Independence, IA

My one and only vacation this summer was to a sleepy little town in Iowa called Independence for a friends wedding.  I knew I would have a wonderful time seeing old friends and spending a few days away from the stresses of everyday life but I had no idea I would fall so in love with this little town.  On our last day Theary and I asked the bride and groom to send us to their favorite restaurant before we had to leave town.  They sent us to Okobojis, the local golf club with a bar and grill.  As we walked up from the parking lot we knew we had stumbled across something special.  Coming from the patio was the sound of an acoustic guitar and the voice of a scruffy long haired musician; the kind that every girl loves.  We were initially seated inside but quickly moved outdoors to hear the music and enjoy the view.  We were seated right on the bank and could see nothing but river in both directions.  As we ate our meal and sipped on screwdrivers and bloody mary's we also waved at kyakers and canoers as they lazily made their way down the river.  I could have sat on that patio for hours, content with life. I was so obsessed with the atmosphere, the food could have been horrible and I wouldn't have minded.  It wasn't, the food was delicious, although I hardly remember what I ate.  The restaurant was a great recommendation, a great meal, great atmosphere in an amazing little town. 

Okoboji Grill 
1749 Golf Course Blvd.
Independence Iowa
319-334-6576

The Cup

One thing I love about moving around as much as I do is discovering new favorite places in every city.  A few months ago, while catering the appetizers for a 80th birthday party I was treating to an amazing strawberry cupcake.  It was moist and flavorful without being sticky; the icing was thick and creamy.  The ratio between icing and cake was just right.  The styling was simple and elegant, smooth creamy swirls of icing with just a touch of the strawberry colored cake showing on the edges.  A deep red parchment wrapper to match the pink cake and off white icing.  I've always appreciated it when a chef goes the extra mile with a little detail like color coding the packaging to the food inside.
These cupcakes stuck with me for months.  I constantly had the thought in the back of my mind, if I drive by this shop I will stop in and get a second taste.  However, I've never came across this delicious bakery on my own.  Finally I reached my breaking point and set out on a specific trip to fulfill my carving for these cupcakes.  I learned that I've never found this place on my own because it is in one of Lincoln's more historic areas.  Sweetly nestled inside and old bottle factory covered in lush green Ivy is The Cup.  A bakery / coffee shop / local artist haven / foodie heaven.  My soul was instantly soothed as I stepped out of the muggy Nebraska summer heat into a cool, dimly lit little shop.  The exposed brick walls covered in eccentric prints by local artists, the colored light bulbs that reflected off the high ceilings and most importantly the sweet smell of cake batter and a warm oven.
There were several varieties of goodies for sale in the display case, I skipped over the muffins and cakes and focused solely on my mission, cupcakes.  There were four flavors in the case so I took one of each.  I decided to gift them to my dad as a father's day present, which he was more than pleased to accept.  I did take a vanilla bean strawberry for my own and it did not disappoint.  My memory served me well, these cupcakes are to die for.  Anyone in the Lincoln area looking for a good cup of coffee and a perfectly sized couple bites of deliciousness, The Cup is where you need to be.  Correction, where we need to be.  I would not pass up the opportunity to sample some more flavors from this bakery.

