Gastronomic Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soup.

New Omaha Food Bloggers - Q3 2009

2009-07-10T08:30:00.006-05:00

As more foodies start blogging and existing food bloggers move to Omaha, our list of Omaha Food Bloggers continues to grow. I'll be updating the list occasionally as we find these new blogs. We also have one subtraction since Greg Bullard has moved to Austin, TX. Greg is still doing some reviews of Omaha restaurants, so keep an eye out for those. Now check out our latest additions:

Omaha Food Bloggers

Tweet it out for #FollowFriday

Tags || OMAHA | FOOD | BLOGGERS | OMAHA FOOD BLOGGERS BLOG ROLL | FOLLOWFRIDAY | GFC |

Omaha Food Bank - O! What a Duck Race 2009

2009-06-12T09:19:00.003-05:00

We've decided to make The Omaha Food Bank the primary beneficiary of our charitable efforts at Gastronomic Fight Club. We hope to share more information about that in the coming months. Right now, however, everyone can help the Food Bank with their largest fundraiser of the year which is just starting to ramp up this weekend.

The Omaha Food Bank's 2nd Annual
"O! What a Duck Race!"

July 25, 2009
Adopt a Duck ~ Feed the Hungry

Over 50,000 ducks will be dropped into the lake at Heartland of America Park and will race for a quarter mile until one duck is the Grand Prize Winner of a Nissan Versa! And one lucky duck will have a chance to win One Million Dollars!

The day will start with FREE family-friendly activities for all ages, great food, live music, and will culminate in the racing of the derby ducks for a grand prize of the Nissan Versa!

Date: July 25, 2009
Where: Heartland of America Park
Schedule: Stay tuned for race day details!

Grand Prize: Nissan Versa
Sponsored by: Nissan of Omaha

Funds raised benefit The Food Bank and the thousands of people struggling to put food on the table for their families.

Adopt a Duck

$5 "Just Quacky" (1)
1 Duck Adoption

$25 "Six Quack" (6)
Adopt 5 Ducks, Get 1 Free

$40 "Sack of Quacks" (10)
Adopt 8 Ducks, Get 2 Free

$100 "Max Quacks" (25)
Adopt 20 Ducks, Get 5 Free

Get more information on adopting ducks for "O! What a Duck Race!".

Why Adopt a Duck?

All proceeds go to the Omaha Food Bank to support their many local programs. The food bank has set a goal of getting 50,000 derby ducks adopted for this fund raiser. The derby ducks will be dropped into the lake and the first six to cross the finish line will be the winners. The Grand Prize is a 2009 Nissan Versa, with an Alaskan Cruise and family membership to Prairie Life Fitness also among the prizes.

More importantly, consider the benefits provided by your donation.

What does "Adopting a Duck" Really Mean?

$5 spent adopting ducks feeds a family of four for 1 day.
$25 spent adopting ducks feeds a family of four for 1 week
$100 spent adopting ducks feeds a family of four for 1 month.

The Food Bank is more than a faceless building or a lifeless warehouse. The Food Bank is a lifeline to children, families and senior citizens...and they are The Food Bank. In the past few years, they have distributed between 5 and 7 million pounds of food to over 360 member agencies in eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. In addition to the food distribution, The Food Bank supports four direct programs:

* The Senior Outreach Program
* The Food for Kids BackPack Program
* Kids Cafe
* Mobile Pantry

A huge thanks to everyone who is able to help with this effort.

Tags || OMAHA FOOD BANK | O WHAT A DUCK RACE | CHARITY | OMAHA | FOOD BANK | NISSAN OF OMAHA | more... |

Kobe Beef Hamburger Recipes

2009-06-08T07:37:00.010-05:00

Father's day is upon us and we're full on into grilling season. So what to give dear old dad? Last year we wrote a Guide to Gifts for the Foodie Father. This year, for some reason, I've only had one thing on my mind - Wagyu Beef. So that's what I think you should get pops for Father's Day.

Plan B's "Famous Wagyu Beef Burger".
Photo by greatlettuce. Licensed under CC 2.0

Wagyu beef is also known as American Kobe Beef for the breed of cattle from which it's produced. Typically in the US the Wagyu you'll find is actually a mixed breed of Wagyu and Angus. It's prized for it's high fat content marbled throughout the meat beyond that of USDA prime. The US and Japan have their own grading scales for this prized beef. USDA prime would score at most a 5 or 6 on the 12 point beef marbling scale (BMS). The other scale ranges from C1 to A5. The highest rated A5 BMS 12 Kobe beef is: mostly white with flecks of pink meat, is $1,200 a pound and takes 4 to 6 weeks for delivery in the United States.

We won't be cooking with that. And to tell the truth, it would be a waste to make burgers from such a rare selection of meat. Instead, we recommend finding a local supplier who can provide a better value for something not so insanely marbled. There are several Wagyu beef suppliers in the Midwest, including Morgan Ranch in Burwell, Nebraska.

Morgan Ranch supplied us with a generous donation to raise money in support of the Menu for Hope IV in 2007 and the Menu for Hope V in 2008. We encourage you to check them out. As a bonus, Dan Morgan frequently makes trips to Omaha, so if you call them up, you might be able to arrange a pick up of your order while he's here to avoid paying shipping charges.

In preparing for this article, I emailed Dan at Morgan Ranch to get some recommendations for prepping and cooking Wagyu. Most of his suggestions will be obvious to foodies such as don't get in the way of the product by masking the flavors with lots of herbs or rubs. Also, try to let the meat get as close to room temperature as possible before cooking. At this temp the meat is ready to cook and relaxes as compared to shrinking up and condensing. Remember, the melting point of the fat and lipids in Wagyu is much lower when compared to your standard beef. The one tip that surprised me a little was his recommendation to sprinkle some sugar on leaner cuts, such as sirloin and ground beef. This brings out the sweetness in the meat and also creates a glaze on the meat. Great idea.

With that, I don't really have a recipe for Kobe Burgers. I'm kind of a purist and think that salt, pepper (and a little sugar) is all you really need. Get some nice toasted buns and you're good to go. Maybe get a little fancy with some caramelized onions, garlic aoili, crisp bitter lettuce greens, heirloom tomatoes and toasted brioche.

But that's probably not what you wanted to hear, so I've gathered up some recipes, but I also encourage you to leave your own recipe in the comment section below. To get your mind churning, check out these recipes from famous chefs around the world.

Kobe Burger Recipes

Kobe burger from chef Michael Mina of Stonehill Tavern

I'm sure Michael Mina has about a dozen kobe burger recipes from his about a dozen other restaurants. But this one sounds excellent. A decedent Kobe burger with truffle brioche buns, pickled onions, oven-dried tomatoes, truffle aioli. Recipe for Stonehill Tavern Kobe burger

Kobe Bleu Cheese Mini-Burgers with Cipollini Onions in Balsamic Reduction by Robert Irvine

From "The Catwalk Chef" episode of Dinner: Impossible. I've seen several recipes call for Bleu Cheese, but I'd be afraid it would over power the burger. Could be good though. Recipe for Kobe Bleu Cheese Mini-Burgers

DB Burger by Daniel Boulud from DB Bistro Moderne

This burger has become famous. Some argue this burger started the gourmet burger craze that started several years back. "The DB Burger is composed of an exterior of ground sirloin with a filling of boned short ribs braised in red wine, foie gras, black truffle and a mirepoix of root vegetables. The homemade bun is topped with toasted parmesan and layered with fresh horseradish mayonnaise, tomato confit, fresh tomato and frisée lettuce." At about $27, this was one of the most expensive burgers on the market when it was introduced. Recipe for the DB Burger by Daniel Boulud

Chef Carol Wallack's Wagyu Burger of Sola

This was one of the entries in the Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachel Ray. I thought this was unique since it was served on a pretzel roll with cambazola cheese. Recipe for Carol Wallack's Wagyu Burger

Mini Prime Burgers with Remoulade and Aged Cheddar Cheese by Wolfgang Puck

A pretty basic burger actually that relies on a Remoulade Sauce to bring some major flavor to the party. Like a refined slider. Recipe for Mini Prime Burgers with Remoulade and Aged Cheddar Cheese by Wolfgang Puck

Wagyu Burger from chef Justin North at Plan B in Australia

An entry from down under. This is one of the most unusual recipes as it calls for Madeira, pickled beetroot, and a binding filler of an egg with breadcrumbs. No judgment here though. It was good enough that someone wrote to Australian Gourmet Traveller to ask them to obtain the recipe. Recipe for the Wagyu Burger at Plan B in Australia

Hamburger Cookbooks

I couldn't find recipes online for these last two, but they are both a little iconic, so I felt I should include them.

Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers by Hubert Keller

Daniel Boulud may have started the expensive burger trend, but Hubert Keller has seemed to have trumped all efforts at least for the moment - well, kind of. The FleurBurger 5000 is really only $75, but if you want to do it up right, you order it how it was intended to be ordered, for $5,000 with a bottle of 1990 Chateau Pétrus. The burger itself is, of course, a Kobe beef burger, served with truffles and foie gras and topped with a smoked onion and walnut bun. Sounds pretty darn tasty to me. There is a more economical version of the FleurBurger 5000 in Keller's Burger Bar book. Buy the Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers cookbook by Hubert Keller

Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking

One of the first upscale burger joints, BLT Burger paved the way for many other restaurants to charge $10 or more for every burger on their menu. Laurent Tourondel also helped re-popularize the American Bistro with restaurants like BLT Burger. Buy the Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking cookbook by Laurent Tourondel

If you're still looking for more inspiration, check out this Burger Bonaza article and the other most expensive burgers in the world.

And don't forget to share with us your ideas, recipes and results!

Tags || KOBE BURGER | RECIPES | WAGYU BURGER | HAMBURGER | RECIPE | STONEHILL TAVERN | more... |

REVIEW: ThermoWorks Splash Proof Thermapen

2009-05-30T22:55:00.005-05:00

It looks like someone at ThermoWorks saw my Review of the Original ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen and liked what I had to say. They offered to send me their newest model ahead of it's official release date (June 1st, 2009). Um, hell yes, bring it on.

Introducing the all new and improved, been in design for 2 years...

ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen thermocouple thermometer

Yeah, they could have picked a smaller, catchier name.

So I'm not going to rehash all the things I loved about the Original Thermapen. I'll let you read that review first to get up to speed. Go ahead - I'll wait. Alright, now that you're back, let's talk about what's been improved, what's been messed up and what flaws were never addressed in this new design.

First let's go over what Thermoworks considers to be the highlights of their new Splash-Proof Thermapen:

3-second readings!
Improved accuracy and durability
Water-resistant design
Biomaster anti-bacterial additive
°F to °C reconfigurable
0.1° resolution full range to 572°F
Auto on/off—no buttons!
1,500 hour battery life

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty spec details, you can check out their website. I'll cover what I think is important.

We'll start with the name. I wouldn't have felt the need to seal the case and make it splash proof until a couple of weeks ago when my mother was hand washing dishes and washed my original Thermapen. It came out fine, but I'd have been less worried if the case was sealed. It's still not meant to be submerged, but it's a good start. Now if they made it dishwasher safe, that would be really cool.

Speed and accuracy are next on my cool improvements list. This thing is even faster and more accurate than the original. It's usually in the ballpark in under 1 second and will have a pretty accurate reading in about 3 seconds. And by accurate, I mean within ±0.7°F with the digital display now showing the temperature measured in 0.1° increments, so you'll know if that 64°C for your perfect molecular gastronomy inspired soft boiled egg is really 63.6°C or 64.4°C. These are actually my favorite improvements.

Jumping back to the splash proof design, let me point out what's changed. There is now a rubber seal merging the front and back of the Thermapen. This seal makes rotating the pen into the "ON" position seem stiff at first, but I've read this should only impact new thermometers. The new case design has also made it almost impossible to stand the device upright. I have mixed feelings about this, but I don't think it will be something that will bother me at all in a couple of weeks.

