Taste of Lincoln

West O

The curse has struck again.  We were at the Handyman shop this weekend and I saw that the Southwest Pit BBQ is now closed.  Of all the places this location has been, I actually thought this was the best and most attended of them all.  Apparently it wasn’t enough.

I just can’t believe that it’s all location.  Red Fox does great out there, as does Big Red Keno.  I’m not sure what it will take for the next person to be successful out there.

I’ve been to La Mexicana Market (1637 P St.) several times (It’s a must for the chorizo in my breakfast burritos), but I have never made to the restaurant in back.  My wife and I are a fan of El Toro, mostly because of the half-priced margaritas on Thursdays, but we think the food is good.

I went over a lunch hour by myself when I needed to catch up on some reading.  I figured since this was the place I got my chorizo from, I’d give their eggs and chorizo lunch special a try.  It wasn’t the most neutral review since I’ve had it before at El Toro.  This time however it wasn’t what I expected.  It was LOADED with onions and tomatoes (something that was not on the menu and never included at El Toro).

I’m not a huge onion guy, but as I’ve gotten older I realize they are just everywhere and I have to deal with it.  But in this case, there were entirely too many.  It really ruined the meal for me and I will definitely regret seeing that $9.00 lunch on my bank statement.

I will be back, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when the menu doesn’t designate what’s included.  Especially when the menu’s are the exact same as El Toro and Mazatlan, I didn’t think I needed to think too hard.

I’m not a huge Food Network Junkie, but I do enjoy the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  Mostly because I believe they stole my idea for the perfect job.

For those of you that may not know, they were in Omaha this summer and have started featuring the restaurants on the show.  Some of these are Omaha institutions and others I’ve never even heard of.  Does anyone have any input on these?

It’s nothing against their breakfast (because if you have been there, you know how good they are) but you are more likely to find me at Virginia’s or Tina’s on the weekend for breakfast.  It’s just more my speed I guess.

For some time now, I’ve wanted to try the Green Gateau (330 S. 10th St.) for dinner.  I was trying to plan a special night out recently and I decided to give it a chance.  Getting right to the point, I was completely impressed.  In fact, it may have taken over The Venue as my favorite overall dining experience in Lincoln.

I have the chef’s special which was Yellow-tail tuna with shrimp.  It was a small oversight, but I was shorted a shrimp (not that I noticed) but our server immediately saw the error and promised to correct it.  He then brought me a plate of four additional shrimp with some incredible sauce all over it.  The dish was served with rice and some steamed vegetables.

As a side note to show how incredible this experience was, I had just returned from San Francisco the week before.  After eating at some of the best restaurants I’ve even been to in my life, I was genuinely worried I’d never be able to eat out in Lincoln, Nebraska again.  The Green Gateau hit it out of the park in my opinion and it would easily fit in the same class as the San Fran places I enjoyed.

Please take advange of this gem we have here in Lincoln.