Vanilla Bean with Strawberry Icing

Mocha with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans

The Cup

Simple food, fair trade coffee and tea, organic baking

643 South 25th Street #7, Lincoln Ne

402-475-0494

www.thecuplincoln.com

Burger Star

Today was such a beautiful day, I spent the afternoon with the amazing Theary Meak and one of her old friends Treaven.  Our mission for the day?  Find a burger as satisfying as the afternoon was.  And with the brilliant blue sky, the warm sun and the light breeze, this burger needed to be just short of extraordinary to live up to our expectations.  Treaven suggested a little joint in Omaha called Burger Star.  I must admit, with out a recommendation I would have drove right past this place.  It is located on the corner of a strip mall, with a large bright red and yellow star as their logo.  Granted they do have a picturesque little patio, but overall the building seemed a little understated.  This ended up being a huge plus once we got inside, it was like a cool kids only zone. The crowd it attracted was a group of good people, looking for a good burger and a layed back afternoon.  It wasn't filled with a bunch of average Joe's trying to get a quick bite in between running errands.  It was decorated with smooth granted floors, big warm furniture and a mix of classic country and rock n' roll decor.  One of Treaven's favorite features about this place is the music selection.  They have dozens and dozens of live concerts on video and they will happily turn on your favorite artist.  Our music selection for our late afternoon lunch?  Non other than Queen.  Now we had great company, great music and a great setting to enjoy our lunch, all we needed were some great burgers.  Burger Star offers a build your own menu, you can choose a single burger, double burger or a grilled chicken sandwich with the toppings of your choice.  I built my single burger up with cheddar and pepper jack, jalapenos, BBQ sauce and fried onions.  Theary had a single with sauteed mushrooms, fresh pico, jalapenos and swiss.  Treaven had the biggest appetite, ordering a double stack with ketchup, mayo, grilled onions, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and cheddar cheese.  His burger also came with enough fries for the three of us to share.  The fries deserved a little section of praise here....hand cut (thick with the skin on) and sea salt.  The sea salt was a wonderful bite of flavor without making you feel like you were on your way to a clogged artery.  But the burgers were the true star of the meal, hence the name of the the restaurant.  The first thing Theary and I noticed was the crispy edges on our burgers.  They tasted just like they had came off a backyard grill, which is such a hard flavor to achieve from an indoor industrial kitchen.  All the burgers came on soft roll buns, buttered and grilled.  The toppings were fresh; the jalapenos had the right amount of kick, the cheese was ooey-gooey melted and the fried onions had the right amount of crunch.  Theary finished her burger in record time, obviously no complaints from her end of the table.  Treaven slowed down a bit mid burger but was still unable to leave any of it behind.  Theary and I washed our burgers down with margarita's, they serve classic and strawberry with your choice of blended or on the rocks.  Treaven enjoyed a Mexican Pepsi, a favorite served in the glass jar.  I feel I must mention the wait staff too, I'm not sure what their hiring process is but I'm pretty sure 'cool' is a requirement.  All the staff we came in contact with fit the vibe of the restaurant; friendly, fun and welcoming.  Our only disappointing moment was when we had to leave.  It would have been so easy for the three of us to sit on the patio for a couple of hours, sipping margaritas, listening to great music and soaking up the blue sky and sunshine.

This restaurant comes with my full seal of approval, try it for yourself:
Burger Star
1222 S. 71 Street
Omaha, Ne
402-333-7827

My Top 5

As the new year approaches everyone talks about what they expect or anticipate for the coming year.  I think it's a better idea to focus on the good things from the previous year.  So here are my Top five places to eat in my home town, Lincoln Nebraska for 2010.

1. The Green Gateau- great atmosphere, amazing food, friendly knowledgeable staff, great menu variety.  Overall my best dinning experience this year.

2. The Bread and Cup-  fresh, fresh, fresh.  Simple and basic food, cooked with amazing skill and technique.

3. Ramo's Pub and Pizza- I'm not a pizza person but this place has me coming back time and time again.  The pepperoni and cream cheese pizza is a staple in my junk food diet.

4. Vung Tau- This place doesn't look like much but it is.  Best spring rolls and pho in the area. 

5. James Arthur Vineyards-  Not a large food selection but the view is un-matchable and staff is friendly and helpful.  And the wine helps too. 

