Dine Magazine Fall 2020

CITY CAFÉ IN NEWMAN GROVE, NEB. SAKE COCKTAILS • CATERING CREATIONS GERMAN BEER • FLAVOR COUNTRY FARMS

Elevating the Nebraska dining experience

Embark on a flavor journey with African cuisine

FALL 2020

EDGE M A G A Z I N E

FEB RUA RY 202 0

OCTOBER 2019

M A G A Z I N E

OMAH A ENTRE 'S SAVVY PRENE UR JAMES MANS KE

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Elevating the Nebraska dining experience VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 FALL 2020

PUBLISHER AND OWNER Carole Sprunk (402) 587-2259 // Carole@DineNebraska.com CO-OWNER Michael Meyer (402) 517-0350 // Michael@DineNebraska.com MANAGING EDITOR Kathy Rygg (402) 490-3213 // Kathy@DineNebraska.com

DINE is published quarterly.

Content copyright © 2020 DINE Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, without permission in writing from the publisher, Carole Sprunk.

Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the information provided, DINE assumes no responsibility therefore.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DINE Magazine, PO Box 620, Elkhorn, NE 68022

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mark Gudgel, Anna Hartman, Dan Hoppen, Michael Meyer and Vera Lynn Petersen DESIGNERS Quentin Lueninghoener and Ben Vankat, Hanscom Park Studio (402) 517-1228 // Contact@HanscomPark.com PHOTO STAFF Christopher Tierney Photography (402) 350-5699 Joshua Foo Photography (402) 905-1907 ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Gabby Christensen (402) 320-7080 // Gabby@DineNebraska.com Tom Patton (402) 214-5070 // Tom@DineNebraska.com

CONTACT US (402) 587-2259 Carole@ DineNebraska.com PO Box 620 Elkhorn, NE 68022 2 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

Liz Rease (402) 639-6622 // Liz@DineNebraska.com ADVISORY BOARD Brian O’Malley, Metropolitan Community College Institute for the Culinary Arts Matthew Brown, Advanced Sommelier, V. Mertz

Table of Contents BUBBLE TEA, INDIAN CUISINE & RAMEN

FLAVOR COUNTRY FARMS

6

CATERING CREATIONS

8

22

Dear Dine

Farming fungi

Devil’s in the details

OKRA AFRICAN GRILL & CHAIMA’S AFRICAN CUISINE

SCRIPTOWN BREWING COMPANY

CITY CAFÉ IN NEWMAN GROVE

24 Soul of the cook

40

38 The elegance of German-style beer

Small-town surprise DINENE BRASK A .COM 3

Letter from the publisher Welcome to our fall issue of Dine Magazine. This is also our ONE YEAR anniversary issue! This would not be possible without our readers, local industry experts, ad partners, and staff. Thank you all so much. This has certainly been an odd year otherwise, but Dine makes my heart so happy. This month also celebrates the seven year anniversary of our sister publication, Edge Magazine, giving us plenty to celebrate!

FIND THE FLATWARE! Hidden in this issue is the image of a fork and spoon.

Be the first to snap a photo of the flatware and share on Facebook and/ or Instagram and tag @DineMagazine.

If you are the first one, you will win a $50 gift card to Meadowlark Management (Stirnella, Red Lion Lounge, Butterfish). One entry per issue, please. Let’s share the love!

DINE DISCOVER

We have some treats in store for you in this issue. Have you had a chance to try African cuisine? Nina Sodji, owner of Okra African Grill, and Chaima Maradi, owner of Chaima’s African Cuisine, are eager to share their love and culinary skills with you in a dish sure to please your palate.

We’ve also included a recipe courtesy of Nina Sodji to make your own tabbouleh at home with the family.

Kevin Novak fell in love with mushrooms while in the horticulture program at Metro Community College.

Since then Flavor Country Farms has become the go-to supplier for not only mushrooms but many other exotic produce varieties.

If you and your family have an upcoming celebration, Jeff and Jennifer Snow with Catering Creations are ready to not only provide unique cuisine, but they will help plan every aspect of your event from beginning to end.

If you are going out for drinks and cocktails be sure to check out our beer, wine and spirits section for ideas on places to try. Scriptown in Blackstone, Kaitei in Benson, or a bottle of wine from Chateau Listen.

Montelena are all great choices.