The area around the digital display has also changed. The screen is now flush with the Biomaster anti-bacterial molding to prevent grime build up; it is also slightly larger and has been moved to the left. This makes the numbers a little easier to read, but I think it lacks the contrast that the original screen had, which makes it a little harder to read.

The opening for the battery compartment has also been re-designed. The new battery, which is expected to last 15 times longer than the original, sits in a round compartment on the back with a tethered cover. Unfortunately I think the plastic latches are too thin since mine either arrived with one of the latches broken or it broke soon after arrival. I'm sure ThermoWorks would address the issue if I sent it back to them, but still a spot for improvement. ***UPDATE*** ThermoWorks called me on the Monday after I posted this. They are sending me a new unit with a return shipment label so I can send the original back to them. I've heard from others they have great customer service; I'll concur.

Inside that battery compartment are a series of tiny switches. These switches allow you to customize some of the behaviors of your Thermapen. Are you like the folks at Cook's Illustrated and would prefer the unit to not automatically turn off? Just flip a switch. Want readings in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit? Flip a switch. Nice options to have, but I like the defaults.

Amazon.com Widgets

The unit is still expensive, but again, there's really nothing else close on the market. The new Splashproof Thermapen is about $20 more than the original super-fast Thermapen. Is it worth it? Well if you have the original, I think there's no need to upgrade unless you work at Sea World or something. But what about those who don't have either? Is it worth the extra money to get the newer design? I guess it depends on what you plan on using it for. For me, the quicker I can get a ballpark temp, the better. And at this price point, an extra $20 doesn't seem like a whole lot more.

So I still highly recommend either of these Thermapens, I just can't flatly recommend one over the other. I've given them both the same score based on functionality and price. Now if I could get them to send me an Infrared Thermometer to review...

Rating: 90

RELATED LINKS:
REVIEW: The Original ThermoWorks Super-fast Thermapen Thermometer
BUY: The Original Super-Fast Thermapen from Amazon
BUY: The Original Super-Fast Thermapen from ThermoWorks
BUY: The New Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen from ThermoWorks

Tags || THERMAPEN | FATHER'S DAY | GIFTS | KITCHEN THERMOMETERS | GUIDE | PRODUCT REVIEW | more... |

Join the Omaha Foodies Discussions

2009-05-19T12:24:00.005-05:00

A bit of house keeping here. I've never been a big fan of the Blogger comment system, so recently I moved the GFC comments to Disqus. Why do you as a reader care? Well ideally you wouldn't. However, there is a little bit of a learning curve with this new interface. In particular the login system.

You can still leave anonymous comments on this blog, however, there are several advantages to logging into the comment system, but the options are a little confusing.

First, you can login to Disqus, which will attach your comment to your Disqus profile. The advantage of that is you can securely use any OpenID login, such as your Google, Yahoo or Hotmail account. You can visit their site for examples of other advantages.

Another option, and the one that swayed my hand in picking a new system, is to login with your Facebook credentials. This is going to become far more common on a ton of sites over the coming year. What's cool about this option is when you leave a comment, you have the ability to also post something to your Facebook stream to share it with your friends. Considering our Facebook fan page now has over 200 fans, chances are you have friends who are also GFC fans and they are interested in what you have to say.

The final option is probably courtesy of Ashton and Oprah. Yes, Twitter is now a login option. The benefit of this is you can tweet your reply by just clicking a check box.

So now you know how to login. Next you should probably read the existing comments.

We now have the ability to sort comments by time or popularity. You can "Like" comments, which is used for the popularity sorting. You can subscribe to an RSS feed for a particular article or for the entire blog (Unfortunately we lost the ability to subscribe to an article's comment via email, but I'm told that feature is on it's way). And our favorite new feature - comments are now threaded, so you can reply directly to another commenter. We're really stoked about this because we hope it will encourage more discussion within our community. This is a great way to get to know other foodies in the area.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below :-) Or email us.

Tags || OMAHA | FOODIES | FOOD | GFC |

Sage Bistro - Spring 2009

2009-04-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

Lemon Mousse Cake with Blueberry

We had a great time meeting everyone at Sage Bistro on the 16th. I just wanted to say Thank You to all of those who were able to attend and to the staff at the Institute for the Culinary Arts for making our event very enjoyable. We'll be having more events like this in the future, so keep your eyes peeled or subscribe to our email updates to keep informed. Of course you could always suggest a foodie gathering yourself if you're interested in doing something sooner rather than later.

Thanks again to everyone.

RELATED LINKS:
Sage Advice 2: The Aftermath @ What Greg Eats

Tags || FOODIES OF OMAHA | SAGE BISTRO | INSTITUTE FOR THE CULINARY ARTS | METRO COMMUNITY COLLEGE | FOOD | GFC |

Eat Like a Human - Grow Your Own

2009-04-22T16:22:00.004-05:00

The following is a guest post from Brian Smith. Brian and his wife Kelly operate Black Sheep Farms, a chemical-free family farm near Bennington. He is a speaker and writer on the topic of local food, and he has a minor food addiction. You can read more of his writings at Food & Spirit Magazine

On the eve of Earth Day, I am reminded of how food connects us to the Earth and makes us human. It's currently in vogue to "eat local," shop at farmers markets and join a co-op or Community Supported Agriculture group. I understand the importance of these movements. I decided to become a farmer after volunteering at a farmers market and reading many books focused on modern food issues.

It's okay to eat for political reasons. But what about flavor and experience?

Many chefs will tell you that the main reason they buy food from local growers is flavor. It's not because they feel their money should support a small business, a local business or a friend. It's not because they want to reduce pollution from transportation. More than anyone else, chefs love to eat. They love to play with flavors and experience the full range of intensity. No chef likes a rock-hard-plain-old-red tomato from Mexico in February. But they love ripe Cherokee Purples and fresh greens picked four hours ago. Taste.

The experience of producing your own food changes the dynamics of eating. If you've ever made bread, you are much more conscious of its quality while you eat it. You understand the work that went into producing the final product, so details pop out more. Crust. Crumb. Moisture. That lump of undercooked dough in the middle. The more you cook, the more you understand about the kitchen.

Combine food politics, flavor and experience and grow your own. Forget your black-thumb fears and those pre-started plants from the hardware store. Do it from seed. That sense of wonder you experienced sprouting a bean as a kindergartner never diminishes. People have been tending to plants for thousands of years, so I have confidence you can do it.

Try growing something small, like corn salad (also called mache or rapunzel). You can do it in a pot by a sunny window. Make a shallow row, drop in the seeds, cover them and add water. Wait.

There are no excuses. A packet of heirloom veggie seeds costs less than $3. When more people get involved in their own food, environmental issues will start to make more sense. By touching food at all stages, we can understand how it affects us on physical, mental and environmental levels. We can see how much it means to be a part of Nature. Plus, you will eat better foods than you can buy, and there's no reason to overthink that.

Tags || EARTH DAY | EATING LOCAL | LOCALVORE | BRIAN SMITH | BLACK SHEEP FARMS | FOOD | more... |

S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009

2009-04-20T14:40:00.008-05:00

Restaurant magazine has just released the 2009 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The awards were based on 4,185 votes cast by 837 restaurant critics, chefs, restaurateurs and other qualified restaurant experts. You can see more about the voting process on the website.

Ferran Adria’s culinary mecca, El Bulli, and Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant once again top the list.

Michelin 3-star restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, owned by the Hell's Kitchen chef, failed to make the top 100 which is surprising since it was 13th on the list last year.

Thomas Keller's flagship restaurant dropped 7 notches to #12 and was beat out by it's New York cousin, Per Se, which took 6th place.

Grant Achatz from Chicago breaks into the top 10 with Alinea. Manresa squeaked in at #93. The United States had 8 restaurants in the top 50 and 12 restaurants in the top 100. Not bad when you consider this list of compiled of the greatest restaurants in the world and is bound to have a slight European bend. This can probably best be seen in the fact that Les Creations de Narisawa was the first Japanese restaurant to make the list, yet Japan racked up an insanely high number of Michelin stared restaurants last year.

More insight to come. Keep checking back. In the mean time, here are the top 50 restaurants in the World.

1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=) - Make a reservation
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

Rounding out the top 100 restaurants in the world:
51 Zuma, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, U.K.
53 Spondi, Greece
54 L’Arpege, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China
56 Hibiscus, U.K.
57 Aqua, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Spain
62 Maison Pic, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Russia
64 Le Meurice, France
65 Bukhara, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, France
70 Wasabi, India
71 The River Cafe, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
73 Le Cinq, France
74 Allegro, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Germany
77 Geranium, Denmark
78 Caprice, China
79 Jardines, South Africa
80 Amador, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon U.S
83 Fasano, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France
87 L’Ambroisie, France
88 Maison Boulud, China
89 De Librije, Netherlands
90 Babbo, U.S.
91 Maze, U.K.
92 Zuma, U.K.
93 Manresa, U.S.
94 Pier, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Belgium
96 Aubergine, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, China
98 Rust en Vrede, South Africa
99 Del Posto U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, UAE

Special Recognition Awards

Reader's Choice:
Chef's Choice: Noma, Denmark
Breakthrough Restaurant: Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
Lifetime Achievement Award: Joël Robuchon (details)

The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants

List of Restaurant's 1-50
List of Restaurant's 51-100
Best Restaurant in The Americas: Per Se (USA)
Best Restaurant in Australia: Tetsuya's (AUS)
Best Restaurant in Asia: Les Creations de Narisawa (Japan)
Best Restaurant in Africa & Middle East: Le Quartier Francais (South Africa)
Best Restaurant in South America: D.O.M. (Brazil)

RELATED LINKS:
The International Agenda for Great Cooking
-By Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller and Harold McGee

Tags || WORLD'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS | EL BULLI | FRENCH LAUNDRY | FAT DUCK | ALINEA | JOËL ROBUCHON | more... |

Petition to Help Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, NE

2009-04-10T09:24:00.007-05:00

As we reported before, you can help bring Trader Joe's to Omaha by filling out a location request form on the Trader Joe's website. However, it appears things might be moving further along if this petition is a sign of anything.

Help Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, Nebraska

We've begun a petition that will be sent to the gentleman in charge of real estate acquisition for Trader Joe's to show him that we are serious about our request that they locate a TJ's in Omaha.

You do NOT need to give your email address or donate to the petition site. You can place mail@email.com in the email address slot. Thank you in advance.

Petition to Help Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, NE

You can also join the Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, Nebraska group on Facebook for further updates. While you're there, be sure to join the GFC fan page too if you haven't already.

Tags || TRADER JOE'S | PETITION | OMAHA | DUNDEE | FOOD | GFC |

2009 James Beard Nominees Announcements

2009-03-23T08:00:00.023-05:00

Nominees and special honorees for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced today. UPDATING AS THE NEWS COMES IN!!!

Once again, good luck to chef Colby Garrelts of Bluestem who was nominated in the BEST CHEF: MIDWEST category. Hopefully third time really is the charm. Unfortunately none of the chefs from the Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota region made the cut, but considering the competition, I'm not surprised. Regardless, congratulations to the following chefs for making the semi-finalists list: Jennifer Coco, The Flatiron Cafe, Omaha, NE; M.J. Adams, The Corn Exchange, Rapid City, SD; George Formaro, Centro, Des Moines, IA; Enosh Kelly, Bistro Montage, Des Moines, IA; Steve Logsdon, Basil Prosperi’s Lucca, Des Moines, IA.

And this year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ella Brennan of the Brennan Family of Restaurants, which includes Commander’s Palace.

2009 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

A working restaurateur, actively involved in multiple restaurants in the United States, who has set uniformly high national standards as a creative force in the kitchen and/or in restaurant operations. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least ten years.

Tom Douglas
  Tom Douglas Restaurants
  Seattle, WA
Keith McNally
  Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Morandi, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller's Liquor Bar
  NYC, NY
Richard Melman
  Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
  Chicago, IL
Drew Nieporent
  Myriad Restaurant Group
  NYC, NY
Stephen Starr
  Starr Restaurant Organization
  Philadelphia, PA

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters

Amazon.com Widgets

A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as a chef for at least the past five years.

