NOTW: Friday April 27th 2007
posted by snekse

News of the Week: Friday March 30th

I was sick the past couple of Fridays, thus the lack of blog posts. Because of that, I actually have a couple of weeks of news items.

Both the Downtown Omaha's Farmers Market and the Rockbrook Village Farmers Market start up next Saturday (May 5th, 2007).

Paul Kulik's new venture, Amsterdam Falafel & Kabob , opened last weekend in Dundee and was so popular, they actually ran out of food and had to close early! You can read more about it at the OHW and the Reader .

Sweet Magnolias is reopening in May under new ownership, but it sounds like the new owners will maintain many of the original recipes.

The DoughBoys, who won this year's Ron Sailors High School Team Culinary Arts Invitational, got some press in the Omaha World-Herald as they prepared for the National ProStart competition.

April 12: The Nebraska state champion Papillion-La Vista culinary team, the DoughBoys, rehearses for the upcoming National ProStart Student Invitational culinary competition in Charlotte, N.C. From left, Jake Newton, Jonathan Hodge, Brent Gray and Evan Gross are busy in the kitchen. (photo)
©The Omaha World-Herald

In a somewhat related announcement, an Annual Czech Dinner fund raiser will be held Sunday April 29, 2007 in Lincoln to support the Nebraska Restaurant Association Hospitality Education Foundation's ProStart Program.

Congrats to Sam at becks & posh who reached a million unique visitors ~~this~~ last week on her little food blog! That number is staggering. To give you an idea of how staggering, GFC had just 14,000 unique visitors since we started in March 2005. Despite our smaller numbers, I wanted to thank our readers who have been spreading the word because well over half of those visitors are just from the beginning of this year!

And in case you don't read everything that gets posted on GFC, we've added a new tool for all the Omaha Foodies with too much time on their hands. The Omaha Food Events Calendar should help keep you busy.

Labels: NEWS, NOTW

Omaha Food Events Calendar
posted by snekse

I hate missing cool food events. It bothers me even more when I miss an event because I never heard about it until after the fact. I can't even begin to tell you all the cool things we missed while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. So as a response to that, I've decided to begin offering a new tool for the adventurous food lovers in Omaha.

Omaha Food Events Calendar

You can either bookmark the link above or you can subscribe to the calendar's feed if you're into that kind of thing.

This calendar will post food (and wine/beer) events in the Omaha area. The stipulation is it cannot be a frequently reoccurring event. To start off, we're going to limit this to events that happen no more than once a quarter. If I find the calendar becoming overloaded, I'll tighten the restrictions. Hopefully this will help maintain the value in such postings.

Tags || GFC | FOOD | OMAHA | EVENTS | CALENDAR |

Labels: LOCAL EVENTS, OMAHA, TOOLS

World's 50 Best Restaurants - 2007
posted by snekse

Restaurant magazine has released it's annual list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. This is one of the more democratic and discerning list compiled, though it is a bit biased towards Europe. Either way, I enjoy it and look forward to it every year. Here's a description of how the list is decided.

We divided the world into regions, with a chairperson in each region appointed for their knowledge of their part of the restaurant world. These chairs each selected a voting panel, who cast a total of 2,800 votes.

There is no list of nominees; each member of our international voting panel votes for their personal choice of five restaurants. They may vote for up to two restaurants in their own region, the remaining votes must be cast outside their home region. Nobody is allowed to vote for their own restaurant and voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate within the past 18 months. These rules ensure that the list is as comprehensive as possible.

This year was the year of the holding pattern as the top 6 restaurants remained unchanged. As such, El Bulli has maintained it's crown as the top restaurant in the world. Even more impressive is the fact that's it's held a spot in the top 3 since 2002! The Fat Duck, Pierre Gagnaire, The French Laundry, Tetsuya's, and Bras round out the rest of the top 6 (in that order).

Congratulations to Thomas Keller who not only had the top rated restaurant in the US with The French Laundry (#4), but also was able to (again) claim the second highest spot with Per Se (#9). It's almost cheating though since they are practically the same restaurant in different locations.

Congratulations should also go to chef Grant Achatz, who's restaurant Alinea (#36) was the highest new entry onto the list. However, I think the fact that Charlie Trotter's (#30) beat out Alinea is going to cause some strife on the eGullet forums.