If you want to venture out of Omaha for lunch, City Café in Newman Grove is a charming café The flatware ready to make your road trip special and hid in the delightful.

Discover Cheers to year one! Thank you all for section of the helping us “Elevate the Nebraska Dining summer issue.

Experience.” Here’s to year two!

Carole Sprunk Publisher Retail bottles can be purchased to take home, or drink in the store.

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DEAR DINE: What is bubble tea?

Bubble tea, or boba, is a black tea and milk drink that contains small, chewy tapioca balls.

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In an effort to help elevate the Nebraska Dining experience, we answer the questions you’ve always wanted to ask while dining out.

Dear DINE Dear Dine, I want to try bubble tea. What do you recommend? — Emmy C. Dear Emmy, Bubble tea can feel a bit intimidating to order with its range of colorful flavors and toppings. However, most bubble tea shops are prepared to steer you in the right direction for your first boba journey.

Tam Ho, manager at Yumchaa, said, “Depending on what their preference is, we will respond accordingly. If they like milk tea, we would recommend Yumchaa, taro, or jasmine with taro milk teas. If they like something that is more fruity, kumquat fruit tea with orange juice and pineapple juice is pretty popular. The strawberry smoothie and Hawaiian sunset are some of our signature drinks that many customers like.”

As far as toppings go, boba tapioca pearls are a great basic place to start while popping boba are filled with fruit juice for an extra burst of flavor. A handful of other common toppings include red beans, jelly, pudding, chia seeds, and a milk cap, a foamy layer of milk and cream cheese sprinkled with salt.

Try to get a bit of everything into each bite of ramen and you can’t go wrong.

Dear Dine, How do you order Indian food with different spice levels, and are there dishes that aren’t spicy at all? — Morgan L. Dear Morgan, The answer may depend on the restaurant’s regional influence. Chef Ashish Sathyan and his wife, Kimberly Harris, opened Kinaara knowing they would need to cater some to the Midwestern perception of Indian food while including dishes that were still important to Sathyan’s heritage, such as Grandma’s Fish and Mango Curry.

Sathyan explained, “All Indian food being spicy is a common misconception.

There are dishes that are very spicy, such as vindaloo, but also ones that are made

HAVE A RESTAURANTRELATED QUESTION? Email Dine Magazine and we’ll answer in an upcoming issue!

with milder, sweeter tomato sauce, like butter chicken. In that regard, medium is different with each dish. A medium tikka masala is the same as a mild curry. Just tell the server what you prefer and let them give suggestions.”

Dear Dine, What is the correct way to eat ramen? — Stephen J. Dear Stephen, To slurp or not to slurp is often a worry when it comes to eating ramen. Luckily, Alex Mullen, the General Manager for Ika Ramen and Izakaya, had all the tips for enjoying that tasty bowl. He said, “There are many unspoken rules when it comes to eating ramen.

In our shops we really let everyone eat how they please. We get many requests for forks and special modifications to our bowls.

One request we try to avoid is to split a bowl. Ramen is best when eaten hot. Slurping your noodles is ok, as this will help cool down the food going into your mouth. Many people eat just the noodles and leave all the broth behind. Our broths take days to make and we make sure they are as tasty as they can be.

One other thing I notice is that people eat in ‘segments’. They will start with the protein first, then the egg, then the noodles, and then if they are still hungry they will finish the broth. Ideally, I would say you want to eat a little bit of everything in one bite.

Lastly, don’t overdo it on the spicy sauce. We add spicy sauce or oil into some of our bowls, and if you need more, you can get it on the side.”

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DINE SUPPLIER

FARMING

FUNGI

Kevin Novak with FLAVOR COUNTRY FARMS turns a varied career into a passion

STORY BY DAN HOPPEN PHOTOS BY JOSHUA FOO PHOTOGRAPHY 8 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

E

xecutive chef of a Chicago sushi restaurant.

Bartender.

Carpenter. Ticket broker.

Such a varied resume does not inspire one to guess the next step in this individual’s journey would be “mushroom farmer.” Yet as Kevin Novak examined his seemingly scattershot career, he saw how all these experiences taught valuable skills that would eventually lead him to own Flavor Country Farms and become one of the most important suppliers of organic

mushrooms and microgreens in the Midwest.

“That accumulation of 20 years of experience leads to where we are now,” Novak, who purchased the farm and rebranded it in September of 2018, said.

