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On the Edge of Essential: Six more spots worth checking out
There’s been no shortage of suggestions as to the spots I may have left off my list of 38 Essential Omaha restaurants. To that end, I decided to share six that made my first working list, but didn’t make the final cut. But that doesn’t mean I like them any less — or that they’re…
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Review: West Omaha’s Kinaara is serving some of the most singular Indian food in town
It is a rare experience these days to be truly surprised by a dish, at least for this writer. But Kinaara’s fish Pollichathu? I was, as the kids say, shook. I found several hits and only a few complaints during a recent visit to the tiny but extremely busy Kinaara, which opened just before the…
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It’s Negroni week!
I couldn’t have been more excited to be asked to judge the return round of Mercury’s Negroni Throwdown, this year the kickoff event to national Negroni week. Mercury is Omaha’s home for the Campari-themed event, and owner Clark Ross told me they’ll be running specials all week. The format of the Throwdown is simple: the…
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My top five pizza spots in Omaha (that got eliminated from the pizza bracket way too soon.)
Many, many people have strong, bold opinions about the first ever Omaha Pizza Bracket, which racked up more than 110,000 votes over the course of March Madness and closed earlier this week with its first ever winner, Mangia Italiana. In the hopes to continue the conversation — to debrief after the bracket, as one friend…
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Review: Mangia Italiana perfects “flyover pizza”
There’s a certain kind of pizza this town loves. I’ve described it before, but here it is again: medium-thick, pillowy crust with a crisp-chewy edge. A heavy hand of red sauce. Plenty of meat, usually including beef (this is the Beef State, after all.) A thick spread of melted cheese. Vegetables? Nah. I’ve called it…
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Best of 2020: Crap year, great food
I had no plans to recap the best food I ate in 2020. Then I saw a Facebook post written by chef David Utterback, where he featured my best of 2018 list which I wrote when I was still at the World-Herald. I sent Dave a text, and we chatted. He made a good point:…
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Ten New Year’s Eve takeout options to ring in 2021
How I miss sitting in a basement bar with a cocktail and my friends, or sitting snugly at a back table at La Buvette over beef bourguignon, or in a semicircular booth with friends at V. Mertz in the Old Market passageway. Among the many things 2020 took from me is the chance to ring…
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Six last minute gifts that support Omaha’s food & beverage scene
This year it is more important than ever to keep our dollars in Omaha and shop local this holiday season. It’s also more important than ever to support our local, beloved bars and restaurants, especially if we want to keep them open beyond the pandemic. To that end, here’s six ideas to consider for all…
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A list of SBH-approved Omaha-area spots offering Thanksgiving takeout
Thanksgiving — the quintessential American food holiday — is going to look very different this year. Many of us (myself included) will miss seeing family and friends. Some of us might be eating alone, or with family over Zoom, and might not feel like cooking at all. That’s where this list comes in. Restaurants have…
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Hot patio review: At Dante, the petite patio and excellent Italian are worth visiting
Three words I saw on Instagram led Matthew and I to Dante’s patio in west Omaha: black truffle pizza. Yes, it was excellent, but that’s no surprise. The experience at Dante never seems to let me down, but it had been a while since we’d dined there because Matthew and I have stuck to our…
Neighborhood: West Omaha
Anything west of 90th that’s considered Omaha