Eating Omaha....Modern Love

We were honored to be guests at a celebration dinner for Caroline and Skye Page as they celebrated their nuptials at the courthouse Monday evening. while we were unfortunately unable to make the courthouse ceremony, we parked ourselves at happy hour at the reception venue and had a few cocktails.

Modern Love is a local vegan establishment, one of a few in Omaha but definitely on the higher end of the scale with offerings for the vegan community. My last visit there I was not so impressed but this time it was of our own choosing and I went with an open mind and sampled all the fare that was before me. The owner/chef is widely known for her creative menu.

The cocktails were great and I had a Bloody Mary before the guests arrive while Brenda enjoyed a Cosmopolitan. We perused the menu while drinking and found a few things interesting to try. My sister had just been there with her dinner club and was not happy at all but I was determined to find somethings that I would enjoy. They may have just hit an off night. As a carnivore, the menu is a little sparse of typical going out to eat fare so choose wisely. Brenda's advice was stick to a vegetable with little intervention. Sage advice.

For starters we had Mozzarella balls, deep fried which I loved. Brenda was a little so so but loved the nachos with cashew cheese which also filled the Mozzarella balls. The Spinach Artichoke dip was notable as well. I had a Portabella salad with avocado. It was delicious and the ranch dressing was tangy and a nice addition. It was a large salad and I brought half home.

Brenda opted for a Chik'n Fried Steak option and my taste of that was quite good. But if I'm going vegan then perhaps not going to try to imitate meat so much and stick with vegetable entrees.  The most impressive thing about the place is that the owner came to speak to our friend Emily, who has multiple food intolerances and made a specific dish for her based on her needs. It looked delicious with oyster mushrooms and a  pesto risotto with collards.  That's the kind of vegan I was looking for.

Desserts were well received by all for those who ordered but Caroliine's mother, Lori, had ordered a vegan vanilla and chocolate cake that hit the spot post dinner. Brenda had a cherry trifle that was delicious and Caroline's dad, David, sampled a bread pudding that looked great.

Honestly, its not the place I would choose if a choice was to be made. I am happy to go there for the needs of others but not a huge fan of a strict vegetable diet personally. If Caroline and Skye would like to go out with us then I would, of course come here again knowing there are quite a few things I can enjoy. On the upside my sugar was behaving well. Not a post prandial spike in sight and really a little low by evenings end. Could I go totally meat free? Maybe if I can have seafood and dairy?  I really miss my cheese and in our house its a condiment in all it's forms and flavors.

For a Monday night, the place was packed. I mean every table. Many thanks to the Barr's for such a nice evening and to the Page's for a lovely invite to their special day. Much love and happiness to the beautiful couple.