“And now we’re really just going to surf it, ride the wave, and keep it going.”

Word got out quickly about Flavor Country Farms, and some of Omaha’s best restaurants have become customers.

The farm’s list of clients includes standouts like Au Courant, Modern Love, Le Bouillon, V. Mertz, and Yoshitomo, to name but a few.

Matt Moser, the executive chef at Stirnella and Butterfish, has been friends

Flavor Country Farms greenhouse DINENE BRASK A .COM 9

DINE SUPPLIER

“When he has something new, the way he talks about it, you can tell there’s a lot of passion behind it.”

with Novak since sixth grade. But that’s not why he relies on Flavor Country Farms for his Asian eggplants, Thai basil, microgreens, and more. Moser requires the finest possible ingredients to serve his customers. Fortunately, buying from Flavor Country Farms allows him to do both.

“You can just tell from talking to him how excited he is about the product,” Moser said. “The way he gets excited about food is the way I get excited about food. We feed off each other. When he has something new, the way he talks about it, you can tell there’s a lot of passion behind it.”

When you pull into Flavor County Farms, you’re greeted outside a white colonial house by Novak, the gregarious former chef turned farmer with an iron handshake. As he walks you through the grounds, you begin to understand what makes this place special.

A pair of greenhouses contain exotic and gorgeous versions of familiar ingredients that appear to be from a sci-fi special: Berkeley tie-dye tomatoes, fatalii peppers, purple confetti eggplants, and bronze fennel. There are cherry tomatoes as sweet as candy and cucumbers as long as serpents.

Across the driveway is a massive garden, ripe with several varieties of squash and peppers, and up the road a bit are several shipping containers, where Novak grows the microgreens that become the finishing touches on some of 10 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

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DINE SUPPLIER the city’s most beautiful plates.

But you must continue up the hill, behind a cropping of trees and out of sight from the main road, to find Novak’s masterpiece: a custom-built mushroom building that has few rivals in the Midwest. Finished in early 2020, this meticulously-crafted building is a scientific marvel, with each room adhering to the exact temperature and humidity needed for a specific step in the mushroom-growing process. This is where the magic truly happens.

Novak grows five types of mushrooms at all times—king trumpet, chestnut, black king, oyster, and lion’s mane— while periodically experimenting with others. It’s these fungi that helped Flavor Country Farms get a foothold supplying restaurants.

Novak’s fascination with mushrooms was born while enrolled in the horticulture program at Metropolitan Community College. Though the curriculum spent just one day on mushrooms, Novak was hooked. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is what’s up,’” Novak said. “It’s how different and weird they were; I don’t know how else to say it. They’re not grown like plants. They don’t have chlorophyll. They’re not green.

They’re just completely different. It’s almost like they spoke to me.”

Novak immersed himself in mushrooms, absorbing all available knowledge on the subject: books, online message boards, YouTube videos. He began experimenting by growing them in his basement. He and his wife even attended a weekend-long seminar at Paul Stamets’s farm in Olympia, Washington.

In hindsight, Novak realizes his interest in local purveyors was born long before, when he worked in fine dining and opened a location of RA Sushi in Chicago. “You had these crazy farmers coming in the back door with a big thing of mushrooms or something weird,” he said with a laugh. “You didn’t see that at corporate restaurants. You saw that in nicer places. I thought that was neat, seeing these different ingredients and cooking with the fun stuff. That’s what the clients wanted.”

The chef life began to wear on Novak, so he moved back to Omaha. He worked as a bartender at Baby Blue, then as a carpenter with his brother-in-law before landing a well-paying ticket brokering job.

But his heart wasn’t in the work. It was 12 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

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Kevin Novak DINENE BRASK A .COM 19

DINE SUPPLIER

“I thought that was neat, seeing these different ingredients and cooking with the fun stuff. That’s what the clients wanted.”

in mushrooms. So he and his wife found and purchased the farm, and the different avenues of his winding career path began to tie together.

As a former chef, Novak knew what products chefs desired and which were hard to acquire in the Midwest.

As a former carpenter, he knew how to design and construct the buildings and shipping containers to successfully cultivate mushrooms and microgreens, respectively. As a former bartender and salesman, he had the communication skills to show up on a restaurant’s doorstep, as he’d seen many others do years before, and pitch them on his products.

