The Omaha Critic

I have been noticing some strange issues with the web site as well as some old out-dated information.  Over the next few weeks I am going to try and clean some of that up.

In the meantime, I would like to invite everyone to make suggestions for improving the site or adding content.  I have a co-worker whose son is looking for a job.  They are a chef working part time and looking for full time work.  After having that conversation, I was kicking around some sort of chef recommendation service.  Let me know if you have any thoughts on if I should add this.

I have another idea bouncing around in my head..

Is anyone interested in a version of “Chopped” for Omaha chefs?

Thanks!

~The Omaha Critic

So here’s the thing.  The Critic and I eat out a lot.  We have a large brood, so therefore, the places we tend to frequent are those that are family-friendly.  We place a very high level of importance on “FAMILY FRIENDLY”.  (Which is not to say we don’t love to sneak away to decidedly grown-up establishments like Le Voltaire every chance we get, but THAT is another post!)

One of the restaurants we have frequented for many, many years is King Kong fast food.  I am not going to link to that restaurant, because as of this moment, I will not give that restaurant another PENNY of our hard-earned money.  While the establishment prides themselves on gigantic burgers and gyros, their claim to be a “Family oriented” restaurant (it says so right on their website!) could not have been further from the truth based on our experience today.

SO I’m not going to talk about their food, or their cute little gorillas outside, or their stuffed animals inside.  Instead I am going to relay to you exactly what happened to us this afternoon, at approximately 4:15 pm, when a friend and I decided to take our daughters to King Kong for burgers and gyros after a day at the zoo.  (If you’re local – you’ll know exactly which King Kong we were at, since it’s RIGHT THERE by the zoo.) 

We ordered our food, and sat down.  My friend and I, both women in our thirties, were there with four of our daughters, who ranged in age from 16 to 1.  Apparently it was “teach each other Spanish cuss words day” behind the counter, as the staff behind the counter kept shouting things such as “puta madre!”, and other curse phrases.  My friend and I kept trying to give them the motherly glare, and my friend even at one point yelled “Shut up!  We can hear you!”

Well, this was not enough to get the potty-mouths behind the counter to stop, and my 16-year-old, who had heard enough, stood up and went to the counter.  She told the guys we could hear them, and that we DO understand what they are saying.  The guy behind the counter said “SO?”  She explained to him that there are CHILDREN present, and they UNDERSTAND what those words mean.  The guy behind the counter (apparently the manager?) says “Ok”, and as my SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER turned away, he called her a bitch. 

SO.

I don’t know about you, but I do not find that terribly family oriented. 

And we WILL NOT spend another penny there.  EVER. 

If you want gyros?  My first pick is Jim & Jennie’s Greek Village.  Greek Islands (who doesn’t have a website), or Feta’s are good too. 

Burgers?  Dude, there’s a million places, but I’m LOVING Smashburger lately.

Just do me a favor…don’t take your kids to King Kong unless you want them to walk away knowing how to say “mother f—er” in Spanish.

Hey critics,

Paul here from SDT. Yeah I had to shut the doors. Jan and Feb were freaking BAD! Got a new gig in Dundee, “The 1020″ might want to check it out sometime. American Italian fare.

So, I seem to have a few moments between server builds and picking up Chinese food from BoBo.  That being said I wanted to open up some conversations on Omaha and cultural and culinary identities.  I know it’s a odd thing, but after taking a few business trips recently, it really got me thinking.  I am brewing up a series called “Omaha Critic on the road”.  Now don’t hold me to it.  I mean as you can tell from my last post… I’m not one to stick to a schedule. 

In this possible series, I am going to cover New York, New Jersey, San Antonio and Chicago food styles and culture.  Not that I am an authority on any of it mind you.  I am merely just a passenger on this planet and a casual people watcher and avid fan of a good meal.

I am going to compare Omaha to Chicago… Neither one, I am going to say is better than the other.  They are… different, in my opinion, but no so very far apart.  I see a lot of the same people, the same attitudes, and the same likes and dislikes between the two cities.  But as I sat in the passenger seat of a good friend’s car, whizzing through the streets of Chicago, I was awestruck by the signs of holiday cheer.  Almost every house I passed by was light up, people were dressed up and singing and making merriment, the likes of which I had not seen in years.  It was almost Rockwell-esque, having women serenade me with Christmas carols in the Chicago airport.  The Zoo in downtown Chicago had to have used more power than all of Omaha with the lights and displays.  Everyone’s attitude was contagious and made my soul warm, remembering the excitement of Christmas, just like I felt when I was a kid.

Don’t get me wrong… Coming home, seeing that Omaha sky-line lifted my spirits more than any Holiday festival, knowing I was home with family, but I was amazed at how the people of Chicago came together to celebrate a season. 

