Tasty Pastry

5423 Leavenworth Street
402.933.9392
Open Mon thru Sat 10am-2pm
http://tastypastryomaha.com

Tasty pastries, indeed

How I long for more places like the recently opened Tasty Pastry in Omaha. With my general aversion to cooking and disgust with brown-bagging it on a workday, I avoid starvation during daytime hours by frequenting places like this. There is nothing quite like gazing out the window, steaming bowl of scrumptious split pea soup in front of you, occasionally losing yourself in your Twitter feed while absentmindedly fashioning a spoon out of your hunk of bread. Three martini lunches are great, too, but I like my soup.

Spicy corn chowder with chicken ($5/bowl)

While not a full-service rest-runt, new sandwiches appear intermittently on the menu as they ease into their space. (Up until last year this was Come on into my Kitchen.) The chicken sandwich is fit for the finest: Lightly breaded chicken with the tang of garlic aioli, pickles, jalapeño, and crunchy slaw on an above-average ciabatta (?) bun.

Proprietor, chef, and baker Mary Dailey has a true knack for executing recipes that are not overly sweet, more reminiscent of Euro-style tortes and pastries than what the average 'Merkan thinks of cake. She's also more than happy to slice up a sample of anything you'd like. Try some chocolate ganache if you're in the market for a new addiction.

The only way you won't love Tasty Pastry is if you have a phobia of the 50+ female demographic, since they're strongly represented in the crowd there.

On a very unrelated note, I kind of wish the name didn't make me think of pasties — every time — but what can you do.

Chicken sandwich ($6)

Carrot cake

Behind the counter

Chowda

The Reader: Baxter's

So, this week's Dish section in The Reader boasts a brilliantly written review of Baxter's in Benson. Pick up a copy, woudja?

Another option would be to read the Omaha World Herald review of the same place. The major difference between the two articles is that this one was not written by me.

If only we were always this excited about pizza here in Omaha!

Margherita slice from Baxter's

Bob's Grill & Cafe

317 South 17th Street
402.922.2430
Open M-F 7am-2:30pm
bobsgrillandcafe.com 

Omaha Beef ($5.39):
Sliced roast beef, cheddar, grilled onion, and steak sauce, which tasted suspiciously of barbecue.

Urban Omaha

While gnawing on the Omaha Beef sandwich at Bob's Grill & Cafe, comparisons to Arby's will be unavoidable. You might imagine the phrase "glorified Arby's." You can hardly wait to share this meaningful opinion with your dining partner, so much that you nearly choke on a slice of roast beef. Easy there, boy. Take a sip of iced tea from the styrofoam cup. Your dining partner will point out that Arby's is also pretty glorious. You'll agree, and continue munching thoughtfully, making the promise to yourself to stop trying to cover up your decades-long endearing relationship with fast food.

Indeed, the hastily piled slices of roast beef and the globular spots of half-melted cheddar will remind you of the Arby's classic. The onion bun seals the deal. If you're one of the lucky ones who spend your days in one of downtown Omaha's high-profile offices, it's unlikely you'll send your secretary all the way to Arby's anyway. Go instead to Bob's. If a salad is what you crave, they've got that covered. I enjoyed patting myself on the back so much for ordering a salad, that I figured I might as well reward myself by topping it with a couple of Buffalo chicken fingers. Aaaand, they've even got creepy artwork (see below). I tried to be a good fake journalist and call the restaurant to get the artist's name, but I couldn't reach Mr. Bob for comment.

The Bob's crew is fast, which could be a bad thing if standing in line is your only relief from the stiffness of your cubicle chair. And if you don't work in the area, this is still a great place to spend a leisurely lunch hour gawking at weirdos people watching through the ample front windows.

Am I supposed to know this iconic old man in a tutu? 

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Ranch ($5.79):
The lighter choice.
It was freshly made as opposed to pulled out of a fridge,
but I'm still losing sleep at night over the waste of a giant plastic to go container. 

Chicken Tortilla soup neither chicken-y nor tortilla-y.
Oh well. 

The pastry case!

The French Bulldog

5003 Underwood Avenue

402.505.4633

Mon thru Thurs 11a.m. - 11p.m., Fri and Sat 11a.m. - midnight

frenchbulldogomaha.com

Hey! I'm cool! I've eaten here, too!

Charcuterie plate

There's an article in which I ask Bryce from the Bulldog how to make bacon HERE.

Shuck's Fish House and Oyster Bar

1911 Leavenworth Street
402.614.5544
Plus two other locations:
16901 Wright Plaza (Shops of Legacy)
1218 S. 119th Street (just south of Pacific St.)
Downtown location offers limited Bailey's brunch menu Sat and Sun 9-2
Open 7 days
http://absolutelyfresh.com

Crab Cake Sandwich ($10.99)

I'm bored. Bored of beef and beer. Does that mean I'm bored of life?