Flavor Country Farms now carries standing weekly orders for about 20 restaurants, with another seven or eight making purchases when needed. But as Novak sees it, this is the tip of the iceberg. He wants to start a mushroom education program on site. He has dreams of hosting chef dinners on the sprawling property and making use of the abandoned outdoor pizza oven left by the previous owner.

He even invites anyone who wants to try their hand at growing mushrooms, microgreens, or other plants to come out and intern, with payment in restaurantquality produce. “My friends come out and they see what’s going on and they ask me, ‘Do you sleep?’” Novak said. “I think there’s a big future out here for anything like this: sustainability, the chef dinners… it’s just very exciting.”

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Restaurants Flavor Country Farms works with: • 402 Eat + Drink • 712 Eat + Drink • 801 Chophouse • Au Courant • Butterfish • Dario’s Brasserie • Jackson St. Tavern • Le Bouillon • Le Voltaire • Modern Love • Noli’s • Pitch Pizzeria • Stanley’s Snack Shack • Stirnella • Stokin’ Goat • The Boiler Room • The Collins • V. Mertz • Via Farina • Yoshitomo Readers can purchase products from Flavor Country Farms at: • Casey’s General Store (Crescent, Iowa; Fridays only) • Cream of the Crop • Hy-Vee (select locations) • Nelson Produce Farm • Open Harvest Co-op Grocery (Lincoln) • Wenninghoff ’s Farm

A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC

402.981.7400 | michael.maley@bhhsamb.com | michaelmaleyomaha.com DINENE BRASK A .COM 21

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DINE EXPERT

JEFF AND JENNIFER SNOW show how to plan the perfect party

Devil’s in the details Jeff and Jennifer Snow purchased Catering Creations as a small company in August of 2002. Jeff spent the previous 13 years working as the Executive Chef at The French Cafe after earning his culinary degree from The Culinary Institute of America. During his time at The French Cafe, Jeff met Jennifer, who worked part-time at the restaurant.

The transition for each of them from restaurants to catering came with some hurdles. Jennifer said, “I worked in restaurants before, so we honestly thought it was going to be super easy. But this was so much harder as it is all logistics. We really ate a piece of humble pie that first year.”

Catering Creations has now grown to catering a weekly average of 25 events consisting of corporate and social gatherings. Being a full-service caterer with a reception center on site, their teams not only work to provide restaurant quality food, but they can also book entertainment, rentals, floor plans, decorations, and even valet if needed.

They also have the capability to plan events outside of the Omaha area. The farthest events included two events in Los Angeles and one event in New Orleans for 1,100 people.

What distinguishes their events from the rest is their trustworthy staff and attention to detail. “We take the event and look at it as a whole, and as how the guest

of the customer would walk in. We think about the first time they open the door and walk through the event, and how it flows. It’s not just the food but everything that goes along with it, such as service, traffic flow, food, decorations, and music,” explained Jeff. “People eat with their eyes way before they get to taste it or smell it, which was hard for me coming from a restaurant where the palette was just the plate. Now it is the front door, walkway to the pool—everything.”

Encouraging everyone to work as a whole has been key to their business.

They send a culinary person to each event to make sure the food is always cared for by someone with knowledge of food.

Everyone in the kitchen has a culinary degree, and their kitchen turnover has been very low with tenure ranging from 3 to 16 years. “We can sell chicken, beef, and mashed potatoes all day long, but we really do try to push the envelope with what can be prepared for tents in a field in Iowa and still have the food hot,” said Jeff.

Often a customer favorite is their

STORY BY VERA LYNN PETERSEN PORTRAIT BY CHRISTOPHER TIERNEY PHOTOGRAPHY

THE SNOWS’ PA S S I O N S

CATERING CREATIONS 1915 Jackson St. (402) 558-3202 www.cateringcreations.com

signature salad consisting of dried cranberries, feta cheese, candied walnuts, red onion, baby greens, and a raisin port wine vinaigrette. All sauces and dressings are made in house, which helps control food allergens to be able to meet allergy needs. Jeff shared, “To be a part of their celebration is really cool. It is like an honor. There is so much laughter, and to be part of their event makes us happy.”

