In Search of Breakfast

by Tamsen Butler

Mere words cannot describe the warm affection I feel toward the breakfast meal. I consider myself quite the breakfast aficionado, so it only makes sense that I would venture out to various breakfast spots in town in search of the best place I could find where the food is delicious and the menu delightfully varied.

Vidlak’s Brookside Café, 15668 West Center Road, Mon-Sun 7:00AM – 1:00PM

Vidlak’s Brookside Café has a no-nonsense ambiance. You seat yourself and the efficient wait staff suddenly appears out of nowhere. There is not much by way of décor, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in great food and low prices.

The menu features the standard breakfast fare, but the...

Outstanding in The Field comes to Nebraska

by Krista O'Malley

Local food connoisseurs are looking forward to the Outstanding in The Field Dinner this Saturday, August 4th at Branched Oak Farm in Raymond Nebraska, owners Doug and Krista Dittman. The event is part of the Outstanding in the Field 2012 North American Tour. 

The mission for Outstanding in the Field is to reconnect diners to the food they eat, while honoring the farm and farmers that provide the food, creating a celebratory dining experience. Outstanding in the Field began back in 1999 and have been setting long tables for people to eat ever since. The Outstanding in the Field events have been held in every type of possible setting from farms, gardens, ranches, mountains, seaside and...

Eater, Meet Food

by Summer Miller

My friend (we will call her Susan) and I often discuss the local food scene. Is there really a scene? Are people really passionate about local food, supporting small farms and eating well? Or are they going to the farmers market so they can wear a floppy hat and tote a canvas shopping bag just to buy a pastry and a $5 jar of jam.

Does anyone really know what to do with tarragon? Or kholrabi? Or beets? Or any other produce item at the farmers market? Is it a place to shop and feed our families or is it a place to be seen?

My friend has a slightly more cynical view than I do, believing most people buy a bunch of Swiss chard only to let it rot in the fridge while ordering take out from...

A Pantry of Immigrants

by Krista O'Malley

And DishOmaha Team

The American palate is constantly evolving. Evidence of that evolution here in Omaha is the strength and number of established ethnic markets throughout the city. Mexico, Asia, India and the Mediterranean are all represented, reinforcing culture with shared shopping and supporting the dishes that have been made and served for generations.

Most of Omaha’s ethnic markets are true to their roots in their products, languages and staff. As community borders continue to broaden, ethnic markets are seeing a much wider customer base, searching for ways to become stronger by offering a greater variety of products as they adapt to our ever-changing city. The Japanese market...

Events like Elevate make Omaha great.

by Krista O'Malley

Events like Elevate make Omaha great.

Held on the 36th street bridge, over looking the 1-80 corridor within sight of the newly designed grain elevators whose theme this year was based on transportation, Elevate was the collaboration of chef, designer and farmer whom together designed a communal space paired it with an artistic menu that together created a unique festive eating experience.

This unique eating experience was conceptualized through Emerging Terrain, a non-profit research and design collaborative, whose focus for such an event is to reconnect the public with the landscapes that have been created around us. The focus is to not let oneself take for granted the farms,...

Grillers’ Guide to Grass-Fed Burgers

by Summer Miller

A few months ago, I opened my Facebook page to see a Rosie the Riveter-era e-poster on my site. She was holding an armful of vegetables and the caption beneath her read, “Try Organic Food … or as a your grandparents called it, ‘food.’” Replace the vegetables with a hamburger and the caption could’ve easily read, “Try Grass-fed Beef … or as your grandparents called it, ‘beef.’”

This weekend marks the kick-off of grilling season, so I began to ponder the idea of grilling grass-fed burgers for our Memorial Day Barbecue. I have to be honest, in many ways, meat, especially red meat, is unchartered territory for me. I was almost 30 when I had my first hamburger as an adult. My husband made it...