The Bread and Cup

I really love living in Lincoln.  I catch a lot of guff for it from my friends in bigger cities.  Sure I miss cities like Chicago with an endless arena of food choices; new chefs and new concepts at every corner.  But there is a huge downside to that. In an over saturated market it can take weeks to find a good (and affordable) spot to eat.  And once you find it you have to keep your fingers crossed that it will still be there the next time you have a craving.  Lincoln, however, is small enough that it isn't hard to find a great spot to eat and if it truly is a great spot its going to stick around.  The Bread and Cup was established in 2007 and is still going strong.  Located in the historic Haymarket district the scene is perfect for the concept of this restaurant.  Located in an old warehouse the entire restaurant is a open concept loft.  As you walk in you see strait into the kitchen, the bread ovens and work spaces are all visible to the dinners.  The dinning room is also very open and inviting.  Off white walls free of clutter, small simple centerpieces and a flickering candle on each table top leave you with nothing to focus on outside of your company and the food. My company was my great friend Amanda and our choice of food was simple.  We started with the house charcuterie plate and we both ordered the fall vegetable risotto.  This was a big step for me because The Bread and Cup is most famous for its soup, and everyone knows how much I love soup.  But the meats for our charcuterie platter were all cured in house which sparked my interested and risotto is a dish that I just don't have the strength to turn down.  The charcuterie plate gets a 4 out of 5 stars.  We got a three meat selection and the house made sausage was a little on the waxy side however the prosciutto was divine.  It was silky smooth and melted in my mouth.  The sampler also came with a wonderfully chewy loaf of bread and a honey mustard sauce that Amanda loves so much she would probably eat it with a spoon.  In other reviews I've read for the restaurant I've seen a fair amount of complaints about the small sizing of food portions.  This was not our experience at all.  We ended up needing a to-go box for our appetizer, not pint sized at all.  The risotto was platted beautifully.  Not in a bowl like most places but on  a plate, a sure sign of a good risotto.  Thick enough to hold its form but still 'giggly' when the plate is shaken. I'm very well aware of the fact that when menu's have non-descript items such as 'fall vegetables' it is the chefs way of using up whatever he or she has excess of in the kitchen.  Kevin Shinn is not most chefs.  He believes in sustainable cooking.  That is, using local ingredients, fresh produce, no freeze dried, preservative filled ready made stuff.  It's a way of live and a style of cooking he really believes in.  To find out more about him, check out his blog, http://breadandcup.blogspot.com/ Keeping this concept in mind, I knew that our 'fall vegetables' would not be just the bottom of the barrel left overs.  What we got was onions and brussel sprouts.  I tend to fall in line with the majority of the population when it comes to brussel sprouts, no thank you.  I've had several chefs try and change my mind.  A former restaurant I worked for swore that their horseradish and cheese sauce would convert the pickiest of eaters but I was not swayed.  I even tried Julia Childs recipe and got the same resulting taste; dirt.  I always taste dirt.  The risotto, however, tasted earthy.  No dirty after taste, I ate every brussel sprout in my dish.  But the true star was the onions, gently sweated and translucent, I found myself digging through the dish looking for them.  It took awhile and I left feeling more full than I was comfortable with but I couldn't leave any of it behind.  The rice was cooked perfectly, the bechamel was to die for and the raspberry drizzle and Parmesan sprinkle was the perfect way to top it off.  I was very pleased with my trip to The Bread and Cup.  It defiantly ranks in my top five places to eat in Lincoln.  Give it a try, or better yet, give me a call and I will go with you.


The Bread and Cup
440 N. 8th street suite 150
Lincoln, Ne
402 438 2255

Backfire BBQ

A few days ago I took a road trip with some friends to Kansas City. After a three and a half hour car ride filled with candy and ice cream we decided we needed a hearty meal. Dinning with this particular group of friends can be tricky. With two lactose intolerant dinners and three shellfish allergies our list of places to eat is always slim. Trial and error have taught us that barbecue is a great solution to this particular problem. Lucky for us Kansas City is famous for its epic barbecue. Everyone in the Midwest knows it. And anyone who watches television should know it, the travel channel, food network and history channel all have shows dedicated to the soul full, slow cooked, smokey wonder that is barbecue. We had heard some great buzz about a place called Arthur Bryants. When we pulled we realized it was only a fast food joint and we were searching for somewhere to sit down and unwind. Even though the restaurant came highly recommended we passed it up for the atmosphere we were searching for. Across the way we found a place called Backfire BBQ. It was endorsed by The Orange County Choppers which impressed the men in the group. The inside was exactly what you would expect from a restaurant endorsed by a group of bikers. Motorcycle memorabilia everywhere, metal, neon lights, and over sized everything. Starting with our 24oz drinks. Not exactly fine dinning but it seemed promising to fill our angry stomachs. Our food arrived on its gigantic plates and looked delicious. And that's where our great experience ended. The baked beans that came with everyone meal had an extremely off flavor. It took a couple bits to figure out what the strange flavor was...old onions. Old onions, stale beans and a dirty pot. If I had to venture a guess I would say they sauteed all the onions when the opened for lunch that morning and had been topping off the same pan of beans throughout the day. That means by time we arrived at 8pm the pot had been on the stove for roughly ten hours, disgusting. I tried to rid the stale taste with a bite of my grilled Texas toast only to find they have put the same amount of care into cleaning the grill as they had into the pots used for the beans. You could taste the old grease and grim on the grill. Luckily the fries were crispy and the nothing appeared to be wrong with the brisket burnt ends that I ordered. With the over sized portions it was enough to fill me up without having to touch the beans or bread. It wasn't horrible enough to complain but defiantly not good enough to bring me back. Try at your own risk.