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Soul DINE DISCOVER

cook O F

T H E

Local restaurants serve African cuisine with love

I

STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN PHOTOS BY JOSHUA FOO PHOTOGRAPHY

n times of unrest and division we should strive to encourage communion, and Omaha chefs/restaurant owners Nina Sodji with Okra African Grill, and Chaima Maradi with Chaima’s African Cuisine, are gracefully building bridges by cooking flavorful cuisine from a varied continent.

“Food is a great conversation starter, it brings people to the table,” shared Maradi.

Love brought her to Omaha in the early 2000s, and while on maternity leave she loaded a backyard grill into her car and motored to spots with hungry people. She sold Suya (kebabs) to soccer players and club goers for just a dollar.

“If you want to make a friend, invite them to dinner.” Wise words from Sodji, who arrived in Omaha in the early 1990s, recognized a niche that needed to be filled, and started a business selling African ingredients to the Omaha community. In short order, she was feeding bodies and souls as well.

24 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

African cuisine is as varied as its people and influences. In West Africa, women traditionally run the household, learning to cook at a very young age. “You are in your mom’s armpit,” shared Sodji, chuckling softly.

Both women hail from Togo, “Straight across from Florida and up from the Ivory Coast,” Sodji described. Maradi also claims heritage from Togo, Nigeria, and Niger, “depending on the day”—a lighthearted way to convey the turmoil and constant change experienced in lands often claimed by the European power du jour.

The food naturally reflects these Euro

Chaima Maradi with Chaima’s African Cuisine DINENE BRASK A .COM 25

DINE DISCOVER

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fried plaintains, riz creole and beef kebabs from Chaima’s African Cuisine

jannah juice

colonization efforts, most commonly French (a common language in Togo), but also German circa pre-World War I. Maradi’s first solo dish was the very French crepe, learned at age nine from a recipe found in the back of her dictionary. This melding of influences and cultures comes together in familiar dishes with foreign flavors.

Peanuts grow well in north Togo, an area dominated by agricultural communities, so it is not surprising both chefs employ the ingredient in many sauces and rubs. The slave trade brought traditional African dishes to both North and South America, and many “southern” dishes can be directly attributed to those brought here against their will. Brazilian ingredients such as plantains are also prevalent in West African cooking.

Similar dishes have different names depending upon the region, but the thread that binds them together is love. African food is a window into the soul of the cook, carrying with it the history, struggle and familial stories of centuries.

Both women are supported by loving families, evident throughout both establishments. Sodji’s son, an ardent food lover, helped his mom come up with the perfect name for her restaurant after opening the freezer and spying a package of frozen Okra. The name evokes strong feelings of nostalgia, reminding her of the green sauce of her childhood.

Maradi’s husband, Boubakar Souleman, is her biggest fan and, like his wife, displays a strong work ethic. She is effusive in her gratitude and praise of him, and they enjoy exchanging an easy banter.

Okra African Grill is set up to enable both adventurous and DINENE BRASK A .COM 27

DINE DISCOVER Nina Sodji with Okra African Grill

peanut sauce from Okra African Grill

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DINE SCENE Chaima Maradi and Boubakar Souleman

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Every bean comes from a barrel

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DOWNLOAD TODAY.

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DINE DISCOVER

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DINE DISCOVER

Nina Sodji

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timid palates to embark upon a journey of flavor. Patrons choose a starch, protein, sauce, and toppings to build a dish customized to their preferences.

Try a seasoned tilapia fillet garnished with vegetables, served on a bed of Attiéké (steamed, grated cassava) with fried plantains, or start slowly with familiar ingredients and new spices.

Regardless of what you choose, do not skip the peanut sauce at Okra.

One of the most popular dishes at Chaima’s African Cuisine is Riz Creole: curried vermicelli rice with mixed vegetables (on the side), shredded beef, and house hot sauce (ask for double the sauce). Jollof rice is traditionally served with vegetables mixed in, but Maradi serves the two separately to accommodate all palates.

Nigerian Beef Suya (beef kebabs) are marinated with peanut spice blend and grilled to perfection. Called Kyinkyinga in northern Ghana, they can be enjoyed both hot off the grill and at room temperature.

Fufu is a popular dish made from starchy roots such as African yams or cassava, pounded or mashed, then mixed with liquid until a doughy consistency is achieved (this description simplifies the process: it’s far more nuanced). The resultant texture is akin to a dumpling and used to scoop up accompanying stews.

