow cooking. It was classic food at its best.

Cucumber “spaghetti” with salmon displayed the same blast of flavor, but here the emphasis was not on concentration but rather on the combination of single, distinct ingredients. Cucumber had been shaved into strands and curled into a mound. Bright strips of salmon were wound around it like a topknot wearing a crown of caviar. The clarity of the color palette--green, orange, black--was echoed on the palate.

Seared oysters were another contrast, with complex layers of flavors. Fat oysters had been cooked just until the edges curled, then laid across a bed of shredded leeks, which were covered in a rich blanket of sauce made of cream, oyster juice and truffles.

Monkfish, a fish with more texture than flavor, had been roasted to elicit every nuance, then sliced into scallops and placed on a circle of root vegetables. Monkfish is often called “poor man’s lobster”; this is one dish that shows you why. Striped sea bass with beans, a dish that has been on the menu since the restaurant opened, was crisper than before, giving the fish an intriguing caramelized quality that worked well with the beans. Desserts--an individual warm apple tart and a grouping of homemade ice creams--were delicious. It was a terrific dinner. Was it, I wondered, a fluke?

And so I went back, on a stormy Wednesday. The room was improbably packed, making its burnished walls seem even more welcoming than usual. The restaurant seemed like a happy place, filled with extremely contented people. And no wonder.

“This has been a very entertaining year,” offers Ian Winslade, the man who is now chef at Opus. He has, in fact, been chef at Opus from the start, having come out with Muller from Le Bernardin in New York. “I was sous-chef in New York,” he says in his cheerful British accent, “and this seemed like a good opportunity. Then we got here, and Eberhard always spent a lot of time out in front, so Frank McMahon and I ran the kitchen. It’s always run smoothly.”

But Winslade feels freer now that Muller is gone, and the food shows it. Where Muller’s food was tight and correct, Winslade’s seems more relaxed, more innovative. “Eberhard wanted a carbon copy of the menu at Le Bernardin,” he says. “Frank and I thought it was an enormous mistake.” So Winslade has stretched out, and the menu is better for it.

The fish, still the mainstay of the menu, is more interesting than it was before. Salmon, monkfish and scallops are poached and served together in a fine red wine reduction that is all the evidence you need that fish and red wine can be perfect partners. Winslade’s seared scallops is a sly dish, almost a trick of white on white. Big, tender scallops are balanced on white cylinders; the cylinders look the same, but half are apples, half celery root. It’s one of those dishes that keeps you in a constant state of surprise.

Unlike Muller, Winslade clearly appreciates meat. His most interesting creation is something he calls pot-roasted rabbit, a dish so unlike what you expect that you might be tempted to tell the waiter that he’s got your order wrong. The rabbit is cooked in moist heat, then sliced into delicate little medallions and built into a pyramid with crescents of Brussels sprouts, pieces of potato and bits of bacon. It’s an extremely elegant rabbit.

Opus now has a bistro menu at lunch (also available at night) that offers some extraordinary bargains. The Chilean sea bass with roasted yellow potatoes is the epitome of comfort food--a sort of crusty fish hash served in a saffron bourride sauce. It’s the perfect application for the blandness of bass. The mahi-mahi in spicy celery broth uses the pungency of celery and the heat of curry as a counterpoint to the delicacy of the fish.

There are a couple of disasters on this menu--the onion tart has a crust so tough it is almost inedible, and the beef carbonnade is too much like pot roast for my taste--but they are rare. The best dishes from the beginning are still on the menu--that wonderful truffled crabmeat-and-potato salad, the fine salmon tartare , tuna carpaccio--and now there are all of Winslade’s wonderful new dishes.

Opus may have been last year’s news. It’s this year’s news, too.

Opus, 2425 W. Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 829-2112. Lunch served Monday through Friday, dinner Monday through Saturday. Full bar. Valet parking. All major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $42-$110.