José Andrés
  Minibar, Washington, D.C.
Dan Barber
  Blue Hill, NYC, NY
Tom Colicchio
  Craft, NYC, NY
Suzanne Goin
  Lucques, Los Angeles, CA
Paul Kahan
  Blackbird, Chicago, IL

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

A restaurant in the United states that serves as a national standard-bearer for consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least ten consecutive years.

Babbo, NYC
  Chef/Owner: Mario Batali, Owner: Joe Bastianich
Boulevard, San Francisco
  Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto
Fore Street, Portland, ME
  Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward, Owner: Victor Leon and Dana Street
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
  Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt
Jean Georges, NYC
  Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

A restaurant opened in 2008 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

The Bazaar, Los Angeles
  Chef/Owner: José Andrés, Owner: Sam Narian and Philippe Starck
Corton, CITY
  Chef/Owner: NAME, Owner: NAME
L2O, Chicago
  Chef/Owner: Laurent Gras, Owner: Richard Melman
Momofuku Ko, NYC
  Chef/Owner: David Chang
Scarpetta, NYC
  Chef/Owner: Scott Conant

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD

A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a national standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past five years.

Gina DePalma
  Babbo
  NYC, NY
Kamel Guechida
  Joël Robuchon
  Las Vegas, NV
Pichet Ong
  P*ong
  NYC, NY
Nicole Plue
  Redd
  Yountville, CA
Mindy Segal
  Mindy's HotChocolate
  Chicago, IL

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Candidates must have been in operation for at least five years.

Bin 36, Chicago
  Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
  Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Le Bernardin, NYC
  Wine Director: Aldo Sohm
Patina, Los Angeles
  Wine Director: Eric Espuny
Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas
  Wine Director: Robert Smith

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

A winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has had a significant impact on the wine and spirits industry nationwide. Candidates must have been in the profession for at least five years.

Dale DeGroff
  Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.
  NYC, NY
Merry Edwards
  Merry Edwards Wines
  Sebastopol, CA
Garrett Oliver
  The Brooklyn Brewery
  Brooklyn, NY
John and Doug Shafer
  Shafer Vineyards
  Napa, CA
Julian P. Van Winkle
  Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
  Louisville, KY

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past five years.

Daniel
  NYC
  Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow
Emeril’s New Orleans
  New Orleans
  Owner: Emeril Lagasse
La Grenouille
  NYC
  Owners: Charles Masson and Giséle Masson
Spiaggia
  Chicago
  Owner: Larry Levy
Vetri
  Philadelphia
  Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Presented by American Express®
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Each candidate may be employed by any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for at least the past five years. The three most recent years must have been spent in the region where chef is presently working.

BEST CHEF: PACIFIC (CA, HI)
Jeremy Fox
  Ubuntu ~ Napa, CA
Douglas Keane
  Cyrus ~ Healdsburg, CA
Loretta Keller
  Coco500 ~ San Francisco
David Kinch
  Manresa ~ Los Gatos, CA
Daniel Patterson
  Coi ~ San Francisco

BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Cathal Armstrong
  Restaurant Eve ~ Alexandria, VA
Jose Garces
  Amada ~ Philadelphia
Peter Pastan
  Obelisk ~ Washington, D.C.
Maricel Presilla
  Cucharamama ~ Hoboken, NJ
Vikram Sunderam
  Rasika ~ Washington, D.C.

BEST CHEF: MIDWEST (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Isaac Becker
  112 Eatery ~ Minneapolis
Gerard Craft
  Niche ~ St. Louis, MO
Colby Garrelts
  Bluestem ~ Kansas City, MO
Tim McKee
  La Belle Vie ~ Minneapolis
Alexander Roberts
  Restaurant Alma ~ Minneapolis

BEST CHEF: GREAT LAKES (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Koren Grieveson
  Avec ~ Chicago
Arun Sampanthavivat
  Arun's ~ Chicago
Bruce Sherman
  North Pond ~ Chicago
Michael Symon
  Lola ~ Cleveland
Alex Young
  Zingerman's Roadhouse ~ Ann Arbor, MI

BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY (FIVE BOROUGHS)
Michael Anthony
  Gramercy Tavern
Terrance Brennan
  Picholine
Wylie Dufresne
  WD-50
Gabrielle Hamilton
  Prune
Gabriel Kreuther
  The Modern

BEST CHEF: NORTHEAST (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Rob Evans
  Hugo's ~ Portland, ME
Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
  Arrows ~ Ogunquit, ME
Michael Leviton
  Lumiére ~ West Newton, MA
Tony Maws
  Craigie on Main ~ Cambridge, MA
Marc Orfaly
  Pigalle ~ Boston

BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Maria Hines
  Tilth ~ Seattle
Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez
  The Harvest Vine ~ Seattle
Ethan Stowell
  Union ~ Seattle
Cathy Whims
  Nostrana ~ Portland, OR
Jason Wilson
  Crush ~ Seattle

BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Hugh Acheson
  Five and Ten ~ Athens, GA
Linton Hopkins
  Restaurant Eugene ~ Atlanta
Mike Lata
  Fig ~ Charleston, SC
Bill Smith
  Crook's Corner ~ Chapel Hill, NC
Bob Waggoner
  Charleston Grill ~ Charleston, SC

BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Paul Bartolotta
  Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas
Sharon Hage
  York Street ~ Dallas
Ryan Hardy
  Montagna at the Little Nell ~ Aspen, CO
Claude Le Tohic
  Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Andrew Weissman
  Le Rêve ~ San Antonio

BEST CHEF: SOUTH (AL. AR, FL, LA, MS)
Zach Bell
  Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court ~ Palm Beach, FL
John Currence
  City Grocery ~ Oxford, MS
John Harris
  Lilette ~ New Orleans
Douglas Rodriguez
  Ola ~ Miami Beach, FL
Michael Schwartz
  Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink ~ Miami

2009 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Awards

Arnold's Country Kitchen
  605 8th Ave. S., Nashville, TN?
  Owner(s): Jack and Rose Arnold
Meat-and-threes—that’s what Arnold’s Country Kitchen is all about. Owner Jack Arnold, who favors overalls and bow ties, has been in charge with his wife, Rose, since 1983, and it’s his fried green tomatoes, creamy banana pudding, and made-to-order cornbread that keep Nashville residents coming back for more. Patrons love his succulent roast beef and crisp fried chicken, too, but many are just as likely to forgo the meat and go all sides—that’s how good Jack’s freshly made dishes are. Frequented by country stars, downtown business-types, and ordinary folks looking for an affordable and delicious meal, Arnold’s is among the best Southern plate lunch spots in the nation.

Breitbach's Country Dining
  563 Balltown Rd, Sherrill, IA
  Owner(s): Mike Breitbach
In business since 1852 and touted as Iowa’s oldest bar and restaurant, Breitbach’s Country Dining has been owned and operated by the same family for five generations. Love for Breitbach’s goes well beyond a hankering for the restaurant’s excellent fried chicken, bacon-wrapped pork chops, and mouth-watering pies. This adoration was put to the test on Christmas Eve 2007, when a fire destroyed the eatery’s original building. Faced with the daunting task of starting over, the community rallied around the eatery and a slew of volunteers pitched in to rebuild the restaurant, doing so in a record 69 days. Unbelievably, less than six months later, the restaurant burnt to the ground again. Spirit unbroken, Breitbach’s is once again being rebuilt and will soon be serving its signature dishes to hungry regulars.

Mustache Bill's Diner
  8th St & Broadway, Barnegat Light, NJ
  Owner(s): Bill Smith
These days, the food at diners is all too often of poor to middling quality. But not at Mustache Bill's. For over 35 years, owner Bill Smith has made everything on the diner’s menu from scratch—refusing to buy anything premade. It’s the homemade, straight from the heart cooking that makes Mustache Bill’s a must-stop destination on the Jersey Shore for both the fishing community regulars and the summertime beach-goers. From roasted-that-day turkey, ham, and beef to legendary pancakes and hand-cut home fries, it is no surprise that the crowds are huge: Mustache Bill's does 1,000 covers on a typical summer day, and it's only open 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Totono's
  1524 Neptune Ave., Brooklyn, NY
  Owner(s): Lawrence Ciminieri
A stone’s throw from the Cyclone, Totonno’s has been serving amazing Neapolitan-style pies for over 80 years. In 1924, one of New York’s first master pizzaiolas, Anthony “Totonno” Pero, left his job making pizzas at Lombardi’s to open a Coney Island pizzeria, and Totonno’s has been in his family ever since. Lawrence Ciminieri, the fourth generation now in charge, hasn’t strayed from the original recipe—each pizza is made with imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes, fresh, locally made mozzarella, yeast, flour, salt, and not much else. The last—and perhaps most important—component is the oven. Totonno’s original coal-fired oven creates a distinct and flavorful char on the crust that cult pizza lovers crave.

Yank Sing
  101 Spear St, San Francisco
  Owner(s): Vera Chan-Waller
Henry Chan has made it his life’s work to “uplift dim sum.” At San Francisco’s Yank Sing he has been serving dim sum classics like har gow and Shanghai dumplings alongside newer innovations like phoenix shrimp and cabbage salad with honeyed walnuts to thousands of diners every day for over half a century. His mother opened Yank Sing’s original Chinatown location in 1958. Even as a young man, Henry knew what the restaurant needed to do in order to set itself apart, expand its appeal, and reach a larger audience. By moving to the financial district and creating a more upscale atmosphere, Yank Sing became a favorite among San Francisco’s movers and shakers and a must-visit restaurant for tourists. Now a third generation is at the restaurant’s helm. Henry’s daughter Vera Chan-Waller is in the kitchen every day, ensuring that Yank Sing maintains its high standards and traditions—and keeps growing along with the Bay Area’s vibrant food culture.

COOK BOOK AWARDS

American Cooking
Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited by Arthur Schwartz
Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker
Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook by Martha Hall Foose

Baking
BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking by Shirley O. Corriher
Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker
The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table and Cindy Mushet

Beverage
The Harney and Sons Guide to Tea by Micahel Harney
The Wines of Burgundy by Clive Coates
WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine by by Stephen Kolpan, Brian H. Smith, and Michael A. Weiss

Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Alinea by Grant Achatz
The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal
Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide by Thomas Keller

General Cooking
How to Cook Everything (10th Anniversary Edition) by Mark Bittman
Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart
The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild

Healthy Focus
Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta: Recipes from the World-Famous Spa by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider, with Jesús González
EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook by Philip A. Ades, M.D. and the editors of EatingWell magazine
The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger

International
Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen
Southeast Asian Flavors by Yuji Wakiya

Photography
The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal
Decadent Desserts
Haute Chinese Cuisine from the Kitchen of Wakiya by Yuji Wakiya

Reference and Scholarship
Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages by Anne Mendelson
The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
The Science of Good Food by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss with A. Philip Handel, Ph.D.

