After hearing of scandalous behavior at the Tor di Nona in 1697, Pope Innocent XII (1615-1700) decreed the opera house immoral and ordered it to be burned to the ground.

He was so famous that the town’s people met him three miles outside the city and filled his carriage with flowers. The first of the great castrati was Baldassare Ferri (1610-1680). Castrated males, or castrati, would sing the soprano/mezzo/alto parts.

During the seventeenth century, women were not allowed to sing onstage, not even in a chorus.

They remained in that position the entire song.

In eighteenth-century opera seria (serious opera), the main singers would stand in ballet’s third position, with bent, bowlegged knees and heels together, with one ankle in front of the other.

When the notorious soprano Francesca Cuzzoni refused to sing the aria “Falsa immagine” from Handel’s Ottone, Handel grabbed her by the waist and swore he would throw her out the window if she did not agree.

The term “opera” comes from the Latin opus, or “ work.” The term “soap opera” was first recorded in 1939 as a derogatory term for daytime radio shows that were sponsored by soap manufacturers.

And if you aren't inclined to believe a sports writer on such matters, then believe the pastry chef. If you find yourself within 500 miles of Interim, drive there and get the Opera cake. So if you find yourself at Interim, get the Opera cake.

Then I realized that, indeed, everything was good, and by good, I mean decadent. Then I decided it was the dark chocolate ganache. With two pieces of pure dark chocolate perched on top of the whole deal to nudge it from merely extravagant to operatic.Īt first, I thought the coffee buttercream was my favorite part. What a magnificent choice! Turns out it was exactly what I was in the mood for, which is to say coffee buttercream atop dark chocolate ganache atop coffee sponge cake atop more dark chocolate ganache. When I asked the server, he said he'd ask Franck Oysel, the pastry chef. I was deciding between Le Criollo and the Opera cake. That's what happened when I stopped at Interim (5040 Sanderlin 90) the other day for dessert. My least favorite answer is, 'Everything's good.' My second least favorite is, 'It depends what you are in the mood for.' But my new absolute favorite is, 'Let me ask the pastry chef.' I tend to ask servers what I should order. Or you can get it as Bananas Foster cheesecake. Main St., 90), perhaps Memphis’ finest Creole restaurant, you can get this in the normal way. Bananas Foster is a classic New Orleans dessert of vanilla ice cream and bananas, with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur. This, however, is not one of those times. In most life circumstances, ice cream would top cheesecake in my personal dessert power rankings. Send your suggestions to Bananas Foster cheesecake Have one you like better? Letting us know about it is as easy as emailing. And we're not saying these are the absolute best in town (we're also not saying they're not).

Here are five local desserts that we say take the cake. Still, we're all about indulgence if it's worth it. But one of the most dismal dining disappointments is splurging for dessert and eating a plateful of regret, even if it's topped with whipped cream.

Whats an opera cake