Discover Omaha explores the city’s culinary scene
Enjoy a nice meal out in one of Omaha’s fine restaurants? How about trying three or four in the same evening? Discover Omaha offers a chauffeured tour of some of the city’s best restaurants.
The culinary tour company is the brainchild of Alan Rust and Dakotah Smith. The longtime friends started the company in 2017 to provide a fun evening for people and help promote locally-owned establishments.
Discover Omaha offers almost a dozen dining experiences. From tours for couples and friends, such as Dishes and Drinks or Sushi and Sake, to ones designed for Girls or Guys Night Out, Discover Omaha seeks to provide an entertaining and fun venture. Each tour lasts about four hours and covers three-four locations.
The tour company picks up people at their home or hotel (for out-of-town guest). The drive time is figured into the tour.
We recently joined seven area bloggers to taste Omaha’s culinary scene on the Dishes and Drinks tour. Our complimentary tour took us to four new dining opportunities for us – Au Courant, Le Bouillon, Della Costa and Stirnella. Chefs at each stop visited with the group about the restaurant and menu items.
You can take a tour multiple times, as the locations of that evening’s trip can vary. Rust seeks to include as many local restaurants as possible for the tours.
Unique restaurants
Beginning with the Benson neighborhood, we enjoyed two appetizers and a drink at Au Courant Regional Kitchen. The restaurant, which opened in late 2016, offers a unique spin on its menu. The chef’s Chovie’s Egg features a perfectly boiled egg atop a potato round with garnish. I didn’t have a drink, but the rest of the dining party enjoyed theirs.
As we visited Le Bouillon in the Old Market, we tried one of my favorite dishes of the night – crab-stuffed sweet peppers. Topped with shredded cheese, the appetizer hit the spot. I could see eating the dish as my entrée. Another favorite were potatoes cut into cubes, drizzled with pesto.
Le Bouillon offers diners an opportunity to view art with their meals, including a statue by French artist Nikki de Saint Phalle. Paintings hang from the brick walls.
Opened a year ago, Della Costa offers a Mediterranean-based menu at its Midtown location. I especially enjoyed a couple of appetizers here – bacon-wrapped dates and tiger shrimp (spiced shrimp). The restaurant features an open dining area.
Our table enjoyed a couple of drinks with our samples. The visit started with a shot of vermouth. I’m not a fan, so my drink consisted of wetting my lips. Lisa thought it was a smooth-tasting drink.
The final stop on our four-hour tour was Stirnella in the Blackstone District along Farnam Street. A risotto hushpuppy was tasty. While I sipped a cup of Hardy coffee, Lisa enjoyed a glass of Kearney-based Thunderhead beer.
A theme of our tour was locally-sourced products. Each chef seeks to work with area farms and distributors.
History tours
In addition to its culinary tours, Discover Omaha obtained Nebraska Tour Company, which provides walking and driving tours of Omaha neighborhoods. We enjoyed the two tours we took with Nebraska Tour Company.
We enjoyed our experience with Discover Omaha. We can envision taking family and friends on some of the tours, as well as enjoying some of the Nebraska Tour Company’s offerings. We recommend booking a tour with Discover Omaha.
For additional information the culinary tours, please visit www.discover-omaha.com or for history tours check out www.nebraskatourcompany.com.
Disclaimer: Thank you Discover Omaha for the complimentary tour. However, all opinions and views are ours.