I am a bit surprised to see the absence of Manresa in at least the top 100, but the Zuni Cafe is; I love Zuni, but it seems odd.

Top Restaurants in the US

The French Laundry (#4) - Make a reservation
Per Se (#9) - Make a reservation
Jean Georges (#18) - Make a reservation
Le Bernardin (#26) - Make a reservation
Charlie Trotter's (#30) - Make a reservation
Daniel (#32) - Make a reservation
Alinea (#36) - Make a reservation
Chez Panisse (#40) - Make a reservation
Masa (#56) - Make a reservation
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the Four Seasons (#64) - Make a reservation
Peter Lugar (#69) - Make a reservation
Nobu New York (#89) - Make a reservation
Gramercy Tavern (#90) - Make a reservation
WD~50 (#91) - Make a reservation
Zuni Café (#98) - Make a reservation
Alex at Wynn (#100) - Make a reservation

Special Recognition Awards

Reader's Choice: Pied à Terre, London
Chef's Choice: Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck
Breakthrough Restaurant: Maze, London
Lifetime Achievement Award: Alice Waters (details)

The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants

List of Restaurant's 1-50
List of Restaurant's 51-100

Tags || GFC | FOOD | S.PELLEGRINO | WORLD'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS | EL BULLI | FRENCH LAUNDRY | more... |

Labels: AWARDS, LISTS, RESTAURANTS

NOTW: Friday April 6th 2007
posted by snekse

News of the Week: Friday March 30th

Save some money and help a good cause. The ConAgra Foods Truckload Sale will be held April 21st from 8 am to 11 am. The proceeds benefit the American Heart Association. Discounted items for sale include products from various ConAgra brands, such as Healthy Choice, Kid Cuisine, and Marie Callender's.

As of April 5th, Taco Bell locations in select cities around the nation started offering breakfast and Omaha is one of the test markets. I tried the bean and egg burrito the day they started. My thought - I wouldn't order it again. The consistency of the eggs and beans is too similar and there's nothing to sink your teeth into. Not to mention the pinto bean, scrambled egg and red sauce combo was just not very tasty.

Nichole Aksamit shares my opinion of Darwin Bistro & Catering.
New bistro's a rare find

La Buvette got a brief mention in The New York Times as providing "European bistro sophistication" to the Omaha area. The French Café, M’s Pub and V. Mertz were also referenced in the same article.

People have been trying to grab a piece of history by stealing menus from Mister C's. Knock it off. However, if you did happen to swipe a menu and have access to a scanner, please make a digital copy for the rest of us. I'd be more than happy to host the files so everyone can have access to such an item.

The Bellevue German restaurant, Edelweiss, posted signs that it has closed. I believe this was the last remaining true German restaurant in Omaha. Das Rheinland closed late last year as the owner, Frank Hoover, opened a new restaurant, 1892 German Bier Hall, in Council Bluffs.

Harr’s Restaurant in Waterloo, which has been operating for almost 60 years, will be closing April 30th.

The Metro student culinary team placed 7th, earning a bronze medal in the American Culinary Federation's regional qualifier for the national championships. This is the highest ranking they're achieved in the 4 years since they started participating.

The Omaha World-Herald compiled a list of Easter Brunch spots. Can't believe I missed that considering I had been keeping an eye out for it.

Tags || GFC | FOOD | OMAHA WORLD-HERALD | DARWIN BISTRO | MCC | 1892 | more... |

Labels: NEWS, NOTW

BYOB: Dubbels
posted by snekse

It's interesting how the same great idea can form at the same time from two different people who have no contact with each other. Back in about mid-January I was wondering why there wasn't a blogging event for beer that was similar to Wine Blogging Wednesday. I was not the only one.

Granted I think I had with a better name in mind and could have promoted the event a little better, but never the less, it's easier to join and help, than compete. So with that, I throw my hat into The Session.

Unfortunately I missed the first Session (Stouts), but I'll make up for it by covering double the Dubbels. A Dubbel is a style of beer popularized in Belgium that is characterized by a balance of malt and hops with a spiciness, mild fruit aromas and a slightly higher alcohol level. You can read more about this style on BeerAdvocate.com

The first beer I reviewed was a dubbel I just happened to pick up from Beertopia a couple of weeks earlier knowing nothing about the theme for this month's Session. The second beer I chose because it's very popular and available at most well stocked stores. It turns out picking blind was the way to go.