http://www.backfirebarbeque.com/

1855 Village West Parkway

Kansas City, KS

66111

Ray's The Steak

I must admit that my most recent trip to Washington D.C. was a bit of a food disappointment. We arrived late in the evening only to find that our hotel reservation had been switched to an 'express' which did not have a restaurant or room service. Thus forcing us to walk around an unknown area until we ran into a random greasy, yet organic (?), diner. And I'm sure you all read about our failed lunch date at The Good Stuff Eatery. So there was a lot riding on our dinner reservations. Before I left good old Nebraska I put out a facebook plea for recommendations of D.C. dinner spots. My friend Pat sent me several establishments to look into. The one that first caught my eye was a steak house with a clever name. Ray's The Steaks. It was on the same subway line we traveled so I took this a fate and made a dinner reservation. I wasn't sure what to expect as we walked up. The restaurants designer believed in a very minimalistic approach. The sign outside was made up of simple white letters on a black backdrop placed just above the entrance. The interior matched. Classic wood floors, white walls with black accents, sleek black table tops and quality silver utensils. At first impression it seemed kinda stiff but the longer we sat there, the more comfortable we felt. The wait staff was super friendly and the whole place was filled with good conversation and laughter. We were given our menu's and a plate of bread and a bowl of spiced nuts. And what a selection! A restaurant that serves only steaks and we still had over fifty menu items to choose from. Different cuts, sizes, styles, and sauces. I was impressed to see hanger steak on the menu. A rare cut of meat that is one per cow. I was a little nervous looking over the menu as my mom is not a big steak eater. In fact it has been over 11 years since she has last had a steak. She decided on the steak salad, well done. And I eventually choose a Brazilian strip, medium rare, with a spicy deablo sauce and sauteed garlic. While we waited for our food to arrive I couldn't help but noticed how well trained the staff was. As I watched them at times they seemed choreographed they moved that smoothly among themselves. I have a feeling that this detail that made our evening so nice was completely un-noticed by the majority of the patrons there. No one ever notices when things go right, only when things go wrong with service do people pay attention. But I paid attention. Slight head nods and small hand gestures between the servers and bussers keep the tables clean, our water glasses full and the dinning room floor relatively clear of traffic. Our food arrived in a timely manner and it too was minimalisticly plated. In fact the only thing on my plate was my steak. No squiggle of sauce, no parsley, no garnish. Just a well cooked piece of meat. We were also served family style mashed potatoes and creamed spinach free of charge. Which for an upscale steak house is un heard of. My steak was thick and juicy just as I expected. What really impressed me was that my mom's well done steak was still tender and juicy. Personally I take offense to any steak that is cooked above a medium, as I feel it destroys the texture of the meat. But her steak was cooked through without being leathery and tough. The deablo sauce that came with my steak was made with spicy green chili's and a hint of cilantro. Very spicy on its own and tamed to a desirable level of heat when eating with the steak. I did find that about a third of the way through my steak I stopped using the sauce and just ate the meat because it was so well seasoned. You could taste the grill! And not in a burnt ashy way. No, what you tasted was a well seasoned cast iron flavor. The same sort of flavor that comes off of my cast iron skillet that goes three generations back. The mashed potatoes were just lumpy enough to let you know they were made from real spuds and creamy enough to not require extra butter or gravy. The only part of the meal that we didn't eat was the spinach. I thought it was a tad on the bitter side and my mom just isn't a cooked greens eater. But that didn't phase either one of us, we both had more food than we could finish. And the check? under $25 a person. As soon as we left the restaurant I sent Pat a thank you message, his recommendation was right on. A quality steak dinner in a friendly well staffed restaurant for under $25, Ray's The Steaks lives up to its name.

