Eating Omaha....The Warehouse

Actually it would be Eating Bennington since we drove about 10 miles out of Omaha to this sleepy little hamlet on the outskirts of town.

For a Saturday night it was not terribly busy but we arrived early for a Saturday about 630. Nice and open, clean and inviting it is a family establishment with very friendly staff and patrons.


The menu was pretty ordinary for this type of place which on hindsight was pretty typical of a sports bar and small town eatery.  Very family oriented and affordable. Not quite what I was expecting though.

We started with wings and potato skins and a house beer. The wings were good but we did not care for the "Down and Dirty wings" which had too much of just a teriyaki taste to them. The skins were great but I don't skins often so I am no judge.

Matt had the pork tenderloin sandwich, Brenda and I split a 1/2 pound burger as did Lori. I ordered a side salad and Brenda had fries. The burger was tasty but typical of the area and really it was a pleasant place to come if you were in the area. I don't feel the need to drive all the way out there again.  If I did I think I would try some delicious looking fare from the larger dinner menu and they have steaks for a reasonable price.  All in all a pleasant experience but 2 beers, wings and 1 burger set me back $35. plus tip so....

Pizza Redemption

I was so disappointed with our pizza the other night I need a fix, badly. Last night I made a family favorite hamburger pizza with my usual homemade sauce. The only real difference is that I used Trader Joe's crust. I love this stuff. Sadly it is everything my crust is not. Brenda actually had a program to attend for work so she wasn't even home. I had this beautiful pie all to myself.


Look at that bubbly crust! So tasty I have to admit I wish my pizza dough was half this nice. I am sure the secret is it is very, very wet. It does not stick tot he bag and I oil it right out of the package, spread it out on a parchment paper and top it. It is so much easier to move to the oven on the paper.

So about 1/2 pound of hamburger, a few mushrooms, 1/2 cup of sauce and a cup of shredded Jack later...voila!

Eating Omaha....Piezon's

A local establishment opened next to King Kong's for pizza. We have been eyeballing this place for a while and finally took the plunge and ordered a large Supreme style pizza. $22. is  a hefty price tag for pretty much a mediocre pizza. The crust was unimpressive and the toppings were okay but no gooey cheese overall it was pretty dry. I had one piece only and didn't care much for another. I think we will have to stick to Sgt Pfeffer's although it's quite a bit father away.  Too bad. we have not had a great pizza place in the neighborhood since Don Carmello's closed up shop.  Not sure this place will last too long. 

Chow Chow the easier way

After I had assembled all the ingredients for the previous post, I decided it was way too complicated and long so I went the easy way.

Hot Chow Chow

1 small head of cabbage
1 medium onion
1 Anaheim Chili
3 Jalepenos seeded
1 large Red pepper
3 Tomatillas

Shred the above either by food processor or by hand

I did salt and drain this overnight then rinse and squeeze in the a.m. but then I realized I had to add a cup of water to the mix so why?  Just place all the shredded veggies in a pot and add the following:

1 cup white vinegar
1 c cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 T salt
1 t mustard seed
1 t celery seed
1 t pickling spice
1 t turmeric (makes it yellow)

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning adding more salt or sugar as desired or whatever flavoring you have in mind. Some recipes called for bay leaf.

Can in pint jars and process 10-15 minutes. I added a healthy squirt or 3 or 4 of Siracha cause it need more heat.

Hot Chow Chow

Because I can never find Mrs. Renfro's when I want it...I found this recipe on line.


...................Hot & Spicy Fermented Chow Chow...................
- Fresh ingredients -
12 Jalapeno-diced
4 Manzano-diced
2 peach Habanero-diced
3 green bell-diced
3 red bell-diced
2 Green Anaheim Chile’s-diced
3 green tomatoes (or 6 tomatillo’s) -diced
1 large Vidalia onion-diced (more/less to taste)
1 small head of cabbage (1 Lb or so)-shredded

- Dry ingredients -
2 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cayenne flakes
1TBS pickling salt
1 Cup sugar

- Liquid ingredients -
2 TBS whey (harvest from yogurt)
Distilled water (as needed)
Vinegar (see note)

Glass container with air tight lid (gallon pickle jar works well)
If your glass container has a metal lid, I suggest a couple layers of plastic wrap between the lid and the jar, otherwise the lid might begin to rust on the inside during processing and/or storage.


- Instructions -
Wash all fresh ingredients thoroughly, drain and mix together.
Combine the dry ingredients,
Pack tightly into the glass container 1/3 at a time, adding the dry ingredients at each layer, Fill to within 3 inches at the top.
Add the whey, then slowly pour in the water, until it completely covers the contents.
Make sure to leave at least 2 inches of air space at the top.
Secure the lid, and sit aside to ferment for 2 or 3 days at room temperature.
Soon after sealing the container, you will begin to see small bubbles forming and becoming active.
Occasionally you might need to release some of the natural gasses that form during the process, by quickly opening and re-sealing the lid.

After a few days of fermenting, move the jar to the fridge, where your chow-chow will keep for several months, if it happens to last that long.

Note:
If a tart vinegar flavor is desired, pour off some of the liquid, add cider vinegar to taste and then refrigerate.

The whey (optional)serves as a starter, to get the fermentation underway more quickly.
If you choose not to use a starter, add one additional TBS of salt and allow to ferment 3 full days before refrigeration.

Eating Omaha...Happy Hour

Usually our favorite Happy Hour spot is Bravo!  but lately I have grown bored with the menu so I made a decision to direct our little group to something new and they kindly went with my whim.

One Pacific Place opened a new eatery in the old Ruby Tuesday spot call Pig and Finch. It is a chain restaurant but we are not as picky about Eating Omaha this year. . Lavishly decorated and nicely appointed, it is an upscale "Gastro Pub". I perused the menu on line and found things that looked good but we were only there for Happy Hour. 

Sadly, the HH menu I found online was severely pared down at this location offering only 3 snacks at $3 each. We ordered all 3, Fried pickles, Pretzel bites and Bacon Marmalade toast. The toast was by far the best as the others were pretty ordinary. I have a recipe for Pretzels on this blog and they are better than what we were served.  The actual dinner fare prices were moderate to high and we did not stay for dinner. I thought we might but I suggested yet another local establishment for dinner and to my surprise, all agreed.

Onward to the new location of King Kong's. Yes, I know but really they have the greatest burgers and since Brenda and I share a meal, this burger is mighty shareable. It could be dangerous to have a location so close. The food is always fresh and tasty. Brenda is not a fan of their Tzatziki sauce as she usually prefers a Greek Salad with Gyro meat but I always go for the burger.

I am not sure will hit Pig and Finch again in the near future. We are planning our next outing though for Eating Omaha and will actually be Eating Bennington at the Warehouse sometime this month. Hard to schedule as we are planning a trip to KC to help get the boys settled and Matt and Lori are booked most of the May weekends. We might have a few Eating Kansas City posts to share on the other hand...stay tuned.