VEGAS FOOD NERD’S TREK ACROSS AMERICA (Day 2 Spezia)
Day 2 Omaha, Nebraska
The next stop on our journey was the hometown of Warren Buffet, Omaha, Nebraska. Located just a block or so away from our hotel was an Italian restaurant Spezia. Spezia, Italian for spice, is part of a small restaurant chain locally owned by Dave and Rick Thompson, who reside in South Dakota. The interior is sleek, with warm wooden accents. The restaurant is wildly popular with Omahans and business travelers to the city.
Upon being seated, we are treated to hot bread, and a tasty olive oil dip to swirl the warm crusty stuff in while perusing the menu. Our booth was in the atrium part of the restaurant with large windows, and high back plush seating. We ordered a bottle of Santa Margherita, Valdagie Pinot Grigio which came chilled perfectly. After sampling our wine and taking in the selections, we made our order. To start, we tried the Spezia salad served on a bed of mixed greens, topped with prosciutto, Roma tomatoes, kalamata olives, gorgonzola, topped off with a balsamic vinaigrette, a perfectly constructed start to our meal.
Our entrées arrived shortly after the salad. I ordered the beef burgundy pasta, an amazing combination of flavors with Angus beef tenderloin, cremini, and portobello mushrooms served in a burgundy cream sauce tossed with fettuccine pasta. It was an Italian take on one of my favorite dishes, beef stroganoff a creamy, savory delight.
My husband tried their roasted duck. The offering was called hunters duckling. It featured a half of duckling roasted to crispy perfection served alongside a mushroom risotto, roasted asparagus, and a balsamic orange marmalade dip to dip the meat in. It was a spectacularly executed plate. The duck skin was crispy perfection complemented by the tender, creamy risotto, and that dip well we are still dreaming about it. If you make it to Omaha, I highly suggest you try this place. It was a happy respite after a long day on the road. Check out more by Vegas Food Nerd at FoodNerdMag.com