Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. My meal and drink was provided by the restaurant in order to experience all Heritage has to offer. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Omaha’s newest restaurant, Heritage Food and Wine, held a soft opening this past weekend. Located just north of the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha, it’s in a downtown area that’s becoming a known for good, locally-sourced food.
Heritage is located on South 15th Street in downtown Omaha.
My dinner companions were fellow bloggers and social media hotshots – Lisa at amomontheside.com and midwestmammas.com, Dana at triwivesclub.com (and also momsgoodeats.com and part of travelingmom.com), Janelle at bakesinslippers.com, Sarah from saraheatsomaha.com (and Yelp), Liz at LPObeauty.com and Kris, a brand-builder extraordinaire.
Bakes in Slippers and Momsgoodeats, AKA Janelle and Dana.
The atmosphere
It’s pretty modern looking with some interesting light fixtures.
Look up.
The lights were dim for the evening, so if you’re thinking on wooing someone with some mood lighting, here you go.
Foodies are going to flock Heritage since many working here have come from places like V. Mertz, Dante’s and The Boiler Room. If that’s not your scene, you won’t be impressed by that, and you probably avoid places that attract foodies anyway. However, if you like to eat good food, you’ll want to try this place out.
The straight forward menu. You want something from the garden? Got it. Want something from the sea? Easy.
You can be adventurous in ordering or stick to what you know. Menu’s pretty straight forward.
Drinks
I first noticed the beer list – small but a great selection (Delirium Tremens, folks). Then I pondered the extensive wine list – now we’re talking my territory – but my crew that night was ordering craft cocktails, so I followed suit.
I joined Liz in requesting “something fruity with rum.” I’d tell you to get it if I knew what it was. The bartenders know their stuff, though, so if you’re a cocktail novice like me, just tell them something vague and they’ll make something spectacular.
It turns out I would’ve been more than fine getting wine. They have a certified sommelier on staff, which explains the enviable wine cellar. Next time, I’m pairing stuff with wine.
The food
That’s what you really want to know about, right? It’s comfort food. Things are served family-style, which I liked a lot since it allowed for us to try a lot of food instead of being saddled with one entree and wishing you could sample someone’s food.
Huge fries and biscuits with honey, yes please.
Being family-style, things come on small plates and there’s no appetizer, entree, dessert order to things. Instead, the menu is divided into garden, pasture, sea and coop (and cave – the charcuterie option).
Sweet potatoes like your mama never used to make.
Among the dishes I like: Sweet potatoes with carmelized white chocolate and marshmallows; house pickles; smoked salmon and gravlox; roasted vegetables; and the creamed kale that came with the duck breast. There were some incredible homemade biscuits too.
There’s no way to photograph creamed kale and make it look good. Just take my word for it, it was good.
Would I bring my kids?
I wouldn’t feel out of place doing it – there were some dishes I mentally checkmarked as things I bet they’d eat. I could see bringing them along if we were having a nice dinner out with their Grammy and Grampy.
However, this seems more to me like a great date spot to hit before a show. Or even better, to go with a group of friends so you can order a bunch of plates and taste a lot of stuff.