good stuff eatery

September has turned out to be a very busy month and has presented me with some fun, unique food opportunities. About seven years ago while donating blood I was asked if I would like to give an extra vile and be entered into the Department of Defense (DOD) national bone marrow donor program. In return for entering yourself in the program you received the rest of the day off of work, so of coarse I said yes. Being in the national bone marrow donor registry is pretty uneventful. Until you get called. I got my first call two and a half years ago. After a series of rigorous physical screening I was determined to be the closest match for a leukemia patient in need of a donation. My donation was actually for stem cells, not marrow. Which is a less painful, more precise method of treatment. Its a cleaner product that's more easily accepted by the recipient. This initial treatment lead to two more donations over two years to help stimulate the healthy growth of cells for my match. ANYWAYS, the point of telling you all this is that the donations are held in Washington D.C. Which means every year or so I get an all expense paid vacation to the nations capitol. And I take full advantage of the booming food scene there. On my first trip years ago I was super excited to visit a new restaurant opened by a favorite Top Chef contestant of mine, Spike Mendelsohn. The Good Stuff Eatery is a burger joint serving the good old favorites as well as new and interesting burger combinations. They also offer hand cut fries (with or without special seasoning), hand spun shakes and a selection of homemade dipping sauces. My first trip to the Eatery was a memorable one. We were even lucky enough to meet Spike and see him work. The burgers were large, hearty and delicious. The staff friendly and fun. It was such a memorable trip that I have gone back every time I visit D.C. However, this last trip was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I have been craving a burger from The Good Stuff Eatery for weeks now, ever since I got the call to come back. It was the first place we went when we arrived in the city. The music was unbearably loud and the place seemed ridiculously crowded. And it didn't take long to figure out why. Right inside the door in the only downstairs waiting area was a large shipment of paper products. Some boxes were even open and product taken out to be used while the rest of the boxes sat there unattended and obviously not where they belonged. There was mass confusion as you walked up to the counter, no one was sure who was in line, who was waiting for their food and who was working. There were at least four men in uniform just standing around on the customer side of the counter. Doing nothing. Being a manager myself, it was really hard for me not to tell those lazy boys to stop leaning on the wall and go put away the paper shipment. Once we finally made our way up to the counter we had to yell, literally yell, over the music to order our food. And when the cashier couldn't hear us correctly she didn't politely ask us to speak up, instead she rudely ordered us to 'talk louder'. The experience was so far from the usual I couldn't help but look around and notice the be-wildered look on the other patrons faces too. Finally we were handed a buzzer and a numbered ticket and sent to wait. The next thing we knew the rude counter girl was shouting numbers that didn't match any one's ticket. And since none of our buzzers were buzzing we all stared right back at her. Eventually (and still rudely) she informed us she was calling the numbers of the buzzers. Which left us wondering why hand out buzzers if you aren't going to use them for their intended purpose? At last we went upstairs to take our seats. Again we noticed several employees standing around. And several uncleaned tables. The only upside to this trip was that the food was still amazing. My mom and I got the same burger, A cheese burger with American and Muenster cheese, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and 'the good stuff sauce'. And we both got hand spun shakes. Mine was a black and white (vanilla with hot fudge) and my mom got a basic chocolate shake. As we were enjoying our super calorie laden lunch we starting to get an uneasy filling. And it soon became apparent what the extra staff was for. To stare at you and make you uncomfortable so you leave sooner. All and all we spent less than a half and hour at lunch. I was left with the overall feeling that the boss was away (and had been away for a while) and his employees were not behaving as they should. At least that is what I hope was the problem. Sadly I doubt I will ever find out. If I was a D.C. resident I would surely give The Good Stuff Eatery another chance. But since I only have a few days a year to sample the D.C. food scene I won't be waisting them on another chance at a horrible experience.

