Eating Omaha...Tussey's Casual Grill

Saturday night was a night for adventure. Mostly everyone was out of town, the big game came on at 6:30 and we were looking for somewhere new to eat.

It also happens to be restaurant week in Omaha so menus are posted and unusual spots are featured like this one in North Omaha just west of the Mormon Bridge. It feels like a highway cafe, very casual and the prices were moderate.

We both had the Restaurant week special which included choices from the appetizer, entree and dessert menu. Normally we are not big dessert fans but the price was right so...

We both ordered the same thing, a Black and Bleu flatiron steak with different sides. Mine,  grilled veggies and hers,  garlic mashed potatoes. Opposite night!  For the appetizer we had Short Rib Flatbread and Artichoke dip with crostini.  Both were delicious but the dip was under seasoned.

The steaks were cooked perfectly and generous portions. Then came dessert, we chose the Churros and the Bread Pudding in Whiskey sauce. That was a hit. The Churros and chocolate sauce were room temp but would have been better hot.  All in all the wait staff was attentive and pleasant.

Nice place, far away for us, at a decent price. Very casual, truck stop kind of feel.

Firecracker Salmon in Foil.

So we eat a lot of seafood in our house even though we are this far inland. A lot has to do with church but we really like fish. I cook salmon all the time, usually a little olive oil and Crazy Jane's salt on a non stick foil on the grill. This time I went off the grid and cooked it in this sauce on the grill in a foil packet. I made some the regular way too,  just in case. It was good, really good and the texture of the fish was sublime. The sauce was delicious despite all the sugar which is when I usually turn a recipe away. This was fantastic.

 

http://littlespicejar.com/firecracker-baked-salmon-in-foil/

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ pound sockeye or coho salmon (preferably wild-caught)*
• ¼ teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional

FIRECRACKER SAUCE:

• ¼ cup hot sauce (such as Louisiana hot sauce or Franks Original)
• ½ cup brown sugar
  
  
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. (see notes)
2. In a saucepan, combine the ingredients of the firecracker sauce over medium high heat, allow to come to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool for 3-5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools so don't worry if it looks a little thin.
3. While the sauce is simmering, place the salmon filet in a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. I used multiple pieces to keep the sauce from leaking in the baking tray to make clean up easier. Place the salmon with foil on a baking tray. Season the salmon filet with salt and pepper.
4. Using a brush or spoon, brush the salmon with the firecracker sauce. Cover with foil so that all sides are properly closed so the sauce does not leak. Bake the salmon for 12-14 minutes or until the salmon is firm to the touch in the thickest portion of the fish. Open the foil and allow the fish to broil under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so the fish does not burn. Remove from oven, top with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

All credit for this recipe re posted from:  Little Spice Jar 

Eating Omaha....Sunday Brunch at Louie's Wine Dive. Fail

Brenda wanted to shake things up a bit and we researched the menu at Louie's Wine Dive for Brunch this past Sunday and made the decision to go there. What a nightmare. Bad service and forgotten items, no refills and an unusually long wait with no apology in sight. What?  Don't they want people to eat there?

Ben and Hannah were in town and we attended church then off to Louie's for a nice brunch meal. Not to be had.  We sat down and got water and coffee.  A few minutes later, order taken,  it was about 11:10.

No coffee refill until we asked around 11:40.

Waiting for the appetizer.  Waiter avoids looking at us.

Now 12:05 and Brenda asks another waiter where the food is.  Food arrives, cool to cold. No appetizer.

Crab cake entree does not appear to have any kind of substantial crab cake. Seriously? Terrible. Brenda's meal is cold. Mine is OK but not what I expected. A buttermilk chicken sandwich with honey but it's not fried?  What? It's grilled?  Fries were good.

Ben ordered the Maple wings but there were only 4 and a sausage gravy biscuit. He did not complain much.  No water refill till we finished the meal. Really?

All in all I cannot see going back there for brunch. Dinners are great there even happy hour was satisfying but this? This was nonsense for a hefty price tag too.

Eating Omaha....R Tacos

Wow its been a while since we have had a new restaurant experience. Since Matt and Lori left Omaha we haven't found that perfect pairing to share these experiences so we are on our own from now on. The gals at work, Heather in particular, had pointed to this place as good eats and it was. R Taco is on 147th and Maple in Omaha and is part of a chain of restaurants.

Just a quickie place really, not formal at all, for a quick bite and a Margarita, if that's your thing.  The menu is simple, chips and salsa, queso and guac as well as a variety of hit and miss tacos.

Brenda tried the chicken fajita and brisket while I ventured into a fried chicken and pork taco. Set up like generous 'street' tacos, they came in a 4 inch corn tortilla (I will try flour next visit as I am not a huge corn tortilla fan unless it's fried). Everything was good, not remarkable but good except the fried chicken taco was a bit chewy and a little off putting.

We arrived before 6 so it was still 'happy hour' and had a Margarita normally $5 now $3.50.  I believe they are made in house as they did not have a mix taste to them but they were sweeter than I wanted them to be with fresh lime juice so it balanced out ok.  Overall we would stop again for a quick bite but I would not bring friends there for a lingering conversation.  I am anxious to try some of the combinations of flavors they offer and maybe just a traditional taco. The cost was spot on at $2.50 per taco so cheap eats. Who can argue with that?

Charity Cooking

At All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church, we get into some great little projects. One of them happened a few Sundays ago where we went and cooked at the Rainbow House. I love large cooking so I was definitely in on this one.

The Rainbow House is a facility that hosts families that have sick kids at Children's hospital right up the street.  So nice to be able to interact and comfort folks in their hour of need.

Our assignment was too make a dinner to feed about 30 or more that wasn't pasta or lasagna. They get a lot of that.  So our pit boss, Debbie Birge, decided to go Greek (imagine that) with lots of olive oil, lemons and oregano. We serve roasted potatoes, roasted chicken and salad and had set up an ice cream bar for desserts.

I was designated head chef and everyone was my Sous Chef, to cut potatoes, wash and dress the birds and set things up. So much fun and a pleasure to cook there. They have commercial fridges, 4 complete kitchen stations with sinks and stoves. We used everything we could and it made really quick work. Disposable pans made clean up a breeze.

My lovely Sous Chefs minus John Birge and Pete Wilger

Me and the Boss

Could not asked for a better group of people to work with or a nicer venue. The leftovers went in the fridge for resident snacking and lunches.