My Cultural Diet

I’ve written before about the blackberry pie that I had on my honeymoon, a pie that has since become the stuff of myth and legend here at Opus HQ. I don’t know if I’ll ever taste it again, but Countryside Bakery’s blackberry pie comes pretty darn close to my memories. My in-laws picked one up for us on a recent trip, and it’s just about perfect. The filling is neither too tart nor too sweet, and it has a nice, solid consistency that ensures each slice maintains its shape and structure. (Until you start digging in, that is.) In other words, those Amish sure do know a thing or two about baked goods. The only reason I’m not giving Countryside Bakery a higher rating is because I want a larger sample size. A much larger sample size that possibly includes some peach and/or blueberry pie. Y’know, for science.

We’ve only been here a handful of times, but it’s already become one of our favorite restaurants in Lincoln for celebrating special occasions. I hesitate calling L’s Kitchen a “hole in the wall,” because that might communicate something a little on the sketchy side, and that couldn’t be further from the truth for this cozy little restaurant and its blend of French, Italian, and European cuisine. Everything we’ve ever had at L’s Kitchen is delicious, and obviously prepared with great skill and care by head chef Lawrence de Villiers (who personally greets every customer and tells them the specials). That said, I’m partial to the Chef’s Chicken and filet mignon while my wife loves the scallops.

Billed as “Nebraska’s only British Fish & Chip Shop, Market, & Bakery,” Chippy’s is a literal hole in the wall — I think it’s about the size of our living room — that’s quite the local gem. We both ordered the fish and chips, which were quite delicious, as was the Ribena that washed it all down. We also got to try some of the tarts courtesy of the couple sitting next to us who were enjoying a spot of high tea. Afterwards, we bought some Jaffa Cakes and Jammie Dodgers.

The best pork belly I’ve ever had, served on a wonderful bed of Mexican street corn. Their ribs and burnt ends were also excellent, but I’m pretty sure my wife and I will dream about that pork belly in the days to come.

Here’s all you need to know about this Kansas City cafe: complimentary fresh-baked cinnamon rolls. That alone deserves an extra star or two. Of course, the food we actually ordered was good, but let me repeat: complimentary fresh-baked cinnamon rolls.

I can’t remember where I first hear about Beef Wellington, but the idea’s fascinated me ever since. A delicious fillet wrapped in prosciutto and a paste of mushrooms, shallots, and various seasonings, and baked inside a delicate pastry crust? What’s not to like about that. I finally got to enjoy one courtesy of my lovely wife, and it did not disappoint. It’s a wonderful dish that just feels fancy, the perfect sort of thing for special occasions, like family holiday meals.

Whenever we venture up to Omaha, it’s basically assumed that, time permitting, we’re going to eat at Tasty Pizza. Though it’s no longer located in that charming little house on Leavenworth, the pizza’s still just as good, er, tasty. There’s nothing all that flashy or eclectic about Tasty Pizza’s menu. Rather, they just focus on the essentials. As a result, though, I’ve never had a bad slice in all of the times I’ve gone there.

This was our go-to Indian restaurant for quite awhile, but it had been a few years since our last visit. Unfortunately, we weren’t terribly impressed this time around. I’m no masochist but I do like my chicken tikka korma to have some heat. My dish, however, had almost no flavor. I also found it odd that they were out of tandoori chicken. How can you be out of tandoori chicken when your restaurant’s name is literally The Tandoor?

I don’t make it here very often, which is a shame because they make terrific banh mi sandwiches. The bread is perfectly toasted, the meat is well-seasoned, and the toppings (e.g., cucumbers, carrots, peppers) are both colorful and flavorful. I’m not a big fan of bubble tea but my family assures me that the cafe’s bubble tea is delicious.

I’ve been intrigued by this little diner for years, having driven past it many times. So we finally checked it out this morning. I think we were hoping to find a hidden little gem in Lincoln, but it was just OK. There was nothing terrible about the food, but neither was there anything remarkable about it, either.

The Havelock location is a bonafide Lincoln institution. I had the prime rib French Dip this time around, which was decent. My wife, however, had some blackened prime rib which was fantastic and made me wish I’d rethought my order.

A decent little pizza place and beer garden in Nebraska City. I didn’t try any of the beers, though they had a wide selection from what I saw. As for the pizza, it was OK. Not terrible, but nothing all that special. For my money, I’m glad that Lincoln has Yia Yia’s.

This is a relatively new restaurant in Lincoln’s Haymarket; I think they’ve only been around for a few weeks. My friend got the braised short rib, which was pretty impressive-looking. I went with the Fleetwood sandwich, which is essentially their take on a steak sandwich. The meat was prepared to perfection and the charred shishito gremolata gave it a nice zing.

This Michigan-based pub restaurant chain arrived in Lincoln back in 2016, and after hearing about it, we finally checked it out. I would eat here again, but I’m not in any great rush to do so, especially when Lincoln has so many other great restaurants. The next time I want to eat this kind of food, I’ll probably just stick with Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill.

My favorite fast food meal is an Italian Runza, onion rings, and root beer. Runza doesn’t bring out the Italian very often — more than two years have passed since my last one — but the wait was worth it.

The best burgers in Lincoln, no question about it. I usually get their “Greatest Burger Ever” (an excellent bacon cheeseburger) but the “Porterhouse” was on the menu this time — and it was fantastic.

Some of the best BBQ ribs I’ve had in a long time. We were a little underwhelmed by the brisket (which, though flavorful, was a bit on the dry side), but those ribs were topnotch.

I really liked this place when it was called AmuManu Ramen, and it’s still just as good. I had the Stir Fry Ramen tonight, and it was pretty filling with just a slight hint of spice to liven things up a bit.

I’m not the biggest fan of California rolls, but the ones I like — such as Blue Sushi’s Hawaiian roll — I really like. (It’s all about the tempura crust.) I also highly recommend their mango crab rangoon. We get it every time, and every time I have to resist the urge to lick the plate clean, the mango sauce is that good.

I like my cinnamon rolls soaked in loads of caramel-ly goodness. Which is precisely how Stacy Lynn makes hers. Her bakery’s located in Henderson, which is about an hour from Lincoln. Fortunately, we can find her cinnamon rolls in our local grocery store’s freezer aisle. They’re a bit pricey for a half-dozen, but totally worth it.