Green Gateau

So I've been hearing about this restaurant ever since I moved to Lincoln. Most people calling it 'my favorite restaurant' or 'the type of place I like to go for birthdays or a special occasions'. So I of coarse insisted that someone one take me there. My great friend Amanda was more than happy to accompany me to her favorite eatery and we both agreed we couldn't make the trip with out of favorite photographer, Theary. So the three of us set off on a Monday night for an amazing dinner at The Green Gateau. The restaurant describes its food as American Contemporary but they definitively have a French influence. The building itself is beautiful. Even if the food wasn't amazing I would still go back for the atmosphere. The outside was a distressed brick with climbing green vines and wrought iron gates. Once inside I felt like I stepped back into small town England. Wood floors, large wine cellars, ornate coffee machine, stained glass, low light and wood carvings in the ceiling and railings. The best thing about their menu was the dinner meal deal. A soup, salad, entree and dessert for $25. Even though we were all sure it would be more food than we could consume we couldn't pass the opportunity to try as many dishes as possible. I was really hoping that french onion soup would be on Monday's menu, sadly it wasn't. (the french onion soup is one of the selling points people used to convince me of how great this place was) Instead we were treated to a roasted red pepper with smoked Gouda, a Jamaican black bean and a classic lobster bisque. I ordered the bisque even though it is one of my least favorite soups. I was curious if it was prepared correctly and how much lobster it would actually have. I've seen this particular soup made incorrectly in so many different establishments I've made it a general rule to just not order it. Before you ask I will tell you this soup is made incorrectly so often because it is an expensive soup to make. More often than not it's just to easy to use a base, imitation meat or some other kind of filler or means of stretching the soup. I'm glad I went against my rule because this bisque was wonderfully prepared. If The Green Gateau is using a 'cheat method' with this bisque I wasn't able to detect it. HOWEVER, I'm still just not a fan of lobster bisque. Lucky for me Theary was so we switched soups. Which left me with the roasted red pepper and smoked gouda. Great flavor, beautiful color and very rich. It was a rather inspiring soup, I found myself thinking about all the different dishes I could make with that particular flavor profile. I was glad I had the small cup and not a large bowl because it would have been to much for one sitting. The third soup was my favorite. I would have traded for it if I could convince my vegetarian friend to give up her only option. The Jamaican black bean was full bodied, satisfying and had just the right kick of spice. Our Salads arrived next and wow, what a presentation. I sometimes forget the simple things that I was trained in culinary school are not common knowledge. I had to giggle to myself as everyone at my table (and the table behind us) marveled as to what 'the cool curved thing' was that the salad was plated on. A Parmesan crisp. Delicious and very delicate. It takes skill not only from the kitchen but from the wait staff to pull of a plated salad like that. On to our main coarse. Theary was hungry for seafood, first the lobster bisque and then the crab cakes, a dish she had never tried before. Feeling a bit risky from my rule breaking bisque I ordered a pork dish (something else I rarely do). Brandied peppercorn pork to be exact. My dinner came with a heaping mound of smashed potatoes and a small side of julienne zucchini and yellow squash. My only complaint was that the side of vegetables was so small compared to the serving of pork and potatoes. My pork medallions were pounded thin and breaded which made them perfectly suited to soak up the rich brandied peppercorn sauce. Overall a rich, hearty dish sure to satisfy the hungriest of bellies. The crab cake plate came off the lunch menu and looked like the perfect lunch time treat. At first sight the dish didn't appear to be much, pretty yes, but nothing spectacular. Until you took a closer look. On top of the cakes was a dabble of tomato in a fine brunoise (1/16 of an inch). Impressive. The sauce was a little heavy on the horseradish, to tangy for Theary. I found it to be a nice complement in a small dose. How do I know? Once again Theary and I switched dishes. It just goes to show, you should always stick with your first instincts. Neither dish was a disappointment by any stretch of the imagination, just a matter of following your personal preference. And Amanda did just that. She ordered the manicotti, a dish she's had and enjoyed several times. And the tastes she let Theary and I have didn't disappoint either. At this point in the night we felt as if we had ate all we possibly could.....then the dessert cart came by. As a part of our four course meal, we were entitled to a sweet treat at the end. Always watching our lady like figures, the three of us decided on sharing two desserts instead of one each. I couldn't pass up the traditional creme brulee. I was offered my choice of brown or white sugar and the dish was bruleed (sugar burned) table side. For those of you who have never had creme brulee before it is a custard dish that is capped with sugar and then the sugar is caramelized on top. When it cools you 'wack' it with the back of your spoon and the caramelized sugar cracks into a beautiful broken mirror effect. Our other dessert of choice was nicknamed 'death by chocolate'. The menu called it chocolate oblivion. Incredibly rich, it had the taste and texture of the inside of a truffle. YUM! It was a smart choice to split this one between the three of us. Well technically four. Up until this point I haven't mentioned the little gentlemen that was dinning with us. Theary's son Jackson. Who after taking one bite of Amanda's chocolate oblivion looked her strait in the eye and asked "you, me, dinner, ten thousand flying monkeys?" Little Jackson was in L.O.V.E. And I must say so am I. With The Green Gateau.
If you feel like trying it for yourself they can be found at 330 S. 10th street, Lincoln Ne. To make reservations please call 402-477-0330.