Single Subject
Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan
Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein
The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas

Writing and Literature
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Shark's Fin Soup and and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China by Fuchsia Dunlop
Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef by Betty Fussell

OTHER MEDIA AWARDS

Newspaper Feature about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Monica Eng/Phil Vettel(Chicago Trib), Katy McLaughlin (WSJ), Tom Sietsema (The Wash Post)

Newspaper Feature w/o Recipes: Monica Eng (Chicago Tribune), Kristen Hinman (Riverfront Times), and Craig LaBan (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Newspaper Feature w/ Recipes: Rebekah Denn (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), David Leite (New York Times), Kathleen Purvis (Charlotte Observer)

Newspaper Food Section: Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Washington Post

Magazine Feature Writing about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Ruth Reichl (Gourmet), Alan Richman (Departures), Anya von Bremzen (Food & Wine)

Magazine Feature with Recipes: Edna Lewis (Gourmet)*published posthumously, David Dobbs and John Ash (EatingWell), James Peterson (Saveur)

Magazine Feature Writing w/o Recipes: Alan Richman (GQ), Patricia Sharpe (Texas Monthly), Monique Truong (Gourmet)

Restaurant Reviews: Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly), Adam Platt (New York Magazine), and Tom Sietsema (The Washington Post)

Nutrition/Food-Related Issues: Barry Estabrook (Gourmet), Mark Adams, et al (New York Magazine), Rachael Moeller Gorman (EatingWell)

Food-Related Columns: Dorie Greenspan (Bon Appétit), Corby Kummer (The Atlantic), and Laura Shapiro (Gourmet.com)

Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer: Jon Bonné (San Francisco Chronicle), Jay McInerney (Men’s Vogue), Alan Richman (GQ)

Website Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant, or Nutrition: Chow.com, Epicurious.com, and Gourmet.com

Multimedia: Ruth Reichl (Gourmet.com): Gourmet Cookbook Club and The Test Kitchen; Mike Sula (Chicagoreader.com): Whole Hog Project

Food Blogs: The BA Foodist, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, Our One-Block Diet

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: Celia Barbour (O, The Oprah Magazine), Aleksandra Crapanzano (Gourmet), Alan Richman (GQ)

Television Food Segment: ABC News, Nightline: Platelist, CBS News Sunday Morning: In a Pinch, ABC 7 News Friday Night Special: Hungry Hound

TV Show: Lidia’s Italy: Sweet Napoli; Château Dinner: A French Food at Home Special; and We Live to Eat: New Orleans’ Love Affair with Food

Web/Radio: Living Today (MSL Radio): José Andrés; Graperadio.com: Thomas Jefferson & Wine; Leonard Lopate (WNYC): 3-Ingredient Challenge

Video Webcast: School Lunch Revolutionary (Chow.com), Art of Blending (Graperadio.com), Savoring the Best of World Flavors (Ciaprochef.com)

Restaurant Design: Thomas Schlesser (Publican), Thomas Schlesser (Bar Boulud),and Philippe Starck/Bruno Barrione/Theresa Fatino (The Bazaar)

Restaurant Graphics: Jason Pickleman/Donald Madia (Publican), Denise Korn/Javier Cortés/Bryant Ross (Corner Office), Steven Solomon (Terroir)

The 2009 inductees into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage are: David Burke, John T. Edge, Dorothy Cann Hamilton, Betty Fussell, Clark Wolf

You can read more details on the James Beard Foundation Awards website.

RELATED LINKS:
2008 James Beard Award Winners
2007 James Beard Award Winners

Grant Achatz: Alinea
Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes
Grant Achatz' Alinea Book

Tags || JAMES BEARD | AWARDS | 2009 | GRANT ACHATZ | MARIO BATALI | ALINEA | more... |

Join us at Sage Bistro

2009-03-17T16:23:00.005-05:00

It that time of year again. ?There's one for you, nineteen for me. 'Cause I'm the taxman?

Some of you will be getting a nice rebate check and want to do your part to help stimulate the economy. Others will be feeling the hurt and are looking to pinch some pennies. Luckily we can do both at a place like Sage Bistro.

So join Gastronomic Fight Club, The Foodies of Omaha Discussion Board, some of our fellow Omaha Food Bloggers and other foodies in general for some great food and an even better time! [Note: Sage does not have a liquor license, but you can bring your own wine which they can serve.]

Prix Fixe by Student Sous Chef, Betty Gomez

five layer dip
avacado
cilantro salad
fresh corn chips

coquille st. jacque
carnitas

langostine thermador
lobster "tamales"
broiled tail
black bean & cactus nage

dessert
TBD

Event Details

Date: Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - Meet and Greet; 6:30 PM - Dinner
Cost: $28 plus tax (Non-alcoholic drinks included)
Place: Sage Bistro
Address:
  N 30th St & Fort St. (map)
  Metro's Fort Omaha campus
  Building #10
  Omaha, NE 68111
Phone: (402) 457-2328

R.S.V.P.

You can R.S.V.P. using this form or on Facebook (Please don't double up). I'll leave the form open until about April 8th. We can only accommodate 80 people, so don't wait too long to reserve your spot. After you R.S.V.P., make sure you add the event to your calendar.The RSVP window for this event has closed. Thanks to everyone who could make it.

See you there!

Tags || FOODIES OF OMAHA | SAGE BISTRO | INSTITUTE FOR THE CULINARY ARTS | FOOD | GFC |

The Baristas of Cultiva and the Art of Espresso

2009-03-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

For some strange reason, I've been having a lot of fond memories lately of Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California. In 2001, I moved to the Napa Valley to experience the harvest and eventually settled in San Francisco for three years to work for a wine retailer. My friends kept telling me about a wonderful-sounding place called the Gourmet Ghetto, and I'm fairly sure I took BART to Berkeley on one of my first days off to see it for myself.

North Shattuck quickly became my preferred weekend spot to luxuriate, and only now do I realize how influential these excursions through the Trans-Bay Tube were for me. Chez Panisse sparked my interest in Slow Food, Cheeseboard changed the way I think about pizza, and Peet's Coffee became an obsession. All of that time I spent hanging around the original Peet's on Walnut and Vine made me fanatical about roasting, brewing, and generally all things coffee. I eventually moved on to the other-worldly coffee of cult roaster James Freeman and his superb Blue Bottle Coffee, and later discovered Ritual. But I credit Alfred Peet and the North Berkeley store for making me a lifelong coffee enthusiast.

After San Francisco, I spent three years in Chicago, followed by another two in Boulder, Colorado. With each move, I became anxious about finding a roaster or barista on par with those I'd found earlier, but with every move, I have found excellent roasters and baristas. In Chicago I discovered Intelligentsia, a roaster par excellence with Peet's ties. And In Boulder I found that the religion of the Synesso reigns supreme, and Conscious Coffee taught me the details of crafting a perfect espresso.

Obviously, my anxiety arose again when I decided to return to my home state of Nebraska with every intention of building a Gourmet Ghetto to call our own. My fear has once again proven to be unfounded with the discovery of Jon Ferguson and his top-notch brigade of baristas at Cultiva Coffee and Café Indigo in Lincoln. I first heard of Jon Ferguson and Cultiva while living in Boulder, while flipping through an issue of Imbibe magazine and landing on an article entitled "Coffee's Lone Rangers." This is where I learned of Jon's experience as a barista with Seattle's Zoka Coffee and his roasting stint with Blue Bottle, names that jump off of the page for coffee enthusiasts. I immediately picked up the phone and began ordering and drinking Cultiva's coffee in Boulder, and after many cuppings and way too many espressos to count with my friends at Conscious Coffee, we collectively decided that Cultiva was on par with some of the best roasting in the country. I am extremely happy that the baristas of Cultiva are equally skilled, and I am pleased to introduce them to you in this piece as we deconstruct the elements of the perfect shot of espresso.

The Roast

One of the baristas at Cultiva Coffee in Lincoln is Ian McCarthy, who arrived in Lincoln via Chicago via Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He trained with Metropolis in Chicago and Black Bear Micro Roastery in Portsmouth. In the eight years I have paid attention to the world of coffee and chatted with baristas across the world, drinking espresso in places as far flung as Cremcaffé in Trieste and Monmouth in London, I have never encountered a more thoughtful and engaging coffee professional than Ian. While Ian posses the skills to pull a world-class shot of espresso, his true passion lies in roasting, and he seems truly in his element behind the Diedrich IR-12 small-batch roaster which Jon acquired from David Schomer's Vivace Roasteria in Seattle. Schomer, whom the Seattle Times has dubbed a "coffee prophet" and is seen by many in the coffee trade as a guru-like figure, is credited with perfecting espresso in America and is certainly a key figure in the influential Seattle school of coffee.

At Cultiva, the Diedrich Roaster still has a Vivace decal on it, which makes me smile every time I walk into the store. Ian says that "it's like having Schomer looking over my shoulder with every batch I roast," which puts extra pressure on him to get it right every time. Ian walked me through the entire roasting process for a small batch of espresso slotted for The Boiler Room restaurant in Omaha. "Seasonality" is a buzzword in restaurants across America these days, and I was very pleased that Ian started our conversation with an explanation of the seasonality of coffee. "Seasonality is the nature of agricultural products. This, in my opinion, is cause for celebration. Getting retailers and consumers to appreciate coffee as an agricultural product is an uphill battle. Someday soon, coffee lovers will sit impatiently, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for fresh Yirgacheffe in December, not unlike Beaujolais Nouveau in November, [and] first-flush Darjeeling in April."

Ian went on to explain that variation in espresso blends is to be expected and welcomed with open arms. "Flavors will change drastically throughout the year. New seasons and crops mean completely different coffees from the year before". This means that Cultiva avoids any attempt at producing homogenized blends that taste the same to consumers year-round. "[That] would be costly, difficult, and an injustice to the farmers. If I taste something great, that I want to highlight in the espresso, then I will find coffees to complement it." A standard espresso roast is typically made up of coffees from several origins with coffees from Brazil commonly being a major constituent. Currently, Cultiva's Eco! Espresso is made from two parts Brazil, two Parts Mexican Chiapas, one part Ethiopian Sidamo and one part Sumatra. Each of these coffees possesses unique characteristics which they impart to the whole. This is not unlike the blending of Bordeaux, where Cabernet Sauvignon gives the wine its structure, Merlot its texture, and Cabernet Franc its aromatic complexity. These coffees are blended together and roasted for 15 minutes to the "second crack," which is an actual cracking sound heard inside the roaster which indicates a certain desired stage in the roasting process. Importantly, the freshly roasted coffee is then allowed to rest for at least three days, allowing gas to dissipate. A typical roasting batch is five pounds, which some may consider a small order, but this is the preferred batch size for Cultiva, where coffee is roasted in smaller amounts but more frequently.

The Grind

Tamara Vigil's family owns the Da Buzz coffee shop in North Platte, Nebraska, where she started pulling shots of espresso in 2002. Tamara was working as a coffee specialist with Whole Foods in Omaha when she heard that a new roaster had arrived in Lincoln. After attending one of Cultiva's roasting classes, Tamara made the move to Lincoln. The result was Nebraska's best barista joining Nebraska's best roaster. Tamara is now the manager at Café Indigo in Lincoln's Haymarket, which is a partnership between Cultiva Coffee and Indigo Bridge Books. Tamara is a United States Barista Championship Certified Judge, and has been a professional barista for seven years. Being the coffee nut that I am, I spent a few days working with Tamara behind the bar at Café Indigo, soaking up as much information as I could about my second-favorite beverage. Indigo is equipped with what is probably the best espresso gear in the state, including their awesome La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine and a couple of sweet Mazzer Super Jolly burr grinders. Burr grinders or burr mills are the only way to get a consistent grind and are an absolutely essential investment for the coffee enthusiast. The common propeller-blade grinders cut the coffee beans unevenly, resulting in an inconsistent brew. These grinders can also heat up the grind, causing a burnt and bitter taste, so it's best to demote that blade grinder to spices and herbs and instead use a burr grinder for your coffee grinding needs.

I learned from Tamara that the fineness of the grind is adjusted daily, if not hourly, due to a number of factors, including humidity and atmospheric pressure. Also, I learned that most experienced baristas will have their grind and portafilters (the baskets that hold the coffee) set up for doubles. Ordering a single shot of espresso will most likely mean that the barista will actually make a double and discard half of the shot, rather than changing their grind and portafilter setup. Thus, to maximize your espresso experience, you should always order a double, which is what the best baristas are typically prepared to make.

It's important that the portafilter is filled completely and evenly. The coffee should mound up and look almost overfilled, which is then pushed back and forth with the flat part of the index finger. This is one of the keys in preventing "channeling," literally the creation of little channels that form in the compacted puck where water rushes through uneven extraction. A double-shot portafilter will hold 18-22 grams of coffee, resulting in a 1.5-2.0 oz. shot of espresso (even less in a ristretto). Next, the tamper (another piece of equipment which can't be skimpped on) is held so that it is aligned with the arm, and is gently placed on top of the coffee before applying approximately 30 lbs. of pressure. This is another crucial moment in achieving a balanced shot as the barista must take great care in applying this pressure evenly. If the resulting coffee puck has even the slightest slant, the water will rush to the lowest part of the puck, resulting in uneven extraction. If all has gone well, it is time to pull the shot.

