Dining Out in Omaha...

If you don't know that Nebraska is highly regarded for its beef than perhaps you should consider NOT auditioning for Jeopardy.

FYI: Nebraska is known to have great beef. And so when my sister was visiting we went on the hunt for the best steak in town. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to say we have found a contender.

Behold The Drover:



Why is it great? Well first of all it's dark and looks like it was decorated by a Clint Eastwood fan circa 1975.



Second, the restaurant features a one-page menu (complete with cowboy on the front):



Your options are steak, steak, grilled chicken, and steak. I recommend the steak. Mr. P and my sis opted for the Whiskey Filet with loaded baked potatoes. I like non-alcholic beef so I opted for the 8oz. filet with salad bar accompaniment. (and by salad I mean iceburg lettuce, ranch dressing and bacon bits...still quite refreshing, actually) The steaks were cooked perfectly, the waiters are friendly and helpful, and the bread, french fries and potato/leek soup were great.

Maybe I liked it so much because as a child my family used to frequent a place called The Steak Pit. I believe "The Pit" also featured wagon wheels and dingy yellow lighting and a salad bar well stocked with iceburg lettuce. So perhaps my love for The Drover was simply caused by fond memories triggered by wall-mounted steer horns:



The world may never know.

Dining Out in Omaha...

Why is it that every time we have guests in town Mr. P and I become drawn like magnets to any foods that are 90% Crisco? This weekend Iowa neighbors Joe and Mary came for a quick visit and we decided to hit The Twisted Fork for one of our favorite treats.

I give you Exhibit A - fried pickles:



With a side of ranch, of course. The deep fried batter wasn't enough - it MUST be dipped in a condiment made entirely of mayonaise and LDL (bad cholesterol for those of us who weren't pre-med majors for all of three months).

But wait! What's this? A new item on the menu? Well it's only right that we give it a whirl. And that's how we got to exhibit B - country-fried bacon:



Yes you read correctly - FRIED BACON. Wrong. Wrong on SO many levels. And yet so so right.

And those were just the appetizers. Dinner for me consisted of a turkey, cheddar and tomato sandwich. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Well it is when you add ranch dressing, bacon, Texas toast and a side of french fries. Gross.

You'll be happy to know that we skipped dessert. At the restaurant. We walked half a block to the Old Market Candy Shop for some mud balls:



A mud ball is like a chocolate Oreo cheesecake ball dipped in more chocolate. Mortal sin in bite-sized chunks.

I'm fairly certain we burned some of the calories during a heated Wii Karaoke session. But then we loaded up again the next morning with a trip back to Dixie Quicks where I ordered French toast the size of my sofa:



Today I start my new Ex-Lax and cucumber diet. I'll let you know how it goes...right after I get one last Dairy Queen Tagalong Blizzard.

Dining out in Omaha...

Signs you've found a good Thai restaurant:

1. The name includes the words "Thai" or "Bangkok." Here in town we have Thai Pepper, Thai Spice, etc. And then there's one called Noodles & Company. If you were craving Thai food and didn't know any better would YOU choose Noodles & Company over Thai Spice? I think I've made my point.

2. They ask you how spicy you want your food, the insinuation being "Hey white lady, no way you can handle this dish as it's meant to be prepared. Save yourself." And I appreciate that - because I like spicy, but not Thai spicy.

3. You can hear diners around you combating runny noses. No it's not a bizarre form of Asian Bird Flu...it's the spices. Gets me every time.

4. It looks like this from the outside:



Bangkok & Cuisine (yes there is an "&" in there...no I don't get it either) on 19th & Farnam is fantastic. The food was fresh and delicious, and the service, while a bit slow, was friendly and helpful. My one complaint - no beer. I love a cold Singha when I'm launching an assault on my taste buds with some spicy Pad Prik Khing. But Sprite would have to do.

Still, so worth a visit if you're ever in town!

A unique drive-thru experience...

Things I love about Omaha - Number 345: Really tasty drive-thru chicken parm with a side of pizza at Fazoli's.



No, for real. A SIDE of pizza - as in, it's part of a combo meal. Of course one could argue that pizza is a main course but to those people I say, "PIZZA WILL NOT STAND FOR BEING PIGEONHOLED LIKE THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH."

Okay that was actually Mr. P's order - I opted for the slightly more sensible spaghetti with tomato and meat sauce and a side salad. But no matter. The point is that you CAN get drive-thru chicken parm if you want it. And want it I do.

My thighs on the other hand...well, not so much.

Oh, did I mention that you can also drive-thru for Dairy Queen Tagalongs Blizzards? For those of you communists who don't know, Tagalongs are THE BEST Girl Scout Cookies ever. And the geniuses at Dairy Queen mash them up and put them in ice cream. And then you eat it. And then you regret it. And then you get over it and decide that life is too short and you get another one the next day. And then you realize you have a problem - too many Blizzards, not enough Lycra.

Perhaps we'll have to limit our chicken parm/Blizzards outtings. This could get ugly.

Eating Omaha...

I've made reference in earlier posts to Omaha's kick-butt food scene. But this weekend with Mr. P's folks in town we were able to discover even more local haunts that made us cry "lord have mercy!"

Among them French Cafe, a gorgeous brasserie-style restaurant in the heart of Omaha's Old Market district. First and foremost I plan on stealing the electric pink tree in the back corner - it's pink, it shimmers, and it walks a fine line between super cool and just plain tacky. MUST HAVE IT.



I ordered the steak frites because I'm a sucker for red meat and who doesn't love a good pile o' frites? Oui oui.



For dessert the world's largest profiterole or as I like to call it, "that giant flaky ice cream thingy."

And as if that weren't enough, we walked down the street to the Old Market Candy Store where we picked up a dozen mud balls, a cross between a truffle, an Oreo and a cheesecake ball. If that's wrong I don't wanna be right.

Next up on the Road to High Cholesterol was Dixie Quicks.

Doesn't look like much, does it? It's surprisingly less "divey" on the inside and reservations are a must. The restaurant was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" a show that I believe is funded by the American Butter Churners Union. And Dixie Quicks is a solid addition to the program. The french toast was the size of a bowling ball, the pancakes were fluffy and delicious, and my dish - the Dixie Scramble - made me want to stand up and salute.

Oh sure, sure...we did make time for some good home cooking. My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and we grilled chicken and vegetables one night. But then we hopped right back on the Lipitor Express with a visit to Louis M's Burger Lust:

No, really. That's what it's called. And the burgers are positively TO DIE FOR. I had guacamole, bacon and cheddar cheese on mine. And no, I have no regrets. I'm building up a solid layer of fat to keep me warm this winter.

And to celebrate the in-laws' visit we ended with dinner at a great spot near our house followed by ice cream at the most fantastic ice cream shop you could ever imagine: e-Creamery. How many places do you know that will let you customize your ice cream, gelato or sorbet right down to the label? You can have it shipped to just about anywhere in the US or, if you're lucky enough to live 15 blocks away, you can just go pick it up. This week they were celebrating the College World Series by offering special flavors representing each team.

Just FYI, I opted for the Virginia Victory Mix but the Tar Heel Meal was winning. (what do you expect? it has sweet cream ice cream with Reeses's Peanut Butter Cups and hot fudge.)

To work off our delicious desserts we did what all newcomers to Omaha do...we stalked Warren Buffet's house. And for all of you who are curious to know:

Not as massive as you would think, huh? And obviously it's no Ranch. But hey Warren, if you're reading this, I'm happy to come by and help jazz things up. I'm now a mulching magician, an uber-upholsterer, and a weeding wizard. Just let me know when I should swing by!