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Review: At Omaha’s Ota, find the best sushi experience between Chicago and Los Angeles
Today is all about bold pronouncements. I am now prepared to make several, starting here: two-time James Beard semifinalist David Utterback, who has just opened a new, upgraded omakase experience in Benson called Ota, is making the best sushi in the Midwest. Period. I’ve been writing about Utterback’s restaurant and his omakase since 2018, when…
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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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A Steak Star is Born: Italian breed showcased on Nebraska plates
Under the warm lights of the Casa Bovina dining room, a round of Certified Piedmontese rib cap glows red, like a rare jewel. A selection of house-cured charcuterie made from Nebraska-raised Mangalitsa pork is served artfully arranged on a slab of reclaimed wood. Beef Wellington — a dish chef Zach Midgett, who came to Lincoln…
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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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My top five reviewed restaurants of 2022 (and five more favorites, for good measure)
It has been a real pleasure to return to restaurant reviewing this year. I knew I missed it; what I didn’t realize was just how much. As we close out 2022 — a year that has been personally challenging for me on many levels — I just want to say a quick word of thanks…
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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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The 16 Best Restaurants in Omaha, Nebraska
From classic steakhouses to sushi, explore the top dining destinations.