The Shot

Omaha native Dallas Fowler is one of the barista-world's rising stars. Recently competing in the Midwest Regional Barista Championships in St-Louis, Missouri, Fowler impressed the judges with her performance, displaying her excellence in preparing espresso drinks, her knowledge of coffee, her professionalism, and her presence. Dallas has her eyes set on the USBC next year and will be honing her skills in the meantime with Café Indigo. Perhaps nothing is scrutinized more closely by USBC judges than the actual shot itself, where the selection of coffee beans, roasting skills, grinding, and tamping could all be for not if the barista over- or under-extracts the espresso shot. The barista must so attentively monitor the shot that it is a wonder that espresso drinkers ever get a perfect espresso during the intense morning rush. Never mind the one- or two-shot buttons on the espresso machines. Almost all quality-minded baristas prefer to pull their shots manually. Close attention must be paid to the speed at which the espresso is extruded from the portafilter. The all-important color should display tiger-like stripes, resulting in a thick and persistent crema, a deep golden-brown color, and noticeable speckled foam (noticeably so with the Cultiva espresso roasts). This is the moment of truth where the coffee is extracted at approximately 199 to 201 degrees for 25 to 28 seconds, resulting in an espresso that tastes almost sweet rather than bitter, and rich rather than acidic, with balanced flavors like a chocolate-covered cherry. Great espresso lingers on the palate for twenty minutes or more. Great espresso gives us many of the same sensory pleasure as a great glass of wine. When one considers the cost of an espresso versus, say a great Barbaresco, it's no wonder that Italians regularly drop everything for sixty seconds to enjoy "una bella tazza di caffe", a beautiful cup of coffee.

Cultiva Coffee

1501 South St (Map)
Lincoln, NE 68502
Phone: 402-802-1909

Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday through Sunday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Café Indigo

701 P St (Map)
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-477-7770

Tags || JESSE BECKER | ESPRESSO | JON FERGUSON | CULTIVA COFFEE | BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE | FOOD | more... |

REVIEW: The Boiler Room Restaurant - Omaha, NE

2009-02-02T02:00:00.016-06:00

Expectations

When we made our reservation, I had no intention of writing a review for a restaurant that had just opened it's doors. They had only been open for 2 days when we went, so we weren't expecting a whole lot. What we got is likely to be a our new favorite restaurant in town.

To be honest, I was worried about the Boiler Room before they opened. Being outside of the main Old Market quad blocks, I wasn't sure they would get enough traffic to keep their doors open. I no longer think that's going to be a problem. I think they set the bar high enough that people won't forget about it, and those not in the downtown area will be willing to make the trek beyond just those special occasion nights.

Unfortunately my first impression wasn't exactly favorable. Parking was difficult, even on a Thursday night. We ended up in the parking garage on Jackson Street. They might want to start offering parking validation if they're unable to find another solution.

As we stepped into the restaurant, I was reminded of how cool the inside is. One of the first things one will notice is the general layout. The main dining room is situated above the bar and kitchen with an open view to both. It provides great visual interest complemented by the exposed brick and support structures. I think they did a good job of mixing the historic patina of the original space with the more modern elements.

The other thing that is hard to miss is the gigantic photographic prints on the walls. The still lifes, altered to look much like paintings, feature various food items in various states of preparation. For example, our table was situated in front of a work displaying a pig's head on a table with some flowers. Though my wife conceded that it was a nice picture, she could have done without a large eye socket looking at her all night.

As we were seated, I was surprised by two things. First the chairs - which I'm still undecided about. When you first sit down, they tilt back very quickly and deeply. I felt as if I was going to get dumped on the floor, though no such thing was going to happen. Butt cheek muffin top, however, did happen. The actual seat is rather shallow and doesn't align with the back of the chair, so if you're sitting back all the way, expect some hang over. That said, the chairs were very comfortable for the almost 2 hours we were there.

The second thing that surprised me was seeing the white tablecloths. I was under the impression that The Boiler Room was going to be a little more casual. The dress and interaction of the wait staff confirmed I was a little misguided. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm glad I didn't show up in a T-Shirt and tennis shoes. On the flip-side, I would have felt over-dressed in a suit.

The service was about what I would expect for a restaurant that's only been open for two days. Most of the issues we had were minor and were overshadowed by some pleasant surprises in how attentive the service was.

To help with the service, The Boiler Room has brought a Master Sommelier into the fold. The wine list is large with an emphasis on French producers. Having a sommelier to assist in navigating such a list adds an extra dimension that some diners will really appreciate. The wines that Jesse Becker picked for us were excellent and complemented our dishes well [2007 Dr. Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling, 2005 Domaine De Fonsainte Corbières]. And though I didn't take a look at their cocktail menu, you may want to since I know chef Kulik is trying to do some interesting stuff in that area.

The Menu

We started off with the crudo of sablefish ($8). The buttery sablefish was laced with braised or grilled radicchio, shavings of a delicious piave de vecchio cheese and a drizzle of tomato oil. This was a nice way to start the meal. It was clean and light, though it took awhile to figure out the correct portion of radicchio and cheese to accompany the sablefish without overpowering it - thus loosing the delicate flavor of the fish. The most impressive thing about this dish was that it was one of the weaker dishes of this meal! I'd rate this dish about an 86/100.

Our other appetizer was probably the strongest dish of the night. The june farm honey glazed pork belly ($10) was cooked almost to perfection. I say almost because one of the bottom meat fibers was crisped so well that it almost pierced my tongue. I did like how the bottom was crisped though, while the fat layers had rendered and the other layers of meat were tender and succulent. It provided a nice contrast in flavors and textures. To further the complexity of flavors, pickled crimini were served atop the pork belly. The acid from these very tart mushrooms provided a great foil to the unctuous pork fat. I'd venture to guess this was a trick chef Kulik picked up while staging at Avec in Chicago. The dish was finished with an intensely flavorful cauliflower puree that is one of the best I've had. It wasn't overly creamy or mounted with obscene amounts of butter, so the essence of cauliflower was really all you tasted. And I have to also mention the sauce on the plate - it tasted exactly like the roast duck in Oakland's Chinatown - yumm. I'd rate this dish about 93/100.

About the only misstep we saw from the kitchen was my wife's risotto ($18), parts of which was undercooked. The kitchen re-made her risotto which came out much better the second time. In fact, it was one of the better risotto's we had ever had. Creamy, tender, but nowhere near runny. And surprisingly, they replaced the entire dish. It would have been easy, and possibly justifiable, for them to place her original brisket in the replaced risotto, but they sent out a new piece. The very large hunk of brisket was very beefy, and dare I say, briskety tasting, though the very outer layer seemed a little dry to me. My wife also noted that the 2nd bowl seemed to have more risotto in it, but less truffle oil scent. The risotto was finished with a fried egg and braised kale.

While the kitchen remade the risotto, my wife and I dug into the milk braised pork collar ($19) that I ordered. The generous section of pork was served with parsnips and charred Brussels sprouts swimming in a nice broth, while eggplant caviar rested on top of the collar. One of the first things we did was to try the eggplant caviar on it's own. It was bitter and not very enjoyable, but then we tried it with the pork collar. To my delight, I thought it actually enhanced the pork collar and made it more enjoyable. My wife didn't completely agree, but did find they went well together. Mixing the seeds into the broth and pulling apart the collar made a wonderful stew of sorts. Oh, and Brussels sprouts are just under utilized - period.

We decided to skip the cheese cart and head straight for dessert. Sadly, they only had one dessert on the menu the night we went. Funny enough, it was the one dessert that my wife has stated is too difficult to find in Omaha: panna cotta. The rendition for the night was a saffron panna cotta with jun farm prairie honey and blackberries ($6). This was an interesting dish. Again, neither of us cared for the flavors of the panna cotta on it's own, but with the sweetness of the honey, it was very enjoyable. It was also executed very well. Often panna cotta gets too much gelatin that turns it into something else entirely. The Boiler Room got theirs right, at least on this night.

Final Thoughts

I can honestly say that I was very surprised - on several fronts. As I said, the table settings and service wasn't quite was I was expecting, but that's not a big deal. The clientele will dictate the service down the line and from what we saw, the clients seem to want to keep the food upscale, but the vibe relaxed. Of course, relaxed is a relative term. The vibe I saw was coffee house with pan roasted monkfish.

The best surprise was the food. It was just their second day being open to the public - are you kidding me? Yes braising and roasting can be very forgiving techniques, but the execution of every dish was done very well. Even more impressive were the dishes put together by chef Kulik. Minimal basic ingredients combined with intelligence and prepared simply. Occasionally you'll see something slightly exotic thrown into a dish to add a needed unique dimension, but I doubt you'll ever see a laundry list of luxury ingredients for a single dish. Chef Kulik seems more focused than a lot of chefs are able to force themselves to be.

A final parting observation. My wife has a saying about Blue Sushi: "It's where all the pretty people go" - referring to the trendy label mongers that frequent the West Omaha location. She also came up with a similar saying for the Boiler Room: "It's where all the intelligent pretty people go" - referring to the smartly dressed young professionals and artistic types in the crowd. I think it fits and I can live with that.

DISCLOSURE: I knew both Chef Paul Kulik and Jesse Becker before this restaurant opened and they knew we were coming in that night, so it is possible our experience was not typical, but I do not believe that to be the case.

Rating: 93+

The Boiler Room - Make a Reservation
11th & Jones St. (Omaha Old Market)

1110 Jones Street (Map)
Omaha, NE 68102
Phone: (402) 916-9274

Hours of Operation
  Open Tuesday through Saturday
  Closed Sunday through Monday
  Kitchen ~ 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm
  Bar ~ Open until 1:00 am

RELATED LINKS:
Chef Paul Kulik Video Interview
Jesse Becker joins The Boiler Room
OWH Review

Tags || OMAHA | RESTAURANTS | BOILER ROOM | PAUL KULIK | OLD MARKET | JESSE BECKER | more... |

The Boiler Room's Opening Day Menu

2009-01-28T15:13:00.006-06:00

I normally don't do posts like this, but I had to share.

Have you seen The Boiler Room's opening day menu?

The Boiler Room - Dinner Menu - January 28th, 2009

I'm actually giddy. I don't get giddy - or at least not easily.

We have reservations for tomorrow night, so expect an update this weekend.

RELATED LINKS:
RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Boiler Room (GFC)
INTERVIEW: Paul Kulik - Boiler Room - Omaha
The Boiler Room's Sommelier - Jesse Becker
The Boiler Room Website

Tags || OMAHA | RESTAURANTS | BOILER ROOM | PAUL KULIK | OLD MARKET | JESSE BECKER | more... |

2008 Health Ratings - Omaha, NE

2009-01-19T05:00:00.001-06:00

Time for an update to the ever popular Douglas County Food Facility Sanitation Ratings.

Once again, the list isn't too surprising, and once again, that's unfortunate. Congratulations and thanks to HUHOT, KOBE STEAK HOUSE, JOE TESS PLACE, UPSTREAM BREWING CO. and V MERTZ for continually demonstrating a commitment to quality and their customers year over year. Sadly, there are many places on this year's minimally passing FAIR list that were in the same condition last year and the year before.

Again, the trends in the bottom seem to be Ethnic restaurants, cheap eats and bars that just happen to also serve food. The surprises to me are the bakeries, grocery stores, butcher shops, hotels and food service vendors that just do enough to not get closed down. I guess I just have higher expectations for those groups.

Have a happy and healthy 2009!