Once the shutdown is resolved and business is again booming, Sodji dreams of turning the back room at Okra into a space for pairing dinners and classes so she can pass along the history and recipes of her home country before they are lost forever. “I want to be the Bourdain of Africa,” she shared, hoping to travel home soon.

Don’t feel like going out? Add flavor to home-cooked dishes using Maradi’s bottled spice blends and sauces, products she hopes to sell locally in the coming months. In the near future, she hopes to move to a larger, more accessible space in which to offer an expanded menu of dishes from additional African countries.

The best cooks share part of their soul, and simply walking into these restaurants transports you to other worlds. Open your mind and your heart to new experiences, cultures, and flavors, right in your own backyard.

F E E L I N G I N S P I R E D ? T R Y T H I S R E C I P E AT H O M E .

Tabbouleh Salad COURTESY OF NINA SODJI

Eastern Mediterranean Chef Interpretation

INGREDIENTS SALAD: 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth ½ cup water 1 cup couscous 1 cucumber, seeded and diced

3 green onions, chopped

DRESSING:

1 carrot, grated

¼ cup lemon juice

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ teaspoon ground pepper

STEP ONE

STEP TWO

Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a saucepan; remove from heat and stir in couscous. Cover saucepan and let couscous stand until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Place couscous, cucumber, green onions, carrot, and parsley into a large salad bowl. Combine olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and pour over the couscous and vegetables; stir cumin, salt, and black pepper into the tabbouleh. Refrigerate overnight to let flavors develop and add cheese just before serving.

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Chateau Montelena

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DINE WINE

Famed Napa Valley winery CHATEAU MONTELENA has ties to Nebraska

History-making vino The year was 1976, the bicentennial of American independence, when an Englishman named Steve Spurrier decided to pit wines he bought and shipped overseas from America against a powerful lineup of French First Growths. Despite the event taking place in Paris, with French judges no less, the American wines won. The winning red was a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet, and the winning white was a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. Covered by Time Magazine and the subject of the 2008 movie Bottle Shock, the event came to be known as the “Judgement of Paris.”

Nebraska has a local link to the famous winery. Jamie Eggerss, a graduate of the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, is Assistant Winemaker at the historic Napa Valley winery. “I spent my college years in Lincoln at UNL,” she said. “I moved to Minneapolis after college and the Twin Cities was my home base for almost five years thereafter, when I worked in a restaurant and travelled out here seasonally for harvests.” Five years ago, she moved to Santa Rosa to work full-time at Chateau Montelena. She started as an oenologist, and has since been promoted to assistant winemaker.

When asked what her favorite wine from Chateau Montelena was, she replied:

“I’ll have to break the rule and pick two favorite wines. Our Estate Cabernet is consistently stunning and my favorite wine to bring to family meals or dinner parties with friends. It’s simultaneously classic and curiosity-inducing and always manages to start a conversation. On the other hand, the wine I drink most often and think is wildly under-appreciated is our Sauvignon Blanc. I could drink it every night.”

Chateau Montelena’s exceptional wines, including recent vintages of the Chardonnay that won the Judgement of Paris, are available locally at Old Vine Wine & Spirits, Corkscrew, Brother Sebastian’s, Flemings, J. Gilbert’s, V.

STORY BY MARK GUDGEL Mertz, and Whole Foods. Seek them out and know that the wine you’re drinking not only comes from a Napa winery that helped put the American wine scene on the map, but it also has roots a little closer to home.

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Open Sesameweed from Kaitei

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DINE SPIRITS

KAITEI in Benson offers a whole new world of cocktails

Showcasing sake Ichi-go ichi-e, a Japanese phrase loosely translated as “a moment in time”, is the most popular item on the menu of Kaitei, a funky underground Benson hideaway serving innovative sake-based cocktails alongside Japanese beers, whiskies, and of course, sake. It is the ideal option for both indecisive and adventurous palates, trusting the talented mixologists behind the bar to titillate their tongues with something tasty.

Japan’s national beverage, nihonshu (sake), is a fermented beverage made from polished rice, water, koji, and yeast.

Sake is less acidic than wine, making it a lovely base for cocktails as well as a home run when paired with most foods.

Premium sake is available in two categories: Honjozo, to which distilled alcohol is added for a smoother taste and more distinct aroma, and Junmai, pure rice sake. The latter is less aromatic, but richer in mouthfeel with higher acidity.

