New Dante ‘fast fine dining’ location fires up Omaha’s Blackstone District

, 0

Neapolitan-style pizzas are created by hand by the restaurant's kitchen staff.
Neapolitan-style pizzas are created by hand by the restaurant’s kitchen staff.

If you’ve ever dined at Dante Ristorante Pizzeria in west Omaha, you know why it’s one of the best places for pizza. It’s also known for great pasta and seasonal specials.

Owner and Chef Nick Strawhecker took the basics and moved them east to open a second restaurant in midtown’s Blackstone District. Dante Pizzeria Napoletana offers a menu strong on Neapolitan pizzas, baked in a wood-fire oven at nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to serve in 90 seconds. The menu lists almost 15 pizzas.

Pizza being made ina wood fire oven
Pizzas are baked inside a wood-fire oven at almost 1,000 degrees.

Designed as “fast fine dining,” the Blackstone location also includes a few select pasta dishes, sandwiches, and seasonal dishes. We sampled warm wood-oven ciabatta and 300-day aged prosciutto, as well as wood-roasted beets and kale (which I loved). We also enjoyed a nice basic cheese pizza.

Plate featuring wood-fire warmed beets and kale
Is Chef Nick’s crew the only one that can make a plate of beets and kale look so delicious?

The restaurant, which opened in December, is located near 38th and Farnam Streets, inside the old Brite Ideas holiday decorations showroom. When we first walked in for lunch, I was stunned to see how it transformed into a restaurant location.

Women talk among a large lunch crowd
The restaurant enjoys a nice lunch crowd inside a renovated holiday lights showroom.

Blackstone is a growing district

Setting up a location in the fast-growing Blackstone District gives Dante a stronghold in two popular areas of Omaha. While the west location can cater to more traditional restaurant dining, the Blackstone eatery can offer diners a quick meal during their evening out. Blackstone is possibly Omaha’s fastest-growing entertainment district, with several restaurants and bars sprouting up.

Our visit to Dante included a local news station. KMTV Channel 3 News Now included Lisa and me as part of a story on Omaha blogging, so we thought it would be fun to visit one of our favorite restaurants, since we knew we’d be writing a story about the Blackstone location. We were honored to be included in the story reported by Lindsey Theis, co-anchor of the 4 p.m. newscast. We were also happy to share the spotlight with the fabulous Carolyn Sutton, who has her own PR company, carolynsuttonpr.com.

Channel 3 reporter and cameraman taking film footage while Lisa take pictures
Is there anything more funny than people taking pictures of people taking pictures? We enjoyed our time working with the Channel 3 News team.

We enjoyed our visit to Dante’s Blackstone restaurant. If you enjoy Dante, but are looking for a quick meal, then we believe you’d also like this spot. We recommend this restaurant.

For more information on Dante Pizzeria Napoletana and its menu, please visit www.dantepizzeria.com.

Disclaimer: While we selected the location to visit, we thank Dante for the complimentary food dishes to sample. However, all opinions and views are ours.