THE SUPERIOR LIST

Name	Address	As Of Date
HUHOT MONGOLIAN GRILL	17660 WRIGHT ST # 14	9/3/2008
JOE TESS PLACE	5424 SO 24 ST	6/3/2008
KING MANN	3720 FLORENCE BLVD	9/23/2008
KOBE STEAK HOUSE OF JAPAN	120 REGENCY PKWY	9/10/2008
MOCKINGBIRD LANES	4870 SO 96 ST	9/29/2008
UPSTREAM BREWING COMPANY WEST	17070 WRIGHT PLZ	4/10/2008
V MERTZ RESTAURANT	1022 HOWARD ST	6/10/2008

THE NOT-SO-SUPERIOR LIST

Name	Address	As Of Date
SIZZLER STEAK HOUSE #0413	2822 NO 88 ST	6/27/2008
FERD'S BAKE SHOP	8927 J ST	9/24/2008
GOYI STORE	1024 SO 74 PLZ	5/29/2008
AMIGO'S	8412 WEST DODGE RD	8/26/2008
ANTHONYS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE	7220 F ST	9/2/2008
BAILEY'S	1259 SO 120 ST	5/20/2008
BARRETT'S BARLEYCORN	4322 LEAVENWORTH ST	5/14/2008
BILLY K'S CAFE	12025 BLONDO ST	8/11/2008
BOONDOCKERS	5222 NO 120 ST	8/26/2008
BREAD OVEN (THE)	1202 SO 119 ST	7/30/2008
BURGERS BAR & GRILL	1921 MISSOURI AVE	6/12/2008
CAKE GALLERY (THE)	8247 HASCALL ST	9/29/2008
CANTEEN CO OF OMAHA	8926 J STREET	8/25/2008
CARLISLE HOTEL	10909 M ST	8/9/2008
CECIL'S CAFE	4971 DODGE ST	9/10/2008
CHINA GATE	7923 BLONDO ST	5/20/2008
CHINA TASTE RESTAURANT	2420 CUMING ST	8/19/2008
CHINA TOWN	3720 LEAVENWORTH ST	4/3/2008
CLANCY'S PUB	777 NO 114 ST	7/2/2008
CLARION HOTEL OMAHA WEST	4888 SO 118 ST	5/7/2008
DON CARMELOS PIZZERIA	2647 SO 159 PLZ	4/17/2008
DONUT PROFESSOR (THE)	1222 SO 71 ST	10/1/2008
DONUT STOP	1256 SO 13 ST	6/18/2008
DOUBLETREE GUEST SUITES HOTEL	7270 CEDAR ST	7/31/2008
DOWN UNDER BAR	3804 LEAVENWORTH ST	9/11/2008
DRAFT HOUSE	1203 SO 180	10/1/2008
DUNDEE DELL	5002 UNDERWOOD AVE	8/12/2008
EL ALTENO	1052 PARK AVE	7/3/2008
EL BUEN PAN BAKERY	1344 PARK AVE	9/18/2008
EL CATRIN	6500 RAILROAD AVE	9/18/2008
EL QUETZAL	1941 VINTON ST	7/14/2008
GOLD MOUNTAIN RESTAURANT	15505 RUGGLES ST 105	9/9/2008
GREAT WALL	9025 MAPLEWOOD BLVD	6/20/2008
HONG HING	5411 NO 90 ST	3/7/2008
HONG KONG CAFE	664 NO 114 ST	6/16/2008
HOUSE OF HUNAN	2405 SO 132 ST	9/19/2008
HOUSE OF POULTRY	4111 NO 30 ST	9/3/2008
HUNAN GARDEN	5916 CENTER ST	4/24/2008
INTERNATIONAL BAKERY	5106 SO 24 ST	8/1/2008
JACK & MARY'S RESTAURANT	655 NO 114 ST	9/25/2008
JEROME'S PLACE	24535 KING LAKE RD	5/2/2008
JUBA RESTAURANT	1102 NW RADIAL HWY	8/20/2008
JUST GOOD MEAT CO	4424 SO 84 ST	7/17/2008
KELLY O'S PUB	2514 LEAVENWORTH	7/9/2008
KILIMANDJARO	8602 MAPLE ST	4/2/2008
KNJ GROCERY	3301 CALIFORNIA	9/29/2008
LA CHIRIPA	1920 VINTON ST	6/2/2008
LA FLOR DE MEXICO	4808 SO 24 ST	6/18/2008
LA HACIENDA RESTAURANT	7211 FARNAM ST	5/8/2008
LAS CAZUELAS	2405 HICKORY ST	8/13/2008
LITHUANIAN BAKERY	5217 SO 33	7/8/2008
LITTLE KING RESTAURANT	5055 SO 108 ST	9/8/2008
LOS MOLCAJETES RESTAURANT	4623 SO 33 ST	7/14/2008
MANDARIN FUSION	4412 SO 42 ST	9/29/2008
MIA LATTE CAFÉ	1901 FARNAM ST	7/21/2008
MICHAEL'S AT THE MARKET	1102 HARNEY ST	8/11/2008
M'S RESTAURANT INC	422 SO 11 ST	7/16/2008
NEW ASIAN SUPERMARKET	4615 SO 26 ST	4/16/2008
NEW YORK FRIED CHICKEN	10000 CALIFORNIA ST	9/11/2008
NO FRILLS SUPERMARKET INC	820 N SADDLE CREEK	8/15/2008
NORTH STAR	8509 NO 30 ST	7/3/2008
PAULI'S	4016 LEAVENWORTH ST	7/18/2008
PIC'S SIX	13328 MILLARD AVE	9/19/2008
PIZZA HUT 011018-036	7519 PACIFIC ST	6/12/2008
RICHIE'S CHICKEN & RIBS	3528 CENTER ST	9/17/2008
RICK'S BOATYARD CAFÉ	345 RIVERFRONT DR	8/29/2008
RUSTY NAIL INN	14111 PIERCE PLZ	8/11/2008
SAM & LOUIE'S NEW YORK PIZZA	7641 CASS ST	8/28/2008
SEYMOUR SMITH FIELD	68 & HARRISON	6/25/2008
SHIRLEYS DINER	5325 SO 139 PLZ	8/26/2008
SKEETS RIBS	2201 NO 24 ST	9/12/2008
SONS OF ITALY	1238 SO 10 ST	5/1/2008
TACO JOHN'S	8303 MAPLE ST	5/1/2008
TAQUERIA EL PALENQUE	840 SO 24 ST	4/2/2008
TOKYO KITCHEN	14132 ARBOR ST	4/15/2008
TRINI'S	1020 HOWARD ST	9/5/2008
VINCENZO'S ITALIAN RISTORANTE	1207 HARNEY ST	5/12/2008
VINCENZO'S MIDTOWN	7605 PACIFIC ST	5/30/2008
VINCENZO'S RISTORANTE	1818-22 NO 144 ST	5/21/2008
W C'S PLACE	3520 F ST	4/25/2008
WHEATFIELD'S EATERY-BAKERY	1224 SO 103 ST	8/1/2008

Rating List Information

RELATED LINKS:
2007 Health Ratings - Omaha, NE
2006 Health Ratings - Omaha, NE
Douglas County Food Facility Sanitation Ratings

Tags || HEALTH | RATINGS | 2008 | OMAHA | RESTAURANTS | DOUGLAS COUNTY | more... |

Food Prize Winners

2009-01-16T13:03:00.003-06:00

We have lots of stuff to give out today.

First off, congratulations to Mr. Ori Kushnir who won the Wagyu Beef Package from Morgan Ranch in the Menu for Hope raffle. Mr. Kushnir will receive a 7 pound Morgan Ranch Wagyu Carving Roast and 10 pounds of Morgan Ranch Wagyu Ground Beef. Thank you to all who purchased raffle tickets and a very special thank you to Morgan Ranch for the generous donation.

Next up, Anne Macklin has won the $50 gift certificate to Carrabba's Italian Grill for participating in our Holiday Food Traditions share-a-thon. Granted she was the only person who posted a comment, but hey, it got her a $50 gift certificate! Congratulations to her and thank you to Carrabba's for providing the donation for this prize.

Also from Carrabba's, we have 4 certificates for a selection of three mini desserts on the house. We said we were going to give these out to anyone who made the Mini Cannoli Recipe and sent us pictures and notes. We also said if we didn't get enough responses, we'd come up with alternative methods to award these. So I was going to award these based on past interactions: comments left on this site, readers who have "become a member" of GFC, members of the Foodies of Omaha Discussion board, people who voted in the Best-ter-est of Omaha awards, fans of GFC on Facebook, people who have interacted with the other Omaha Food bloggers, etc... But I wanted to make sure these went to people who would use them, so we're only going to award one - to Susan Stern - since we already know she likes Carrabba's. The others will be given out on a first request basis. So if you want one, just ask us.

Finally, we also have a $25 Gift Certificate to Sushi Japan/Yakiniku Boy from Restaurant.com. Like all Restaurant.com gift certificates, it comes with some restrictions, but they're reasonable. This particular certificate has the following restrictions: Valid with a minimum purchase of $35. 18% gratuity will be added to the pre-discounted bill. The winner of this prize was randomly chosen from all the people who voted for Sushi Japan as Best Sushi Restaurant in Omaha or Best Japanese Restaurant in Omaha in our Best-ter-est of Omaha Awards. So congratulations to MOD for winning this gift certificate.

I'll be trying to contact each of the winners over the weekend. If you won a prize and haven't heard from us by Monday, contact us. Congratulations again to everyone who won something. We hope to do more of this kind of thing in the future, so keep your eyes open.

Tags || RESTAURANTS | CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL | SUSHI JAPAN | RESTAURANTS.COM | GIFT CERTIFICATES | PRIZES | more... |

Meet Jesse Becker

2009-01-10T14:20:00.003-06:00

Gastronomic Fight Club is excited to announce that we have a new writer joining our team. Jesse Becker will occasionally be contributing articles about wine, coffee, the Omaha dining scene, and whatever else his expertise lends itself to. Please join us in welcoming him.

To go with that announcement, we also have this announcement to share:

Master Sommelier and Nebraska native Jesse Becker has joined Chef Paul Kulik in his newest venture, The Boiler Room Restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska. Becker returns to Omaha after working as a sommelier in some of America’s best restaurants, including Michael Chiarello’s Tra Vigne, Charlie Trotter’s, and NoMI at the Park Hyatt-Chicago. He spent the last two years at the James Beard Award winning restaurant Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, during which time he passed the rigorous Master Sommelier exam, making him one of 168 people in the world to achieve this distinction.

The Boiler Room is a collaboration between Chef Paul Kulik and the Mercers, the visionaries behind the Old Market arts and dining district in Omaha. Chef Kulik, also an Omaha native, returned recently from working in Berlin and Paris and has previously partnered with the Mercers as former chef of La Buvette.

"I am thrilled to be back in Omaha and to have found colleagues like Chef Kulik and the Mercers," says Becker. "They have done an amazing job with the space [a former boiler room in the old Bemis Bag factory] and we share an aesthetic for pristine ingredients, prepared without flourish, and wine service that is simple, excellent, and unassuming."

The Boiler Room will be an ingredient-driven restaurant inspired by "chalk-board menus" where plates will vary constantly, and with a preference for organic produce and meats. The wine list will focus on French country wines and will open with 80 to 150 selections.

The Boiler Room, in the Old Market, 1110 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska www.theboilerroomrestaurant.com

RELATED LINKS:
REVIEW: The Boiler Room Restaurant (GFC)
The Boiler Room Restaurant
Paul Kulik and Jeese Becker provide a Boiler Room Update
Jesse Becker, MS

Tags || OMAHA | JESSE BECKER | WINE | MASTER SOMMELIER | THE BOILER ROOM | PAUL KULIK | more... |

Breakfast at Bailey's - Omaha, NE

2009-01-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

In my family, I am the breakfast maker, because if it were up to my husband we would have cereal or scrambled eggs and toast every weekend. So, once in a while my wonderful hubby takes making breakfast off my hands and takes us out. Now, you have a ton of choices if you want breakfast in Omaha, however, we have a young child and our list of options then become more like a strategic tactical plan than a list of places to eat. We have to consider general noise of the restaurant, atmosphere, speed of service, the restaurant's acceptance of tables with young children, and of course food. Lately, our breakfast joint of choice has been Bailey's.

