Pitch Pizzeria

5021 Underwood Avenue
Omaha, NE 68132
402.590.2625
Lunch Tues-Sat, 11am-4:30pm, Dinner Mon-Sun, 4:30pm to close
pitchpizzeria.com

13" Margherita pizza: San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil ($13)

Dundee residents, act cool. Not only is Conor Oberst opening a new bar on Dodge Street, but Pitch on Underwood Ave just had a celeb sighting last weekend: the man, the myth, the Bono was there wining and dining. Since Bono lives and breathes cool, I figured the "coal oven pizzeria" was overdue for a visit.

The only seating available at 7:30 on a Monday evening was two high top bar stools facing the street, which had the feel of outdoor dining without all the car exhaust and bugs. The space was a little tight; just make sure you like the person you're with.

Roasted Brussels sprouts: garlic, pancetta, grana cheese ($6)

Dundonians have cautioned me for some time that the crust is extremely thin and crispy, so I was basically expecting sauce and cheese on a Saltine. The reality is that the crust was just right: chewy and powdered with flour on the bottom, with a one-inch perimeter of browned exterior to give it some character, and the occasional crust bubble. On the classic Margherita pie, there was nothing really "standout" about the sauce and cheese; it was just plain good. This is all-purpose pizza, good for getting all Euro about it and eating with a fork and knife, or for munching on in front of the fridge in your underwear.

On the whole roasted rainbow trout entree, the French green lentils were rather al dente, which suited my taste, but I wondered whether that was on purpose. It was advertised as a whole fish, but in the end, "Excuse me ma'am, where's my fish tail?" didn't seem like a necessary question. The dish was popping with rich flavor that managed not to overwhelm the trout, and I thought the messy pile presentation was kind of interesting. It was fun to eat.

I commend our server for mostly leaving us alone, and though the restaurant was full, her timing was perfect. It's great to visit a popular restaurant that's also deserving, but I'm kind of pissed they didn't really give me much to pick on. Pitch is a crowd pleaser, good for Bonos and regular humans alike.

Whole roasted rainbow trout: caramelized apples, fennel, onions, French green lentils, sage walnut butter ($17)

The Winery

741 North 98th Street (Clocktower Village, near JC Penny side of Westroads Mall)
Omaha, NE 68114
402.391.3535
Deli open Mon-Fri 7am-3pm, Sat 10am-3pm, closed Sunday
Wine Shop Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
thewineryomaha.com
See Facebook for info on Saturday wine tastings

BLT on white toast with mayo.
Protein, carbs, fruits and veggies all on one 'wich.

I'd rather not hide the fact that I know most of the people who work on the deli side, so attempting a proper "review" would be dubious. Here you've got one of the largest wine selections in the city, with beers and liquors as well. Forget shopping for gifts at the nearby mall; presents in bottle form are always preferred, don't you think?

I'd also advise you to steer clear of Panera Bread and the like when you rustle up a hunger from shopping/working/whatever it is you do around there. The Winery has daily soups, fresh breads, and an array of chicken, pasta and veggie salads, all for a very respectable price. That bulging-with-bacon-lettuce-and-tomato up there? Four bones. And that's all I have to say about that.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad on Marble Rye--
Crunch of scallion, mild chipotle spice and not dripping with mayo. Win. 

Aerial view, with Chicken Nood and Cream of Sherry Mushroom Soups

Le menu

Le Voltaire

569 North 155th Plaza (in Pepperwood Village Shopping Center)
Omaha, NE 68154
(402) 934-9374
Open for lunch Thurs and Fri, dinner Tues thru Saturday, closed Sun and Mon
www.levoltaireomaha.com 

A fabulous idea for NYE ... especially if you'll be hanging out with your parents. 

The interior was dazzling, but there was still something very "West O strip mall" about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Our server diligently refilled our waters after every single sip, which is good if you're on a kidney cleanse but bad if you want to be left alone. With a wine list ranging from $7 glasses to $1200 bottles, nearly all indiscriminately yet impressively French, there's something for everyone. (Just not fans of Keystone light.)

Glass of Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes, Albert Bichot 2008:
Light bodied, but with complex fruit flavors.
Didn't leave purple mouth.

