KITCHEN TABLE, Omaha NE ~ October 2015

Who knew? OMAHA IS A FOODIE HAVEN! Great way to start this blog. I think I gained 15 pounds this week. Happily!

I must begin with KITCHEN TABLE, because I ate there I think four times in one little week. It was a block down and one over from the Stage Door of our theatre, so very convenient, and I think most of the cast and crew dined well and often at Kitchen Table. They locally source their ingredients — so much so, that when I once asked if they had a side of fruit, the lovely server kindly explained that ripe Nebraska fruit was pretty scarce in October. True. Their motto is "slow food fast," which is definitely appropriate, and I loved the simple rustic decor; I felt comforted and well-fed on each visit.

The star in the KT crown is "The Whole Bird," a sandwich that features grilled chicken, a chicken leg confit salad, an egg, and a bit of crispy chicken skin. You can order each of their sandwich offerings on bread, grits, or a salad. I had mine on grits. It was AWESOME.

Another top fave is the meatloaf, which I had over salad to try and make it a little healthier… it probably would have fared better over grits, not gonna lie.

Many plates are served with a side of spiced popcorn and a pickled garnish (see the watermelon rind above and the cauliflower here.) I love a pickled piece, though in my opinion, the pickling spices were a bit overpowering and masked the nature of what was being pickled. The popcorn was so tasty, one friend got a bag to go.

They also have little "bites" like pimiento cheese and deviled eggs. During Happy Hour, these are half off, so it's a fantastic value for some snackies!

My last morning in town, a few of us stopped by once more and I had eggs and bacon. Just perfect. Usually the slab-cut bacon is a mix of doneness levels, so I asked for it well-done. Splitting the diff would have been perfecto, but it was great. Char on the toast - supreme. No decaf (I've mostly cut it out, except for DIRE mornings and when they don't have any,) so went with the regular, and it was strong and flavorful with local cream to smooth it out.

For breakfast and lunch in downtown Omaha, you can't beat Kitchen Table. We theatre types lamented that it was closed on Saturdays, and they shut the doors on Sundays at 2pm (preventing us from visiting between 2-show days,) but it definitely Hit the Spot for us on many other occasions!

Kitchen Table, 1415 Farnam St., Omaha, NE ~ Twt: @EatKitchenTable