Bailey's is the type of diner that most of it's patrons would like to keep a secret. (Sorry everyone, they are too good not to write about.) When you're sitting at your table and look around, you can see couples, families, friends - this is an awesome place for families. Their menu is adventurous enough for the adults with things like Guerrero Benedicts with chorizo sausage, refried beans, and cotija cheese and they still have awesome standbys for the kids like pancakes and waffles. We've been there 3 times since we found it, each time with our daughter and each time has been a great experience. The waitresses all loved her and smiled at her even though she gave them the stink eye. The first time we went, they surprised us by bringing a dish of Goldfish crackers. At first, I was mad, because I am the type of mother that is overly prepared for everything so I already had things for her to munch on and I would prefer that my daughter eat freeze dried apples or raisins instead of cheesy Goldfish crackers before breakfast. But then I was able to see the intent of the waitress and appreciated the thought that the establishment puts into serving their customers and I calmed down. (For those of you that want to know, my daughter ate Goldfish before her breakfast that morning...she had already seen them and it wasn't worth the tantrum for what was meant to be a nice gesture.) The second time, she was already eating something when our order was taken, so it wasn't an issue. The third time we went, I was able to have my husband head the waitress off on her way to our table so we didn't get any Goldfish crackers but made sure that my nephew did - he loves his Goldfish. :)

The menu offers options from Belgian waffles, to a bagel with lox, to a beef tenderloin Benedict. None were overly done up as they could have been and all were delicious. The food is simple, but the flavors are well thought out and interesting. I tend to order the more plain or traditional items off the menu so I can share with our daughter, but that leaves the others at the table to be more adventurous in their ordering...which I get to taste of course. I will recount our most recent trip first and then follow up with some key things I remembered from our previous trips.

The waffles are light and fluffy, not too sweet and not too plain. My daughter enjoyed them thoroughly as she packed over a quarter of it into that 17 month old tummy of hers. The waffles also came with 2 eggs any style and 2 pieces of bacon or sausage so I definitely wasn't lacking any food. Also among the traditional entrees ordered were the classic trucker's breakfast and a sausage omelet with a biscuit. Both were as to be expected, which in a way is a good thing, because our expectations are not just to have the food 'not suck,' but to actually taste good and be cooked correctly. I am happy to report that our expectations were met.

Another diner at our table had the crab and avocado eggs Benedict and they were delightful. The mixture of the creamy avocado and the sweet crab was a combination that made me wish I made my husband order the waffles. I would also like to say that the Hollandaise sauce is made fresh daily and is very thin, light, and zingy unlike your typical thick and gloopy sauce in chain restaurants. I normally shy away from eggs Benedict because of the subpar Hollandaise sauce in most establishments, but I love them here. One bite was not enough. I wanted more. I couldn't have more, because it wasn't my plate. Humph. Moving on.

Also at the table was a bagel with cream cheese, lox, tomato, red onion, and capers. Delish! I could eat a pile of it. The smoked salmon was firm and had just the right amount of smokiness and you know it's fresh since Bailey's is owned by the folks at Absolutely Fresh which is a nice thought to think about while you order seafood from a restaurant in the middle of the country. Here's a little Omaha fish fact, Absolutely Fresh also owns Shucks which just opened another location at Legacy out West.

On our first visit, I had the special which was a spinach and cheese quiche, a fruit cup, and a muffin. The quiche had good flavor, however, I did not expect the texture which was more like a custard or silken tofu than a quiche. In my experience quiches tend to be more of a dense omelet type of a texture, but this one was light without air, but none the less light. The fruit cup was as to be expected, same old restaurant fruit cup with honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and grapes. The muffin was a Morning Glory muffin which had carrots, raisins, and walnuts in it. It was very moist and I probably could have eaten 3 of them, but I love anything baked and bready. You see, I am hard core and I have the 'nads to order cake for breakfast. (Anyone know where that came from? Leave a comment if you do!)

Some last words of advice. Go early and beware of the Goldfish if you don't want them. We usually get there before 9 am and we have yet to wait, but usually within a few minutes of being sat and ordering the waiting area is full of people salivating over your food and trying to decide what they want to order for themselves. If you find yourself in need of a breakfast place for company or just plain don't want to cook, this is a definite recommend.

Rating: 90

Bailey's Restaurant
120th & Pacific

1259 S. 120th Street (Map)
Omaha, NE 68144
Phone: (402) 932-5577

Hours of Operation
Monday - Sunday: 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

RELATED LINKS:
Photos from Bailey's - 3 separate sets
Breakfast and Brunch in Omaha
Omaha Brunch Bunch: Part 1
Omaha on $40 a Day

Tags || BAILEY'S | RESTAURANT | OMAHA | BREAKFAST | REVIEWS | RESTAURANT REVIEW | more... |

WINNERS: Best-ter-est of Omaha 2008

2009-01-04T12:01:00.008-06:00

Well the polls have closed and I have to say, the results were interesting and just what we were looking for. There were lots of great restaurants that came out on top, while the chains didn't fare so well, except in categories where you'd expect them to. Voter turn out was respectable considering we didn't really publicize this much beyond our readers. This was always meant to be a poll for foodies, by foodies, so thank you to all the foodies who voted. We hope you enjoy the results as much as we did.

Best-ter-est of Omaha 2008^TM

Best Bagels

Best Bar-B-Que

Amarillo Barbecue
Hartland BBQ
Famous Dave's

Best Bowl of Soup

Best Breakfast

Dixie Quick's
Bailey's
11-Worth Cafe (Tie ~ 3rd)
FarmHouse Cafe (Tie ~ 3rd)
Lisa's Radial Cafe (Tie ~ 3rd)
WheatFields (Tie ~ 3rd)

Best Buffet

China Buffet
No such thing
Harrah's (Tie ~ 3rd)
Hong Hing (Tie ~ 3rd)

Best Burrito

Chipotle
Alvarados (Tie ~ 2nd)
La Mesa (Tie ~ 2nd)
Netties (Tie ~ 2nd)
Qdoba (Tie ~ 2nd)

Best Coffee Shop

Best Desserts

Best Family Restaurant

Millard Roadhouse
Old Country Buffet
Petrow's

Best French Fries

Best Fried Chicken

Jack & Mary's
Millard Roadhouse(Tie ~ 2nd)
Popeyes (Tie ~ 2nd)

Best Hamburger

Dinker's
Stella's
King Kong
Red Robin

Best Pasta

Best Pizza

Zio's Pizza
Don Carmelos
Frank's Pizzeria (Tie ~ 3rd)
LaCasa Pizzaria (Tie ~ 3rd)
Mama's Pizza (Tie ~ 3rd)

Best Sandwiches

Best Seafood

Best Steak House

Drover
Anthony's Steakhouse
Every other steakhouse tied for the next spot ^**

Best Sunday Brunch

Dixie Quick's
Grandmother's
Granite City (Tie ~ 3rd)
Mcfoster's Natural Kind Cafe (Tie ~ 3rd)

Best Sushi Restaurant

Best Chinese Restaurant

O Dining (Tie ~ 1st)
P.F. Chang's (Tie ~ 1st)
China Road (Tie ~ 2nd)
Golden Palace (Tie ~ 2nd)
Rice Bowl (Tie ~ 2nd)

Best Appetizers

Jams
Crescent Moon (Tie ~ 2nd)
Granite City (Tie ~ 2nd)
Mai Thai (Tie ~ 2nd)

Best French Restaurant

Best Greek Restaurant

The Greek Islands
Katies
Jim & Jennie's Greek Village

Best Indian Restaurant

Best Italian Restaurant

Lo Sole Mio
Biaggi's (Tie ~ 2nd)
Bianco (Tie ~ 2nd)
Vivace (Tie ~ 2nd)

Best Japanese Restaurant

Best Mexican Restaurant

Alvarados (Tie ~ 1st)
El Aguila (Tie ~ 1st)
Guaca Maya (Tie ~ 1st)
La Mesa (Tie ~ 1st)

NOTES AND COMMENTS:
Since the form fields were free form, we tried to interpret the results as best we could. If you'd like to double check our work, feel free to look at the raw data.

No member of the GFC team voted. Since this was such a small sample size and some of the categories were so close, some of the results would be different if our votes were counted.

Cafe De Paris, Elada, and Trovato's each got at least one vote, despite being closed.

Best-ter-est of Omaha 2009^TM

With such a great response, we plan to do this again next year, with some new additions thanks to comments from our voters.

Best American Bistro
Best Thai
Best Korean
Most Overrated
Most Underrated
Best New Restaurant
Best Restaurant - Period

We might also include some "Best Dish" categories. Dishes that were singled out this year include:

Grandmother's: Clam Chowder
Upstream: Smoked Gouda & Blonde Ale Soup (x2)
Upstream: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Mai Thai: Tom Kah Chicken Soup
Don & Millie's: Baked Potato Soup
Burger Lust: Bleu Cheese Burger
Hiro: Avocado Rolls
Crescent Moon: Pickle Chips
Crescent Moon: Hot Wings
The Sportsman: Onion Rings

Omaha Food Bloggers

2008-12-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

When I first started this blog back in 2005, the foodie scene in Omaha was pretty underground. Slowly we've seen some encouraging changes. More locals joining the social sites like Foodbuzz, eGullet and Chowhound. More reviews going up on sites like yelp and urbanspoon. The Omaha World-Herald finally got a clue and gave food it's own subsection on their website. Food and Spirits magazine brought a dedicated local food publication to the area. And most importantly, more Omaha food bloggers have begun sharing their own thoughts and experiences.

With that, let me introduce you to our fellow Omaha Food Bloggers and announce the creation of the Omaha Food Bloggers Blog Roll. Blogs marked with a ^** were added after our initial announcement.

Meet The Omaha Food Bloggers

The 2 Foodies

http://the2foodies.org/ ^**
Kenton and Melissa make some great food, and better yet, take some amazing pictures of said food. The many recipes on their site cover both cooking and baking and they're not afraid to share their experiments.

Check it out

http://checkitoutavesta.blogspot.com/
Avesta considers herself a modern ethnic chef. She's been cooking since she was a toddler, and food has always been very important in her family. When she was 29 years old she opened Avesta Eclectic Cuisine (in a different city). She recently moved to Omaha and is planning on making her mark here.

Eat Like Athena

http://www.eatlikeathena.com ^**
Amber Share is passionate about slow food and is inspired by the Mediterranean. She is professionally trained and has gained some valuable experience. The experience shows as you puruse her recipes. Oh, and she also takes some great food photography as well.

food eaten.

http://foodeatenlifelived.blogspot.com/
Lainey Seyler writes for The Reader, but this is her personal blog where she records her "culinary fiascos and successes." She has lots of recipes and provides plenty of entertainment. She warns you to "Expect exaggeration."

Food Geekery

http://www.foodgeekery.com/ ^**
Jason Kelly is a relatively new foodie. In mid-2008 he decided to really start cooking at home. His site covers all of the interesting aspects of his journey into foodie-dom, from recipes to restaurant reviews.

Gastronomic Fight Club

http://www.gastronomicfightclub.com/
A food blog with a mission to find the best of the best. Their focus is to provide readers with unbiased critical reviews of all things food (and sometimes technology) related. The focus is mainly on Omaha restaurants, local and national food news, wine, beer and the occasional book reviews and recipes.

geeks.rate(food)

http://geeksratefood.blogspot.com/
Five geeks from Omaha rate restaurants, fast food, and various other interesting comestibles. That's right, five mini reviews for every restaurant. And with a new restaurant being reviewed about once a week, there's plenty to read.