The lunch menu is affordable enough for the average underemployed foodie ($13.95 for app + entree). The escargots, glistening with olive oil and herbs, disappeared faster than you can say "I'm eating snails!" Underneath the thick cheesy canopy of the French onion soup, a delicate broth was revealed. The duck leg confit was a great winter dish, with buttery potatoes and abundant aromatic rosemary. I wasn't blown away by the sandwich végétarien, since it seemed like another extra-cheese-for-meat trade every vegetarian is probably used to. I appreciated the effort to serve everything very, very hot, but it was too bad that once the fries cooled off their true blandness shone through. These must be what "Freedom fries" taste like, 'cause it was the one thing on the menu that didn't seem French.

Chef Fichepain -- after ten years of being opened -- seems content with ultra-traditional French fare, but perhaps that's just fine. As Voltaire once said, "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien (perfect is the enemy of good)," or as I like to say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Le Voltaire fills the niche of classic French cuisine brilliantly, and is a great place to impress your girlfriend's parents.

Escargot Exhibit A

Escargot Exhibit B

Soupe á l'oignon gratinée au fromage--
That's French for "chunk of cheese served on a doily."

Duck Confit with Red Potatoes, Roasted Tomato and Herbs

Sandwich Végétarien:
"Open face sandwich served with grilled vegetables, goat cheese, and gruyere cheese. Topped with nuts."
The veggies didn't seem grilled, but rather a heavily sauteed ratatouille of mostly peppers.

Vivace

1108 Howard Street 

Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 342-2050
Open daily for lunch and dinner, weekdays 'til 11pm and Fridays and Saturdays 'til midnight, Sundays closed in between brunch and dinner
www.vivaceomaha.com

9" Pepperoni pizza with Banana Peppers and Buffalo Mozzarella

Chicken Piadini--
 Grilled flat bread wrap with figs, prosciutto, green onions, basil, arugula and Fontina cheese

Everyone's heard of Vivace in the Old Market--or Viv-ACE as we like to call it--but did you know they offer 9" Neapolitan-style pies for $11.95? Add a couple glasses of red and you've got the perfect snack for two, if you ask me. The banana peppers on the Pepperoni pizza reminded me of the Peperoni pies I'd get in Germany, and it was even most satisfying to my skeptical dining companion. ("I've had pizza in Naples, yo.") The chicken in the Chicken Piadini was a little over-roasted, but the fig/prosciutto flavor combo took over, and the whole thing was remarkably filling. I don't know of anywhere else around here doing the sweet potato/regular potato mix for the fries, but an aioli dipping sauce would have been good, not to mention fries that weren't served ice cold. Vivace's got some good ideas and some tried and true Italian flavors, and I think a little more attention paid to the details would make them even better. Not to mention the service is as disorganized as the driving in Italy. The wine came out five minutes after the food, we were presented the wrong check, and even candidly offered jobs by our eccentric server, for no particular reason.

Vivace's menu isn't exactly innovative, but it's fresh and high in value, and they're open pretty late. You should also stop in if you're looking for a job, apparently!

Phat in Philadelphia (and NYC)

I didn't do Steven Starr, or Bobby Flay, or Le Bec Fin, or hardly anything traditionally defined as "good food." I did, however, visit my teenage haunts and other old faves, and nearly OD'd on pizza. And the beer. My God, the beer. I danced, I explored, I ate, and I drank. I didn't snap a photo of every single thing 'cause there just wasn't time to stop.

Golden Castle Diner, North Wilmington, DE
Can't deny that late-night cravin' for something so greasy it slips out of your hands. And some chocolate pie from the pie case, cuz, why not? I mean, food always winds up yellow and brown anyway, right?

Monochromatic Meal #1: Classic Grilled Cheese

Yes, we got a side of fries, too.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Pinocchio's Pizza and Beer Garden To Go, Media, PA
I started eating here when I was about eight years old, with my family. Then, my high school cafeteria had their pizza, and I distinctly remember eating it on a daily basis the entire tenth grade year. All You Can Eat pizza and soda nights kept us suburban punk ass kids out of trouble. But, it seems Pinocchio's got a taste for beer a little later than I did, opening the "beer garden" addition just a couple of years ago. Skyrocketing to success, they just clinched the sought-after title for Best Beer Shop in all of Phillyland, according to Philadelphia Magazine's most recent issue, which is kind of a huge deal. An absolute must visit if you're anywhere near it. P.S. For all you "Philly" sandwich eaters out there in Omaha, this is what it's supposed to look like. (I'm partial to chicken, as opposed to the classic beef cheesesteak, a leftover from my years as a strict non-cow eater.)

Chicken Cheesesteak:
A hot mess of thinly chopped chicken, fried onions and hot peppers, with provolone, on a top-of-the-line toasted hoagie roll. Sa-weet!