Taste of Omaha

This weekend was the 13th annual Taste of Omaha. Dozens of booths serving samples of Omaha's best! How could I miss that? I choose to visit on the last day of the festival, this is always my favorite day to spend at these kind of events. Yes, you run the risk of vendors shutting down early or 86ing certain items but you also miss the drama and excitement of the first few days. I know what your thinking, who would want to miss the fun and fan fair of a festival? Why go at the end as things wind down? Food is a comfort to me, I like to enjoy it in a relaxed atmosphere. And your guaranteed that the vendors will have worked out all the kinks of cooking on location. Sunday afternoon was a slow, gray day. The over looming clouds threatened us with rain but never broke. I love days like this, the dreary weather reminds me of my time in England, that nostalgic feeling is always welcome. It also seems to keep people calm and subdued. Perfect. The last 'Taste' I went to was in Chicago and although the food was phenomenal it was unbelievably crowded and ended up being a series of the same booths repeated throughout the park. So this go around I decided to peruse the line up first to make sure I wasn't wasting my afternoon on chain restaurants or a series of street vendors. Of coarse this trip wasn't all business, I took my mom with me for a day of catching up and people watching, as well as great food. My one complaint about the taste was that not many vendors understood the concept of 'a taste'. The dishes were large and expensive. Some of them costing more than a full sheet of tickets (equaling ten dollars or more). This little surprise made it hard to sample as many places as I would have liked. My mom and I started with a Mexican restaurant, and sadly we were very disappointed. I'm choosing to not mention the name of the establishment in hopes that a visit to there restaurant would be much different that a 'taste' at their stand. However its not high on my list to give them a second chance.
Not to worry, they were the only disappointment of the day. Our next stand was by far my favorite, although I had no doubt that I would absolutely love them. ESPANA. It was over a year ago that I first dined at this truly wonderful establishment. Three friends and I sat in their dining room for hours, partly because of the raging storm outside but mostly because of the charming waiter, the overflowing glasses of sangria and the constant little plates of deliciousness that continued to be delivered to our table. True to the their mission for a few hours we felt as if we were no longer in Omaha. ESPANA's tasting booth was also the most professional booth I saw all afternoon. It took longer than any other booth to get our food because it was prepared to order. We watched as the men behind the scenes fried our chicken empanda, grilled the beef for our marinated slider and assembled our dishes. They even took the time to garnish before serving. The steak slider was melt in your mouth tender and bursting with flavors of garlic, butter and roasted peppers. And the Aoloi served along side the emapanda was the perfect accompaniment to the slightly spicy, juicy chicken. Let just say it will not be another year before you find me ordering off the menu. Sadly our next five tickets were spent on bottled lemonade but it was a much needed refreshment after walking around for a few hours. We then decided we should end our day with something sweet. I remembered as we first walked in we passed a ice cream shop so started to retrace our steps. The ice cream stand was run by eCreamery a dundee ice cream parlor that serves several unique flavors as well as offering you the option to create your own flavor. Of coarse they didn't have the equipment available to create your flavor on the spot so we picked from one of their three options. I picked the most 'out there' flavor sea salt caramel. Yum! it reminded me of a sea salt chocolate tart I made in culinary school. I'm not sure my mom really liked it, she said it reminded her of coffee which I know she isn't a fan of. Either way, the ladies running the booth were sweet and so was the ice cream. I have a feeling this creamery would be an adorable little date spot. Our last choice of festival food was a funnel cake, however the only stand we found that sold them were charging ten tickets! (7 dollars!) Not only did we not have enough tickets left for that, we both agreed no fried treat covered in powdered sugar was worth seven dollars. I actually think this overpriced treat ended up being a miracle in disguise. Right next to the funnel cake stand was a Chicago style hot dog stand! Now I don't regret for a second leaving Chicago but I do seriously miss the hot dogs. And luck have it, it was six tickets for one, exactly what we had left. The Chicago Dawg House almost got it right. A t all the hot dog stands I visited in Chicago I never once saw the 'bright green' relish that was served on our dog at the fair and the dog itself was a little on the small side but other wise the flavor was right on. The stop at the Dawg House was well worth eating another savory dish after dessert.
If you missed The Taste of Omaha you made a big mistake. Make sure to add it to your calendar for next summer. And make sure to check out ESPANA!

p.s. sorry for the sub-par photos, Miss Theary was not with me on this trip.