Bartender Bret Reimers enjoys coming up with new and interesting ways to showcase sake. The notion of aging spirits or cocktails in leather (yes, it looks like that bota bag you remember from college), led to aging sake in custom bags crafted in Spain for the aptly named, We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Bota.

Reimers shared, “I’m fascinated by culinary concepts that cause progression,” as he reached into his bag behind the bar and displayed a copy of the Noma Guide

to Fermentation. Fraiche to Death is a cocktail using blackened apples, inspired by techniques learned in the popular book.

Other offerings include the Open Sesameweed cocktail made from Hakitsuru sake, roasted sesame syrup, and wintermelon bitters with a seaweed garnish. If a description of a cocktail appeals, but fizzy is your jam, just ask them to bubble it and you’ll be served a house-carbonated beverage in a cute little bottle. Nostalgic for childhood snack time? Order a sake box and grab a snack from the vending machine. Feeling fancy? Ask for a dram of Japanese whisky.

Next time you’re in Benson after dark, make your way through the blue-lit door, sidle up to the bar, engage in a conversation about flavor, texture, and spirit preferences, then sit back, relax and enjoy your very own custom sake cocktail “at the whim” of the bartender.

Plum on Eileen from Kaitei

STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN PHOTOS COURTESY OF KAITEI

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Scriptown’s Fest Helles

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DINE BEER

Celebrate Oktoberfest by trying some of SCRIPTOWN’S authentic German beers

The elegance of German-style beer When describing German styles of craft beer, the words soft, smooth, bready, and malty are used frequently. Often, we think about German beers in the fall because of Oktoberfest—the world’s largest beer festival. Happy crowds of people with festive steins in hand are adorned in Bavarian clothing: Dirndl for women and lederhosen for men.

The best way to learn about this style is to talk to someone who has a passion for brewing and a great knowledge of German beers. John Fahrer, head brewer and co-owner of Scriptown Brewing Company, is a craft beer traditionalist at heart. Fahrer knows that for each style to be authentic, it must be crafted in the same way the original founders did.

Fahrer said the first thing about most of the German beers are that they are lagers and not ales. The difference? Ales use top fermenting yeast and can be fermented and ready for consumption in 14 to 16 days. Lagers use bottom fermenting yeast and require a minimum of 24 – 28 days to ferment. This longer fermentation at cold temps is what gives these lagers that extra smoothness.

Take for instance what most Americans know as Oktoberfest beer. The actual style name is Märzen, which comes from the German word “March.” This amber lager would be brewed in March and lagered throughout the summer. Before refrigeration, this would take place in caves to keep the temperature lower.

Fahrer added that when brewing German beers, you must get the malts from Germany, which are malted barley and wheat. The malt is typically not roasted to a high level. You can tell this

by the color profile that is yellow, copper, and light brown. The exception would be a Schwarzbier that is a dark lager.

Here is a sample list of some of the top German styles of beer: • KÖlsch: Pale-colored and originated out of Cologne. Crisp and light with some honey notes. Some have a very subtle saltiness that adds to the experience.

• Helles: Hell in German means “pale” or “bright.” The Fest Helles at Scriptown is malty and sweet with little to no bitterness from the hops.

• Altbier: This copper to brown-colored wheat ale comes from the Rhineland region. This one is not a lager though is cool fermented. Nice medium body and smooth.

• Doppelbock: This style came from the monasteries and ranges from 7 to 13 percent ABV. Typically copper to brown color and very malty.

• Dunkel: The Franconia region of Bavaria is where this all barley brown lager comes from. Nice and malty with some nutty notes.

STORY & PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MEYER

German-style beers are a great type of craft beer if you are looking for something smooth and slightly sweet. Enjoy your own adventure with them! Cheers!

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DINE SCENE

SMALL-TOWN SURPRISE Famous for its pandemic pie runs, CITY CAFÉ in Newman Grove is worth the drive

STORY BY ANNA HARTMAN PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER TIERNEY PHOTOGRAPHY

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T

he City Café has been operating in Newman Grove, a vibrant small town in northeast Nebraska, for over 100 years.

Residents still fondly recall Phyllis Weitzel serving the church crowd with popular Sunday buffets.

