I had the pleasure of traveling to Omaha for a 90 minute meeting on a Friday morning.

18 hours ago I would have said that first sentence with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Now, on my flight home, I can say that it truly was a pleasure to travel to Omaha.

Omaha is a city that’s both big and small, southern and northern, country and western.

Since I had a very limited time in Omaha I did my restaurant research ahead of time and also asked a few Omahans where to eat. I settled on The Grey Plume which finds itself in a recently revitalized part of the city. The sidewalks are wide, clean, and in good condition, unlike those found in Boston or any other ‘large’ city for that matter.

The Grey Plume treated me to a tremendous level of hospitality. I felt like I must have landed somewhere further in the south, yet the pulse of life is more at a northern pace. The food was quite good if a bit heavy. There seems to be an option to add an egg on top of any meal if it isn’t already included.

Before I ordered I was presented with a “first taste” which is a spoon elegantly placed on a rectangle plate laying on a rolled up cloth napkin. The “first taste” of the night consisted of brown butter, not sure what that is, grapefruit, and sage. It was a mix of heavy and light, creamy and citrus. A perfect compliment to the Omaha style.

I ordered the Bison Burger with a side of Duck Fat Fries. That’s right, potato fries fried up with the aid of fat from a duck. They were great but again significantly heavier than traditional fries. The burger was also quite good if slightly gamy and under cooked. It was not a traditional American burger experience as there was no ketchup or greasy cheese and bacon. It was a more refined burger with stringed sautéed onion, buttermilk cheese, and a collared green like lettuce.

For dessert I ordered something else fried with the aid of duck fat; a donut. A sugar donut fried in duck fat with a small scoop of heavy vanilla bean ice cream. The donut was great, the ice cream was too heavy and eggy.

I left feeling welcomed both to the restaurant and to the city. Sitting at the bar allowed me to see more of the goings on and interactions between staff and patrons.

I highly recommend The Grey Plume for its creative foods and welcoming hospitality.

When I later arrived at my hotel I was also greeted with a combination of southern hospitality and a northern pace. Maybe because the city of Omaha is still rather small the people are a bit nicer.

The one thing working against Omaha is the lack of direct flights in or out. Also their propensity to put an egg on everything they serve.

Otherwise, Omaha receives a five star rating from me.