Indian Oven @ the Old Market

It has become abundantly apparent that I can not keep this blog to one post a month. However, I do plan to stay true to my 'thing of the month'. I am working on some delicious honey recipes for June and am planning to try them out on friends this weekend at my Friday night games and wine party. If your invited, feel lucky. I'm also looking for a real 'honey farm' to see these bee's in action. If anyone knows of anywhere in the Nebraska area please leave me a comment.

Well, this particular post is all about one of my favorite things, curry! I count my blessing that I have some adventurous friends when it comes to food because heaven help me, my family is not. This weekend Theary and I met in Omaha's Old Market. I can't believe I don't visit this place more often. I'm making it a goal of this summer to visit at least once a month, if not more. The buildings are beautiful, the shopping is great, the people are quirky and oh so friendly and there are dozens of unique restaurants to try.Our pick for the afternoon was Indian Oven. I must admit I was skeptical at first, which was totally unfair. I was confusing Indian Oven with another Indian restaurant in the area. I have no personal experience to judge this other restaurant, my only issue is that they serve several fusion dishes and when it comes to curry I want mine 100% authentic. Back to Indian Oven. What an amazing place. Right away we were greeted by Maria, a colorful woman who was not just interested in helping us find our seat but took the time to chat with us about why we were in her restaurant, if we had experienced Indian dining before and then continued to talk with us about their culture, Theary's photography and this blog. Oh and did I mention that the restaurant was packed? She could have very easily shown us to our seat and moved onto the next customer but she didn't. We knew right away this was going to be a great meal. Now I haven't had Indian food since I left Chicago last July, or at least Indian food that I didn't cook myself. And lets face it, when it comes to this stuff its best made by someone who has grown up with these spices, smells and techniques. When ordering I had to go for my favorite dish, Chicken Tikka Korma (Spicy, please!) and Theary choose a lamb dish, Rogan Gosht. Of coarse we also got Naan and Ritia. At this point I was getting really nervous because we also had a three year old dinning with us, what could we possibly feed this little guy? The Zoe plate is what our waitress recommended. A meal of real chicken pieces (not processed nuggets) plain rice and sweet potato fries. Kid friendly food that is healthy and teaches them good eating habits.

Our food arrived and we were not disappointed. The gravies were bursting with flavor, the meat unbelievably tender and the spice right on. The spice is what makes these dishes so extraordinary. The basic flavors, textures and colors are intact regardless of how much heat you want in your dish. In other cuisines if you take away the heat, you take away the flavor. And if you like the heat (I do!) it's something special in itself. It takes three or four bites before the heat kicks in. And when it does it takes over but somehow manages to never destroy the flavor of the dish. Indian food is some of the hottest food I have ever eaten and yet it has never been so overwhelming that I can not taste the other flavors present. We finished our meal with a shared bowl of kheer. We couldn't eat more than a few bites but had to finish with something sweet. And sweet it was, shortly after our dessert arrived the Chef came out to greet us. As a Chef myself I know how hard it is to tear yourself away from the line, your prep, or the general chaos of the kitchen. It doesn't seem like much to diners but ten minutes is a lot of time behind the scenes when every table in the restaurant (and patio) is full. It was so wonderful to know everyone from the hostess to the kitchen staff personally cared about our dining experience.Overall this was a spectacular lunch; I look forward to dining here again.Oh and as a final tip, Don't forget to tip! Although the atmosphere may make you think you are no longer in Omaha, this is still America and our waiters and waitresses make their livings off of tips, so be kind and generous as these men and women work hard and deserve 20% or more.

Want to try Indian Oven for yourself? Visit them at 1010 Howard Street, Omaha Nebraska (402) 342-4856