After owning and operating the cafe for 25 years, Weitzel listed the café on Craig’s List, where Adam and Dawn Witchell, a young Omaha couple who’d never set foot in Newman Grove or run a restaurant, spied the opportunity. It took just three visits to convince the former Boys Town family teachers to take the plunge and make the purchase. Sadly, Weitzel unexpectedly passed away before the Witchells took ownership in early 2015.

Adam and Dawn Witchell DINENE BRASK A .COM 43

DINE SCENE chicken salad with gems

sriracha burger with curly fries

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Peggy Patzel generously kept the establishment running in the interim, and Adam and Dawn Witchell dove in, learning quickly what appealed to regular customers and what fell flat. Patzel’s daughterin-law, Delores, remains a mainstay in the café, greeting customers with a sunny smile and efficient manner. Paula Stone is the only other employee, serving customers when Delores is occupied with baking or her children’s activities.

In the early years, Adam posted the quirky hand-written chalkboard of daily specials on social media.

His clever banter and consistent presence soon attracted a wide range of followers, including celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, popular comedian Larry the Cable Guy, Nebraska State Troopers, local television personalities, and Omahabased “foodies”.

In the early days of the Covid-19

shutdown, a loyal Twitter fan from Omaha decided to make the 4-hour round trip to Newman Grove for takeout and offered to bring back a few pies for other Tweeters. The owners agreed, and Adam posted a seemingly innocuous invitation.

Within minutes they were inundated with requests.

Floored by the response, the tiny team worked well into the wee hours of the morning, hand-crafting close to 50 pies and 85 hand pies, all rolled by hand, baked in a noncommercial oven, and packaged securely. The proverbial “cherry on top” is the personalized message or drawing penned on each parcel. A Target parking lot served as the delivery site, which filled with Twitter fans and local radio personalities all waiting in line to purchase a pie.

City Café followers who missed out on the initial pie run made their disappointment known, and soon

Matt Vrzal, former Husker football star and radio personality offered to do a second run. Vrzal is also owner of the popular Piezon’s pizza, and through an inspired partnership, City Café pie fans can pick up a slice or two along with their pizza.

Describing the Witchells as hands-on owners is an understatement. They do it all—slinging hash browns in the morning and burgers DINENE BRASK A .COM 45

DINE SCENE

apple pie

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when the noon whistle blows. After closing at 2pm, baking time commences, whether that be their famous pies or the popular Grover pockets. The couple appreciates the importance of community support and uses local purveyors for produce, eggs, and beef as much as possible.

Recent media darlings, Dawn and Adam are grateful for the love but brush off the praise. “We are like the dollar store version of toys—suitable but nothing special,” said Dawn. Clearly this work ethic is part of the appeal, as city folks are drawn to this tiny town eatery serving delicious food and authentic service with a big heart.

Small towns need businesses and services to survive, and most local customers visit an average of four times a week because it’s part of their lives, not because it’s the cool place to go. A bench outside the door emblazoned with Weitzel’s name serves as a reminder of the Café’s history, and how much it, and the individuals running it, mean to the close-knit community.

Give the City Café a follow on social media and make time for a road trip to this special place. Park the car out front, admire the vintage Mountain Dew sign, head in and take a seat. Order the special and leave room for pie—it’s worth it.

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Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week 402-391-2950 DINE IN ∙ CARRY OUT ∙ CURBSIDE

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4-6PM DAILY 3125 South 72nd Street

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HIGH EFFICIENCY EQUIPMENT FOODSERVICE SUPPLIES RESTAURANT INTERIORS SPECIALIZED KITCHEN SOLUTIONS

TRIMARK IS THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TriMark Hockenbergs 14063 Cornhusker Rd. Omaha, NE 68138 402.339.8900

In Lincoln 402.477.7800 trimarkusa.com 48 DI N E M AGA Z I N E

M A G A Z I N E PO Box 620 Elkhorn, NE 68022

LOVE YOUR JOB.

Trained HERE. Seasoned EVERYWHERE. Kimbler Harrold, MCC 2009 alum Job lover and banquet chef Scott Conference Center

Alumni cook, serve and lead in venues of all kinds, including restaurants, bakeries, hotels, event centers, pastry shops, wineries, resorts and food trucks.

To learn more, visit mccneb.edu/culinary.

Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public.To read our full policy statement, visit mccneb.edu/nondiscrimination.