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Review: At Tous les Jours, a wide array of interesting, unusual pastries await
Omaha has no shortage of great local bakeries — trust me, I’ve tried many. But I’d been curious as of late about a national newcomer to Omaha: Tous Les Jours, described as a French-Asian inspired bakery, something that, as far as I know, our city hasn’t ever had. Walking through the bakery’s self-serve line, as…
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Review: The atmosphere at Omaha’s Kinaara now matches its adventurous, unusual menu
The food at the new location of Kinaara, which moved from a Millard hole-in-the-wall to a chic spot in Regency in August, is filling a hole in Omaha’s dining scene for creative, high-end Indian food served in an atmosphere to match. I couldn’t be more thrilled for us diners, or for owners Ashish Sathyan and…
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Review: At the tiny Phyl’s Deli, the pastrami is the real deal (and so is everything else)
Phyl’s deli, which opened last April in the Old Market, is tiny. Its menu is small, too – fewer than a dozen sandwiches, one soup, bagels and lox and a couple of homestyle Jewish specialties. But what’s not small at all are the enormous piles of meat that co-owner and chef Craig Hoffman piles carefully…
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Review: At Texas de Brazil, it’s the smorgasbord of meat that’s drawing a crowd
At Texas de Brazil, the city’s first Brazilian steakhouse in the Capitol District, I can say one thing for sure: the meat just never stops coming. During my two recent experiences at the downtown spot, which opened in October and has been much talked about since, I found that meat, when cooked to the medium…
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Review: At Sofra Kitchen, Omaha’s dining past and future collide with varied results
If you want to understand how restaurants have changed, and perhaps how our city’s dining scene has changed, consider Sofra Kitchen, the new breakfast, lunch and soon-to-be dinner space in Midtown Crossing. It’s taken over the former Grey Plume bay — certainly, any food lover in Omaha would agree that the Grey Plume, at its…
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Review: Seafood and steak still rule at the newly reopened Twisted Cork Bistro
The Dungeness crab pot, one of the new dishes on the menu at the newly reopened Twisted Cork Bistro, is a contact sport, in the best possible way. I barely took any notes while I was eating it, and for good reason: I was eating crab, mussels, tiny roast potatoes, crisp-tender green beans and bread…
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Review: At Anna’s Place, Omaha’s underground history is served in original, beautiful cocktails
Tucked behind a softly lit door — that light green or red, depending on luck — in the lobby of downtown’s new Hotel Indigo sits the city’s latest speakeasy, serving a succinct lineup of original, artful cocktails. If the light is green, knock with the big brass door knocker shaped like a woman. (If it’s…
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Review: At Benson’s Virtuoso, much has changed, but the high-quality pizza remains the same
It’s been a while since I found myself in Benson with a slice of what is, in my book, one of the city’s top pizzas. I can’t quite say why it’s been several years — since 2017, to be exact, when I was first reviewing the restaurant — since I’ve returned. But here’s what I…
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Review: At Hacienda Real, home cooked Mexican and Tex-Mex hits the spot
Sometimes when I’m deciding whether or not to review a place, I turn to Google, simply to learn a little bit more. When I googled “Hacienda Real,” the Lincoln-based, locally owned chain of Mexican restaurants that opened its third location in Omaha in August, this line popped up inside the box devoted to recent Google…
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Review: At Winchester Bar & Grill, your small town dive bar burger dreams come true in Omaha
I’d heard a lot about Winchester Bar & Grill — in particular, about the burgers at Winchester — long before I ever set foot in the dive bar dining room a few weeks back. I kind of love it when rumors turn out to be true. Winchester made me feel like I was in some…