Instead of feeling down on myself, I went to Shuck's, the restaurant attached to the local respected seafood supplier Absolutely Fresh. The place has a decent happy hour, and on this particular afternoon a couple of older dudes were parked at the bar, wanly sipping on their Bud heavies. Maybe the atmosphere gets livelier as the night goes on. We had the pleasure of having the whole back dining room to ourselves, a stark contrast to the restaurant's always-packed predecessor before it moved to Council Bluffs, Dixie Quicks.

Shrimp Po' Boy ($10.99)

I'm enamored with the idea of a casual seafood place in Omaha. Here you can get your fish & chips, your crab cake sandwich, your shrimp po' boy, all guaranteed "absolutely fresh," and all priced agreeably. You can roll up your sleeves and get down on some oysters, dirtying up the butcher paper that covers each table. It's the kind of place that's a dime-a-dozen on the coasts, but a real treat for us in this landlocked neck of the woods. A lot of the dishes I've sampled have tasted fantastic, but some present some culinary question marks. The crab cake, for example, made one heck of a photogenic sandwich, but was missing something. More seasonings, perhaps? It doesn't really matter. Shucks isn't supposed to be perfect. It's a laid back seafood joint with a "Dirty South" theme, and on these boring, bleak, beef-less days, it gives me a reason to live.

Fried Calamari, and a view of the bar ($4 at happy hour).
This yummy snack is "breaded" with cornmeal and GLUTEN FREE.

Cup o' Louisiana Gumbo ($3.99)

Note: On weekend mornings, Shuck's Downtown offers some competition to the abhorred and adored 11-Worth Cafe a few blocks away by offering a limited brunch menu from their sister restaurant, Bailey's.

The Reader: Chat with Corner Creperie

In case you missed last week's Reader article on NoDo's newest lunch addition (written by me), check it out HERE. 

Cheese bacon apple crepe,
side salad with quark buttermilk dressing. ($7)
Much fancier than the Lean Cuisine
you're planning on microwaving in your office. 

Originally published in The Reader, January 23, 2013:

Chat with Corner Creperie

Get your crepes at the corner of 24th and Chicago

BY RACHEL GRACE

There are a few places in town to order crepes, but none as dedicated to the French-style stuffed pancake as this brand new space near the Creighton campus. Over my caramel latte – crafted with house-made syrup and beans from Omaha roasters A Hill of Beans – I spoke with Head Chef Chase Grove and owners Didi and Derek Olsen for the scoop.

READ THE REST...

Corner Creperie is located at 343 N. 24^th Street at Chicago Street. Hours are Mon – Sat 10a.m – 10p.m. and Sun 8a.m. – 6p.m. Call 402.955.9577 for details. 

Jim & Jennie's Greek Village

3026 North 90th Street (just north of Maple Street)

402.571.2857

Mon - Thurs 11-9, Fri and Sat 11-10, closed Sun

jimandjennies.com

On this overcast day, the silly Flintstones-esque lettering drew me in. 

I've had a tough time finding a blind-mowing dining experience lately. That is, until hunger struck in the middle of an afternoon "thrifting" (not the cool kind, the poor kind), and I found myself transported to the shores of Greece. Not really. But still, before I knew what was happening, I was deeply submerged in my blue vinyl booth, happily chowing down on some of the best darn spinach pie I've tasted since I worked at a Greek diner in Philly. The phyllo dough was nicely flaky, but just chewy enough to keep the whole thing held together. Darkly caramelized onions added flavor and texture, and it wasn't weighed down with too much feta cheese -- just the way I like it. Finally, something to salivate over.

Spanakopita appetizer ($3.25):
I may or may not have this as my iPhone wallpaper. 

Dolmades appetizer ($4.99):
Ground beef and rice-stuffed grape leaves with creamy egg lemon sauce.

I exercised my timidness and ordered the sandwich special of the day, the gyro. The octopodi and pan-fried smelts will just have to wait 'til next time. Like the souvlaki sandwich, the gyro rested atop a piece of warm, delightfully pliable pita bread. This wasn't the puffy fake stuff you might find in the Baker's bread aisle. The gal I believe to be Mrs. Jennie herself, as she gracefully boxed up our scraps table-side, explained they get their bread from "a place in Chicago." Not bad, says I.

Gyro, complete with tzatziki sauce rich with dill, and house salad ($6.75 on Mondays).

The menu is more than fit for pescetarians, and even your vegetarian friend can tag along and get a Veggie Gyro. Winos will feel adventurous sipping on the full-bodied Kourtaki Retsina ($4.75/glass), which had a tangy, unfamiliar piney taste.

Jim and Jennie have been doing their thing since '85, and I hope they know how good they are at serving wonderfully rustic, traditional Greek cuisine. Even the way they dressed the wedge of iceberg in oil, vinegar, and a handful of dried oregano was somehow impressive. Rookies they are not; they've got the touch.

Souvlaki sandwich ($5.99):
Well-seasoned, marinated pork loin skewer grilled to a tender medium,
with pepper, onion, a chunk o' feta, a sad tomato slice,
a ramekin of velvety tzatziki and your customary kalamata olive.