Jamie's Kitchen

http://www.jamies-recipes.com/ ^**
Jamie recently moved to Omaha from Iowa with her husband, their two daughters and a smelly dog. She loves cooking; She is a food fanatic. This year her dream of becoming a stay home mom has come true! This time has allowed her to do lots of cooking and recipe developing. A win-win situation for her and for us as well as she blogs about her food adventures.

Omaha Critic

http://omahacritic.com/
Omaha Restaurant Reviews one bite at a time. The Omaha Critic provides honest reviews of various restaurants around the city giving each one a rating. If you want a kids point of view, you can also check out Omaha Critic - JUNIOR.

Former Omaha Food Bloggers

Unfortunately, bloggoers ocasionally move or just stop blogging. This is a list of food bloggers who used to be on the OFBBR.

What Greg Eats

http://www.whatgregeats.com/
Greg Bullard’s love for food began in his Father’s kitchen and grew from there to be a cornerstone of his life. Greg is a firm believer in the concept that you live to eat, not eat to live. Living in Omaha, NE now, Greg's other musings can be found at Well Fed on the Town

Omaha Not-Quite-Food Bloggers

There are also several blogs out there that are food related, though not really about food.

Kevin Lynch On Wine

http://www.kevinlynchonwine.com ^**
A site where, hopefully, information and humor, seamlessly gel -- assuming gels can have seams. Kevin is a food and wine writer who recently moved back to Omaha from the San Francisco bay area.

Nebraska Beer Blog

http://nebraskabeer.blogspot.com/ ^**
I bet you didn't know there was enough going on in the Nebraska Beer world to maintain an active blog about it. Well there is, and a very passionate one at that. This is the spot for all you need to know about Nebraska beer, brewing, events and everything that centers around beer in this great state.

Meet the Omaha Food Bloggers Blog Roll

So here's the thing - the hard part about writing a blog is keeping it going. Life often gets in the way and the writing muse doesn't always want to dance with you. Before long it's been 6 weeks since your last post and readers have forgotten about you. And from a readers standpoint, it's not always practical to check each of the blogs above on a regular basis. That's where the Omaha Food Bloggers Blog Roll comes in. The blog roll is a shared Atom/RSS feed that can be subscribed to so you'll have a constant stream of new content delivered to your feedreader, email or whatever you use. We hope other good things will also come of this. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to re-boot the Foodies of Omaha Discussion Board and start meeting regularly. If we do, you'll already be in the know because you clicked one of the links below.

Subscribe to Omaha Food Blogger Posts

Or Subscribe by Email

Tags || OMAHA | FOOD BLOGGERS | OMAHA FOOD BLOGGERS BLOG ROLL | FOODIES OF OMAHA | OFBBR | FOOD | more... |

Menu for Hope Extended to Dec 31st

2008-12-26T20:44:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a good holiday.

Just a quick note to let you know the 2008 Menu for Hope campaign has been extended to run through December 31st.

If you haven't looked recently, there have been some late additions to the prize pool, including our Wagyu Beef package.

Thanks.

Tags || MENU FOR HOPE | MORGAN RANCH | WAGYU | BEEF | STEAKS | NEBRASKA | more... |

Menu for Hope - Morgan Ranch Wagyu Beef

2008-12-19T05:00:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, at the end of each year food bloggers have united, under the coordination of Chez Pim, to hold a massive raffle to raise money for charity. In 2007, we raised over US$90,000 to help the UN World Food Programme. The UN World Food Programme has been choosen again as the benefactor for this charity drive.

Cool! How can I help?

For each $10 you donate, you will get one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. At the end of the campaign (December 15-25), the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

Like what kind of prizes?

How about dinner in New York with New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov? A dinner for two with wine pairing at Manresa? A wine vacation at Meadowood Resort in Napa? A custom made Japanese chef's knife? Dinner for 8 at Momofuku Ssäm Bar? Lighting kits for the photography nerds? You can check out this year's Menu for Hope prize lists below. They are divided into regions by blogger, but you can bid on items from any region. Or you can save yourself some time and just put all of your raffle tickets towards our great prize.

Morgan Ranch Wagyu Beef Package

Once again, Morgan Ranch has been kind enough to provide us with an awesome prize package. Morgan Ranch has been breeding Wagyu in Burwell, Nebraska since the early 1990's using genetic stock acquired directly from Japan. One of the first Wagyu breeders in the United States, Morgan Ranch was also one of the few to pass stringent genetic, management and production requirements for shipping the prized beef back to Japan. Morgan Ranch remains one of the largest producers of Wagyu beef in the country.

So a special thanks goes out to Morgan Ranch for providing us with a Wagyu Beef combo package to be raffled off. The package includes a wagyu beef carving roast, perfect for these winter months and 10 pounds of ground wagyu beef to throw a killer summer barbecue once the temperatures start rising again (or if you're impatient, make a meatloaf like no other right now).

Morgan Ranch Wagyu Carving Roast

All the qualities that make Wagyu beef worth enjoying also make it worth sharing with our Morgan Ranch Wagyu Carving Roast. The most flavorful of all the roasting cuts, it offers unmatched tenderness and texture as well. Its generous 7-pound size makes it the right size for every occasion.

$100 value**

Morgan Ranch Wagyu Ground Beef

Now everything you make tastes better with Morgan Ranch Wagyu Ground Beef. Create steak burgers unlike any you've ever had -- grilled or pan-fried. Averaging 81 to 84% lean, it offers a flavorful selection as part of a healthy lifestyle or as part of your favorite sauces and meatloaf recipes. Includes 10 1-pound packages.

$90 value**

PRIZE CODE: UE40 (We're part of the East Coast Prize List)
**Includes free 2nd day shipping within the continental US.

How Do I Donate?

Check out all the items up for raffle benefiting Menu for Hope 5. Pay attention to the prize code listed next to the item(s) you want to win. Once you decide which prize buckets you want your raffle tickets to go towards, visit the donation site and follow the instructions. I'll post a winners announcement when it becomes available on January 10th.

Good luck and thank you in advance to all who donate. Happy holidays to all!

PRIZE LISTS:
Eastern US Prizes at Steamy Kitchen
Western US Prizes at Matt Bites
Europe *including* the UK at Ms. Adventures in Italy
Canada at Hooked on Heat
Asia Pacific/Australia/New Zealand at Tomato
Wine Blog Host at Vinography
Donate: At the Menu for Hope 5 donation site on firstgiving.com.

RELATED LINKS:
Sponsors: Thanks to Morgan Ranch for supplying us with some great gourmet wagyu beef to give away.
Taste Magazine Takes a Look at Morgan Ranch's Wagyu Beef and Falls in Love!
Wall Street Journal Puts Morgan Ranch Wagyu To The (Taste) Test.
HOW TO: Wagyu Beef Cooking tips

Tags || MENU FOR HOPE | MORGAN RANCH | WAGYU | BEEF | STEAKS | NEBRASKA | more... |

Last Chance to Vote

2008-12-18T01:30:00.002-06:00

I have to admit, voter turnout for the Best-ter-est of Omaha Awards^TM has been better than expected. Our total number of votes is still small, but the GFC community is small, so that's to be expected. If you haven't voted yet, now is the time to do so. Voting will close on December 31st.

Submit your authority here.
Best-ter-est of Omaha voting ballot

Tags || BEST OF OMAHA | OMAHA | RESTAURANTS | AWARDS | FOOD | GFC |

Holiday Food Traditions

2008-12-17T12:57:00.003-06:00

Cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. Snickerdoodles, thumb print cookies, ginger snaps, chocolate chip, and of course sugar cookies. That seems to be a growing holiday cooking tradition in our house. I imagine it will become more permanent as our daughter gets older.

My wife's family used to make custard pie, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheese pie, but that's faded a bit recently. If it were up to my father-in-law, prime rib would solidify it's place on the table each year. I'm all for that, but it becomes harder to do as the number of dinner guests keeps growing each year. The only other thing that is always made is smashed candied yams. Always.

What's your holiday food tradition

Do you make a fancy dish out of The French Laundry Cookbook? Do you make popcorn garlands? Do you go counter-culture and make something not associated with the season, like lobster or BBQ Ribs? Anyone make an ethnic dish from your family's culture or borrow from another culture? Christopsomo, Tourtiere, Latkes? Do you defy the winter snow and cook outside?

A gift

Share your holiday food traditions with us. We'll select one of stories at random to win a $50 gift certificate provided to us by Carrabba's Italian Grill. We'll give away the certificate sometime around the first of the year. Don't have a tradition yet? Maybe you should start one by making Mini Cannolis, Salty Newspaper Steak, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur or Wonton Soup.

RELATED LINKS:
Christmas Eve Meals

Tags || HOLIDAY FOOD TRADITIONS | COOKIES | COOKING | CARRABBAS | FOOD | GFC |

Menu for Hope V - Starts Today

2008-12-15T09:56:00.004-06:00

The annual Menu for Hope charity drive begins today. We still haven't found a sponsor for this year. If you have something you'd like to donate let us know. If you have connections you'd like to exploit for the cause, send them a link to our request for donations post.

What is Menu for Hope?
When will this year's campaign take place?
Who is the beneficiary of this year's campaign?
Who collects the money?
How can I help?
  I'm a blogger
  I'm a restaurateur, author or food/wine producer/seller
  I'm a food blog reader or a food lover

Tags || MENU FOR HOPE | MENU FOR HOPE V | MIDWEST | OMAHA | CHARITY | KOBE | more... |

Gastronomic Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soup.

New Omaha Food Bloggers - Q3 2009

Omaha Food Bloggers

Omaha Food Bank - O! What a Duck Race 2009

The Omaha Food Bank's 2nd Annual"O! What a Duck Race!"

July 25, 2009Adopt a Duck ~ Feed the Hungry

Adopt a Duck

Why Adopt a Duck?

What does "Adopting a Duck" Really Mean?

Kobe Beef Hamburger Recipes

Kobe Burger Recipes

Kobe burger from chef Michael Mina of Stonehill Tavern

Kobe Bleu Cheese Mini-Burgers with Cipollini Onions in Balsamic Reduction by Robert Irvine

DB Burger by Daniel Boulud from DB Bistro Moderne

Chef Carol Wallack's Wagyu Burger of Sola

Mini Prime Burgers with Remoulade and Aged Cheddar Cheese by Wolfgang Puck

Wagyu Burger from chef Justin North at Plan B in Australia

Hamburger Cookbooks

Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers by Hubert Keller

Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking

REVIEW: ThermoWorks Splash Proof Thermapen

ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen thermocouple thermometer

Join the Omaha Foodies Discussions

Recent Comments on Gastronomic Fight Club

Sage Bistro - Spring 2009

Eat Like a Human - Grow Your Own

S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2009

Special Recognition Awards

The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants

Petition to Help Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, NE

Help Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, Nebraska

2009 James Beard Nominees Announcements

2009 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

2009 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Awards

COOK BOOK AWARDS

OTHER MEDIA AWARDS

Join us at Sage Bistro

Prix Fixe by Student Sous Chef, Betty Gomez

Event Details

R.S.V.P.

The Baristas of Cultiva and the Art of Espresso

The Roast

The Grind

The Shot

REVIEW: The Boiler Room Restaurant - Omaha, NE

Expectations

The Menu

Final Thoughts

The Boiler Room's Opening Day Menu

2008 Health Ratings - Omaha, NE

Food Prize Winners

Meet Jesse Becker

Breakfast at Bailey's - Omaha, NE

WINNERS: Best-ter-est of Omaha 2008

Best-ter-est of Omaha 2008TM

Best Bagels

Best Bar-B-Que

Best Bowl of Soup

Best Breakfast

Best Buffet

Best Burrito

Best Coffee Shop

Best Desserts

Best Family Restaurant

Best French Fries

Best Fried Chicken

Best Hamburger

Best Pasta

Best Pizza

Best Sandwiches

The Omaha Food Bank's 2nd Annual
"O! What a Duck Race!"

July 25, 2009
Adopt a Duck ~ Feed the Hungry

Best-ter-est of Omaha 2008^TM

Best-ter-est of Omaha 2009^TM