Tommy Colina's Kitchen (West)

Location: Tommy Colina's Kitchen (West) http://tommycolinaskitchen.com/
Date: April 18, 2013, Thursday
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Weather: Snowy/rainy, windy, cold, 40 degrees
Patronage: Restaurant was empty
Lighting: Inviting, intimate
Attendees:  Myself, Robyn, Jenn, Grayson, and Cayden
Total Bill (excluding gratuity): $49.00 ($12.25/person)
So we jumped with both feet in to start off this collaborative effort to find the best burger in Omaha. 

It was very quiet upon entering the restaurant, but we were welcomed warmly and told that we could sit where ever we wanted.  Interesting feature in the restaurant is they have a huge wall that is painted with blackboard paint that people can draw or write on.  The host, who saw that we had a 5 year old recommended that we sit near the wall so he can draw.  It was nice to have that level of attention on us, instead of just sitting us anywhere.

When we sat down, our host/server was all over getting us drinks, and within 2 minutes of entering we had beverages.  Instead of asking for our order right away since we had literally just taken off our coats, our server faded into the background  temporarily and let us "shop" the menu.  I had heard about a great appetizer which is cheese fries with bacon, chipotle mayo, and diced pickles. We must have looked as if we were in need of something because our server was there and asked about apps. So of course we had to order those.

 Herein lies the first true test for Tommy Colina's Kitchen (TCK).  A pet peeve of mine involving ordering appetizers at restaurants is that you typically feel forced to order apps and meals at the same time and you virtually get both at almost the same exact time.  You feel as if you can't just enjoy either and you have no room for anything on the table.

I am happy to report that the timing at TCK was just about as perfect as it gets.  We ordered our cheese fries, and were not bothered until they were sitting on our table, and only then were we asked to order our burgers. We could enjoy our app without pressure and just enjoy our company.

So on to the burgers:

Me:  Midtown Shroom, Portobello mushrooms and Provolone, requested Mid rare, fries
Robyn: Burger (Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo) Fries
Grayson: Kids Cheeseburger Fries
Jenn: Triple B Bacon, Brie, and Blue Cheese, requested Mid rare, home-made chips

We had our burgers to us in about 10 minutes.  That is pretty impeccable to have entrees to us before we had time to fill up on our amazing cheese fries.  Our burgers were cooked to perfection.  Mid rare is fairly easy to cook too, but it is just as easy to cook under or over.  The burgers are juicy and HUGE.  Grayson's cheeseburger looked like it could fill me easily.  The meat is seasoned perfectly.  They aren't too spicy and they allow the flavor of the meat shine.  Having a mid-rare burger, you still get the light taste of iron that you are looking for. TCK fries are crunchy and coated in ranch seasoning.  I tried one of Jenn's home-made chips and that was really nice.  Thick cut and crunchy.  A really nice alternative to the fries and compliments the burger just the same.  The fact that the fries are made fresh every day shows the passion involved with delivering a great experience.

All-in-all it was a wonderful experience and we could really experience TCK atmosphere with little interruption and you could tell that there is passion for delivering a good result.  I would recommend this place to anyone.  I am truly looking forward to returning and trying the entire menu.  They have a nice full bar and a good beer list. 

One of the neat things is their menu appears small.  You aren't inundated with just page after page of items.  When you start to read about all of their burgers you will see a vast range of flavors and combinations of flavors.  It appeared simple but when you start to peel away the layers it was really diverse.  That is the mark of not just a good restaurant, but a great one.  They don't feel the need to try and hide behind a litany of flavors and they do not intend to intimidate the diner from their experience.  It is a subtle boast of confidence from the kitchen that declares war only on your individual taste buds and not ego. 

TCK = High marks across the board





Up next..........the legend that is.....Stella's

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