Monochromatic Meal #2: Fried Sampler Platter--
There's rings, bites, nugs, sticks, blah blah blah.

De Proef/ Sly Fox Broederlijke Liefde ON TAP!
I also had a Brotherly Suds, which is the collaborative effort of five different Philly microbreweries.

He told me he'd knock it down to $300, but I still couldn't swing it.

Beers, and beer reflections. And some chick.

The lucky ones to come home with us.

And, speaking of 'zza, here's a shot of one of my daily slices from any NYC pizzeria. Note the triangle shape:

Square pizza is just plain wronG.

Coffee Shop, Union Square, NYC
In the ranks of overpriced Manhattan diners and other eateries, this place is kinda low on the list. It did, however, solve the problem of where to suck down a Mimosa. (Of the mango variety, which was actually more like a Bellini, not pictured here cause there was a hole in my glass. Hehe.)

Grilled Shrimp Chopped Salad with Romaine, Roasted Corn and Black Beans

Wild Mushroom Omelette

Guess.

Dos Toros, Union Square, NYC
After a long day wandering up and down Fifth Ave for no particular reason, a pit stop was in order, this time to a Qdoba-like hole-in-the-wall bursting with NYU kids, who were clearly majoring in Personal Space Invasion. The girl behind me in line totally just took a course on Breathing Down a Stranger's Neck. Ah, anyway. My taco was huge and the extra hot salsa was obscenely spicy, but it did the trick.

Carnitas Taco--
With a downright rude hot salsa

Whole Foods Beer Room, Bowery, NYC
No trip to this area would be complete without a stop at the Whole Foods Bowery location. They've got a beer room where you can get growlers of beers you've never heard of. And everything you need for home brewing, if you're into that sort of thing, which it seems every dude and his mom is these days. Yes folks, this supermarket location truly has everything your average white person likes.

Beer Stuff 

More Beer Stuff

Loreley, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
There was a time when I felt if I never had a German beer again it would be too soon. I am now partially recovered from my couple of years stuck in the world of piss pilsners, and so it seemed appropriate to go to the newer Brooklyn version of one of my old LES hangouts. Currywurst, THEE Berlin street food, was never my personal favorite, but I felt obliged to try it. This version was a tad smushy, and the fries were soooo McDonald's, but they nailed the curry ketchup part. On a long wooden table under a wide umbrella, I nibbled and sipped leisurely and didn't even notice the sun had gone down.

Ein Kölsch und ein Grüner Veltliner--
Und die schöne Fingernägel meiner Cousine!

Currywurst:
There's actually a museum for this in Berlin.

John's Village Market, Brookhaven, PA
The place to go for a quality sandwich, especially if you're a sweaty construction worker dude with one of them Philly accents.

Classic Italian Hoagie:
Pepper ham, capicola, Genoa salami, provolone

Chicken Pesto Panini, one half--
REALLY, REALLY GOOD

Wash it all down with some meat flavored chips.

Eulogy Belgian Tavern, Old City, Philadelphia
The bar stools are always full at this Old City classic, and I like to think of it as a good place to duck into to avoid the throngs of bros and hoes doing the mating call in this part of town every weekend night.

Twice Fried Belgian Frietjes--
With "Beneluxx" sauce, bourbon remoulade, and malt vinegar aioli.
A glob of mayo would have been fine too. 

Just a LaChouffe and a Kasteel Rouge on tap, no big deal here.  Two of my faves.

Piet-Agoras Belgian ale--
A nice, rare brew. A little fruity, caramel-y, sour-ish, with a hoppy finish. 

Beneluxx Tasting Room, Old City, Philadelphia
A block away from Eulogy, this basement bar with the same owners wasn't as bustling, but there were more interesting menu options. Next time I'm gonna do the fondue.

Chimay, meet Beemster. Tried and true delicious cheeses, with a nice bare-bones presentation.
Hey, at least the plate is rectangular. 

This here's a panini. That's all I really remember.

Sierra Nevada's Ovila Abbey Dubbel

There was also the dry white wine and olive tapenade and goat cheese crostini at Gemma in the Bowery Hotel, where I didn't see anyone too famous but was entertained by the surly waitstaff. And then the late-late-night falafel that I somehow got all over my shirt. Across the great divide known as the East River, I sipped on an absinthe cocktail, which didn't make me hallucinate, but did get me tipsy enough to happily slurp down my very first oyster, at Maison Premiere. Oh, and let's not forget the bowl of Cheerios on the first class flight home.

And now, to sleep. For a week. And maybe think about eating a vegetable of some sort.