Tess W.
Yelp
We chose the Boiler Room for dinner on the recommendation of a friend whose boyfriend is from Omaha. This is his favorite spot when they come to visit.
It's located on a quieter street just adjacent to the main Old Market area. There were cute Christmas lights displayed outside, which some people were taking photos in front of.
We walked in and were captivated by the design of the converted industrial space and the aroma of cooked Brussels sprouts. Guests were dressed for nice date nights, which felt appropriate for the atmosphere.
The hostess took our coats and showed us to our table in the lofted area. We had a great view of the lower level bar and open kitchen as well as the art and architecture.
Our waitress came to discuss the small menu and take our drink orders. When we were mulling aloud about different wines, she offered us generous sample pours of the Gruner Vetliner. We opted for a glass of the Chablis.
With the wine came a board with two beautiful slices of bread with a salty heap of room temperature butter smeared on the side. We noticed our neighbors had the same bread board with their butter served in a tiny bowl. We liked our plating better, even if it was because they ran out of bowls.
For our first course we selected the Potato Soup, which was just what the doctor ordered on such a cold day. It was a rich, creamy soup with tasty bacon cubes and a nice Grana Padana crisp. I could have eaten six more servings, but that would have been a lot of salt.
For the main course, they were serving the swordfish dish with branzino instead (they had just run out of swordfish). The waitress recommended this and she was right to. The branzino was cooked perfectly - flaky with a crisp skin. The sauce americaine was rich, tangy, and wonderful. The rice pilaf was good and the Brussels sprouts tasted as good as we expected when we first walked in.
For our other entree, we ordered the pheasant breast, which was also cooked perfectly. The risotto, sweet potato, and broccolini were all good but not quite as good as the branzino accompaniments.
One of us was interested in dessert but the other was tired, so we got the check.
Overall it was an excellent choice for our one night in Omaha.