So… Where, as a community, want to take this city?  I say to a place of celebration and camaraderie; A place of community and togetherness.  I  say lets all get together and celebrate that which makes Omaha… Omaha.

Season’s Greetings!

~The Omaha Critic

Well, they’ve done it.  The Junior Critics have pestered me for their own site to tinker with based solely on the opinions of kids.  So, in the coming weeks I will either incorporate kids reviews into this site or launch a sister to this regarding kid food critics.  My oldest has it in her head that the cleanliness of the bathroom dictates the flavor of the food.  She’s going to have so much fun.

 

Well, I’m going to go plan out my next master plan.  Good ngiht, and good eating!

 

~The Omaha Critic

I am going to cut this down to a “read more” so you’re not forced to sit through it as you scroll down.

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Ok, I have to admit it: I sometimes succumb to being a creature of convenience.  This has at times gotten me into some serious trouble.  This week is one of those times.

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As you know, this site has been dedicated to Omaha Dining and such.  I have spent the past month at my usual haunts and sad chain restaurants.  So I ask for a little patience.  The good news is, with the holiday season now out of the way and since we’re not having to go hang out at the relative’s houses, we can finally get back to what we do best.  Get out there and get the real FLAVOR of Omaha.

I have received some requests to review some places in Omaha.  I am not going to mention them here until after I review them.  I hope to have these reviews up here in the next few weeks along with a site revamp.

~The Omaha Critic

Well, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday with B & G Tasty Foods.  I was going to paint Christmas ornaments with the family, and we wanted to catch a quick bite before our ‘appointment’.  There were a few places in the strip mall where ‘That Pottery Place’ was and I had been to some of them (in different locations) but, I wanted to try something else that was local.  I had heard some bad things about B & G Tasty Foods, but being the adventurer that I am, I wanted to try it.

I dragged the family in and looked about.  There was a 50’s style diner sprawled out right before my eyes.  There were stools and a counter and classic pictures in the wall depicting things in Omaha history and some 50’s art.  My wife and I looked at each other and took a seat with the kids.  We were the only ones in there besides the guy at the counter and who was ever in back.  Being our first time in there, we expected the guy at the counter to come over and give us menus and take our order.  Instead of coming over, he just stood there staring at us.  We looked at him, he looked at us… Nothing was said.  Then my wife leans over and whispers to me that we should probably stroll up to the counter and get some menus, so she went up and got a few.

After perusing the menu, I realized that they didn’t have much: Burgers and the ‘BeeGees”, with fries, malts and shakes.  You could have different combinations of each, but the selection was limited.  I had the ‘T’ stacker, fries, and a root beer float, the kids had ‘BeeGees’ fries and float, and my wife had a ‘ham and cheese’ sandwich, fries and a soda.  We got our own ‘BeeGee’ with everything just to try it.  The food came rather quickly and we brought it to the table.  The girls mowed through their ‘BeeGees’ quickly, the boys not so much.  As for myself, I was presented with this triple cheeseburger.  The patties seemed pre-formed, but the flavor was fantastic.  I am a burger lover.  I adore a great burger, and believe it or not, was one of the best I had ever had.  The meat was seared on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside.  The patties were thin, and the cheese dripped from this thing like molton gold.  Wow.  I was really taken back  The fries?  They were ok… hot and crisp and super skinny.  They were nothing to blog about.  The root beer float, seemed to go with lunch perfectly.  All in all that was really good.  After I finished licking the paper tray that my burger came in (not really, it was just very good) my wife and I turned our attention to the ‘BeeGee’ to give it a whirl.  As far as my loose meat sandwich experience, this was my first.  It wasn’t bad.  I thought it a bit grainy, and needed a little salt.  I would give it a 3 on a 5 scale.  I would eat one happily again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.  The way to go really was the burger.  As we sat, ate and talked about what kind of paintings we were going to do, the place just seemed to fill up around us.  When we left, there were people just waiting in line for our seats.

So, B & G Tasty foods?  You do good work.  You must be doing something right.  Keep it up!  You have a new customer now.

Plusses: The Burger was good!  The root beer floats were tasty and the ‘BeeGees’ were tasty.
Minuses: Bubba behind the counter could tell people they need to order from the counter instead of staring at them.

Overall impression:  This has been an Omaha institution since 1956.  I would urge everyone in Omaha who likes burgers to give this place a whirl.  Oh, their sign makes me think of Jamaica or Brazil.  They really need a good Neon sign to reflect the places heritage. 

The Omaha Critic (Unexpected fan)

P.S. Hey Tom G. you were WRONG!  This place was great!