Lyric Opera Singer Finds Success in the Restaurant Business

Lyric Opera Singer, Jason Balla, came from Wales to the United States with big dreams and an entrepreneurial spirit.

At age 18, Balla was awarded a music scholarship to Oxford University where he was an organ scholar at Balliol College. Balla then spent a year in Hong Kong as a classical music radio presenter before returning to the UK to continue his post-graduate opera studies at The Guildhall School of Music in London.

In 1994 Jason moved to Chicago and was offered a full-time contract to sing with The Lyric Opera.

After 20 years on the Lyric Opera stage, performing in more than 1000 performances and in over 100 different productions, as well as 15 years at Chicago Sinai Congregation in the Gold Coast as a singer, accompanist and music director, Balla decided it was time for a new adventure.

In 2012, a short hop, skip and a jump (and an occasional crawl!) from his downtown Evanston home, Balla discovered one of Evanston’s restaurant gems. “Well, it was actually two gems,” says Balla. The Stained Glass Bistro and The Cellar at The Stained Glass located a mere 350 ft from his home.

In the summer of 2014, the opportunity to buy the business from its then owner, presented itself to Balla, who had secretly seen himself as some kind of restaurant owner in the distant future. Balla explains that “when all things were considered, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and too good of one to pass up.”

With his passion and enjoyment for fine-dining, a 15 year career running his own interior design business and 30 years as a professional musician with some of the leading music groups around the world, Balla found himself in the unusual position of being able to combine all of these elements and facets of his life and rebuild an existing business, adding a fresh eye and an entrepreneurial approach to what can be a very tough and daunting business for most people.

So, how do you go from singing in the Lyric Opera to opening a restaurant? Balla explains, “I’m an entrepreneur and I have passion for fine dining,” he says. “That’s the reason I’m in it.”

Founded in 1999, The Stained Glass Bistro and Wine Bar is an Evanston staple, serving as the community’s special occasion’s destination for the past 16 years and considered by many to be Evanston’s Premier Fine-Dining Establishment. Seasonal American cuisine combines traditional and international flavors that compliment the global wine list.

“We have the only premier wine-storing system in the city, a Cruvinet,” explains Balla. The award-winning wine bar and bistro offers more than 30 wines by the glass and ten wine flights/samplers. “We have evolved throughout the years, swapping in different menu items seasonally and incorporating over 10 gluten-free options into the mix,” he says.

The Stained Glass offers one-of-a-kind creations, thoughtfully plated so each bite includes every wonderful element. The seasonal American cuisine created by Executive Chef Victor Hernandez features a combination of traditional and international flavors to provide fine dining in a relaxed, urban atmosphere.

“I work very closely with my chef because, to be honest, great food is at the heart of a great restaurant,” Balla says. “Excellent service, attention to detail, and the restaurant’s welcoming ambiance are also important, but if you don’t have the food and the right chef you don’t have the heart.”

One of the restaurant’s signature items is Foie Gras BLT. “Seared Foie Gras melts into crisp bacon, topped with sliced tomato and is complemented with a homemade truffle mayo,” explains Chef Hernandez. Other globally inspired menu items include; Roasted Spaghetti Squash, Australian Rack of Lamb, Free Range Amish Chicken and Tuna Sashimi. “And, our cooked-to-order donuts will melt right in your mouth,” he says.

“Besides our traditional meals, we’re also creating bold, new seasonal dishes for our customers that they may have never tried before,” says Chef Hernandez. “These include Pumpkin Gnocchi and Pumpkin Latkes,” he adds. “I can’t wait until our customers experience our restaurant and I’m able to share all that The Stained Glass and The Cellar have to offer!”

In 2009, The Stained Glass opened The Cellar, an energetic little sister restaurant to The Stained Glass, located around the corner at 820 Clark but also connected through a hallway from inside The Stained Glass restaurant space itself. Now celebrating its sixth year, this popular spot serves globally inspired dishes designed for sharing. With more than 40 bottle beers and six draft lines, The Cellar is known for craft beer just as The Stained Glass is revered for its unmatched international wine selection.

Balla brings a fresh and exciting new vibe to both restaurants. He spent the first 6 months of his ownership putting the business back on a solid footing. Then, in the spring of 2015 the ‘newbie’ restaurateur began an extensive upgrade of both the interior spaces and convinced both the landlord and the City of Evanston to approve an entire new façade not only for The Stained Glass and The Cellar, but for the entire corner block located at Benson and Clark in downtown Evanston.

While Balla retained the basic bones of the interior spaces, he was able to apply a much more contemporary vibe to the casual Cellar space and give the Stained Glass dining room a new color scheme and new lighting.

“And, in the private-dining and event side of the restaurant, we’ve designed a very classic and elegant look with upholstered velvet wall-panels, crown molding and a corner fireplace to add a layer of cozy charm and elegance,” says Balla. “It has become very appealing to a lot of wedding groups who seem to have discovered the appeal and attraction of not just the space itself, but also the signature menus on offer, the price-point and the location.”

The menus in both restaurants have also had a revamp and now feature regular specials, some of which do end up on the main menus along with some of the older ‘favorites’ of the past few years.

Bringing his 30 years as a professional musician into the mix, this fall, the Stained Glass is launching a series of music evenings beginning with several evenings of live jazz in the bar area. In early 2016, some chamber music evenings are planned as well as an opera evening. “I’ll be featuring some of my many friends and colleagues from both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Chicago Symphony.” he says.

The Stained Glass and The Cellar offer an updated and exciting ‘downtown’ vibe without having to head into downtown Chicago on weekends for a thoroughly enjoyable evening out with friends, a friendly and talented staff pool (many are young actors and musicians) and a great space to sample some exceptional food accompanied by a unique wine and beer selection.

“I love seeing customers smiling, laughing and having a fantastic time at our restaurants,” Balla said. “The experience is what it’s all about, and I truly believe that both The Stained Glass and The Cellar is an experience that the Chicago community embraces.”

The Stained Glass Restaurant, Bistro and Cellar are located at 1735 Benson Avenue in
Evanston. Open daily for dinner from Sunday-Thursday: 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday & Saturday: 5 pm to 10 pm. Enjoy Brunch every Saturday and Sunday at The Cellar from 11am to 2 pm.

To learn more, please visit www.thestainedglass.com, or call 847-864-8600.

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