On with the beer!

Abbey Belgian Style Ale

From: New Belgium Brewing Inc.
Location: Colorado, United States
Style: Dubbel

appearance: 4
A nice range of colors starting from a deep golden honey running to a dark amber of goldish-red. Slightly cloudy from the remaining yeast. The head consisted of a nice layer of dense foam that had respectable retention and lacing.

smell: 3.5
Mostly just a blend of spice, malt and yeast with underpinnings of hops and a bit of an apple cider fruitiness. I have to agree with others that there is a faint smell of fermented bananas in here.

taste: 3.5
Good balance between malts and hops. Complexity brought with clove like spice. Fruit wasn't as present as it was on the nose.

mouthfeel: 4
Definitely drink out of a wide mouth glass at the recommended temperature. Doing so accentuates the creaminess. Otherwise the mouthfeel is closer to a Bud Light. I thought the carbonation was completely inline with the dubbel style.

drinkability: 3.5
Not something I'd want to drink more than 2 of. Would probably go quite well with food, especially beef stew or some goulash.

overall: 3.65
Not a bad beer at all, but not an outstanding beer either. In general, I'd say I'm just not a dubbel person, but I could drink this occasionally.

Chimay Première (Red)

From: Bières de Chimay (Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont)
Location: Belgium
Style: Dubbel

Okay, I'm copping out on this one a bit, but only because I want to be fair. I think I got a bad bottle or something. This beer smelled and tasted skunky like a bad home brew. Maybe it was because I stored the bottle on it's side which the back label expressly dissuades. My theory is storing it up right allows the remaining yeast to settle to the bottom which would allow you to pour carefully and prevent basically decant your beer. If anyone knows the reason for not storing on it's side, please let me know.

*** UPDATE ***
You can read the round up on Alan McLeod's site.
Session 2: The Day Of The Dubbels Is Here!

Tags || GFC | FOOD | DRINK | BEER | SESSION | NEW BELGIUM BREWING | more... |

Labels: BEER, BYOB

Omaha Brunch Bunch: Part 1
posted by snekse

As part of an ongoing investigation, we will be uncovering various brunch options in the Omaha area in hopes to increase awareness. Our photo reconnaissance has documented the following locations peddling eggs, waffles and other nefarious not-quite-breakfast/not-quite-lunch items to local diners.

POACHED EGG

Taxi's Grille & Bar
Probably one of the best places for brunch in Omaha. Their menu features about 6 different variations of eggs Benedict along with some non-standard offering such as a seafood enchilada. The sides are a little ho-hum, but everything else is very tasty. Reservations are highly recommended.

PRIME RIB

Upstream Brewing Company
Within the last couple of months, Upstream added a buffet to their brunch options. Far from the standard, this buffet offers bread pudding French toast, made-to-order omelets, prime rib and many other selections along the same lines. Orange juice, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages are included, as they should be for $16.95!

GIANT BELGIAN WAFFLE

The Cheesecake Factory
Basic fare. Nothing special, but if you like The Cheesecake Factory, then you'll probably enjoy their brunch. As usual with TCF, the portions are huge, so there is good value here. I just wish their menu was a little more creative. As usual, reservations are not taken, so show up early if you have a large party.

BAKED EGG

Darwin Bistro
Darwin just started offering brunch. Like 3 days ago. Their menu is fairly interesting and closely mimics the dinner menu, though I was hoping to see a little more creativity and whimsy on the brunch menu. For better or worse, it leans a little more toward lunch compared to other brunch menus. From the two dishes we had, I'd say they have firm ground to build off of. I'm interested to try the "oeuf cuistot" with seared foie gras, so I'll be back again soon.

RELATED LINKS:
LISTS: Brunch in Omaha
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Darwin Bistro & Catering

Tags || GFC | FOOD | BRUNCH | DARWIN BISTRO | UPSTREAM BREWING COMPANY | TAXIS | more... |

Labels: BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH, OMAHA, RESTAURANTS