Brazen Head Irish Pub

Brazen Head Irish Pub

318 North 78th Street

www.brazenheadpub.com

Thursday night, Eric and I were hungry and looking to try something we don't have all the time. So we decided to give the Brazen Head Irish Pub a shot. We had eaten there before, but it had been about five years, so it seemed like a good time to revisit the pub and see what was new. 

It turned out to be a very good choice. After walking inside, I immediately felt as if this was a place we should be coming all the time. The atmosphere is great, and it really does have the charm of an Irish pub. 

We both ordered one of their featured sandwiches. I order the "Ellis Island" which has corned beef, prosciutto ham, genoa salami, havarti cheese, tomato, onion, banana peppers, and basil-pasto mayo baked on ciabatta bread (I ordered mine less the tomato). It was fantastic! A really flavorful sandwich that filled me up and left Eric wishing he had ordered the same thing. The different kinds of meat really created a rich and hearty base and the banana peppers added an excellent little kick of flavor. Their ciabatta bead was delicious and seemed the perfect choice for this sandwich. Served with their cottage fries, which were basically just seasoned waffle fries. This meal left me completely satisfied and full. Eric actually had to finish my sandwich, which he was pretty happy about. :)

Eric order the "Cajun Prime Rib Sandwich" which was a blackened prime rib with peppers, onions, pepper jack cheese and "diablo" sauce on toasted Texas toast. His sandwich was also very tasty. The steak was cooked well and was tender.  The cajun seasoning really added a lot of flavor, and the pepper jack cheese rounded out the sandwich. It was nice and spicy without being over powering.

We really enjoyed out trip to the Brazen Head and I foresee another trip there in our future. Hopefully we wont wait another five years before we visit again! Portions were good sized. Enough that Eric could finish his plate and be full, and I had just a little left over. Prices were ok, about $8-$15 a plate, so not too bad. They also have a great selection of specialty drinks, beers on tap, and of course all the Guinness you can drink. 

Lunch at Zio's

Zio's Pizzeria

3 locations in Omaha.

 Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE Zio's Pizza. So I feel a little silly even putting up a "review" of their food, because I already know how I feel about it. But, I hadn't posted anything all week, and felt like sharing my love of their pizza with the rest of the world. 

While Eric and I were out shopping around today, we realized we were hungry and started the always long discussion of where to eat. We ended up going with an old favorite and strolled into the Zio's on 78th and Dodge. 

Now, I love Zio's for a number of reasons. The fact that I can order my pizza by the slice and they have so many toppings to choose from is probably why they are my favorite pizza place.  For example, today I ordered two slices with cajun chicken and jalapenos (this is my all time favorite combo). Doesn't it look delicious!

Eric ordered a slice of their Veggie Supremo and a slice he invented with meatballs, provolone, black olives and mushrooms. I thought it sounded like a very good combination, but he ate it too quickly for me to have a bite. :(  He did say that it was very tasty.

Now, I just assume all people in Omaha have eaten at Zio's, but just in case there is someone who hasn't been. For the love of all things holy, go eat some frickin Zio's Pizza. And if pizza isn't your thing, they also have great pastas, calzones and lots of other tasty bits that I have always enjoyed. They are very reasonably priced, and it is always my "go to" place when I want to eat out and don't want to spend a lot of money. I always get full on their portions, and almost always bring home left overs. The only negative thing I could say is that sometimes it seems to take a long time to get your food. So maybe not a place I would recommend if you are in a super rush, or starving to death.

But really, go there. It's great.

I think that is really all have to say on the matter. Except, for those of you that can handle the heat, I am telling you try a slice with cajun chicken and jalapeno. It changed my life.

Mediterranean Hummus Pizza

This is a recipe that I found a long time ago and always wanted to try, but had never gotten around to making hummus. So when Eric's brother Chris brought over a big tub of his spicy, black bean hummus, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. Here is what I made for dinner last night.

Mediterranean Hummus Pizza:
Recipe from Pampered Chief's "Seasons Best Recipe Collection" Fall/Winter 2007


Crust:
1 package (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
1 TSP olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed

Toppings:
2 plum tomatoes
1/4 medium red onion
1 2-inch piece seedless cucumber
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
7 oz plain hummus spread
2 jars ( 6-7.5 oz each) quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup Mediterranean-seasoned feta cheese crumbs

1). Preheat oven to 425 F. Unroll dough onto bottom of a lightly greased bar pan. Gently stretch and press dough to cover bottom or pan. Combine oil and pressed garlic; brush evenly over dough. Bake crust 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown.

2). Meanwhile, for toppings, slice tomatoes in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and dice. Thinly slice onion. Slice cucumber and cut into quarters. Coarsely chop olives.

3). Remove bar pan from over to cooling rack. Spread hummus evenly over crust. Arrange tomatoes, onion, cucumber, olives and artichokes over hummus. Sprinkle with cheese.



So? How'd it turn out? Delicious!

I did omit the tomatoes, because Eric and I don't like raw tomato. So I did add more cucumber (it wasn't seedless-couldn't find one). Also, I used double the amount of feta the recipe called for, but we really like feta. :)  As I said, I used Chris's hummus which was a spicy hummus with black beans (which I MUST get the recipe for, because it's my favorite!). The black beans did make it a touch difficult to spread on the dough, so maybe a smoother hummus would have been helpful.

All in all, we did really like it. However, we both felt it was something we couldn't do too often. It has A LOT of very bold flavors, and thought we could have used even more cucumbers just to help balance the natural saltiness of the olives, feta and artichoke (of course, if we liked tomatoes, I'm sure that would have helped). Also, it was amazingly filling! I managed to eat two, not very large pieces, and was stuffed. Not to mention, if you use the packaged pizza dough and have hummus already made (or purchased), there is very little prep and you can easily whip this together in no time at all.

If you enjoy bold Mediterranean flavors, or have a giant tub of hummus come into your possession, I would recommend giving this recipe a try. It was very tasty!

And there you go. My very first "foodie" blog post. :)

A little introduction...

I've been contemplating doing this blog for quite a while now, so I finally decided just to go for it. So, where did the "insparation" come from?

My husband (Eric) and I eat out a lot, and I mean a whole lot. We are big believers in supporting small businesses and helping out the little guy. All of our favorite places are all locally owned, and we love to try the many new restaurants that seem to be popping up in Omaha every few minutes. After watching too much travel channel and food network, I felt like I should give my two cents about all the local fare Omaha has to offer. Not to mention, I really needed to find a hobby.

Then I got to thinking, not only do I like to eat out all the time, but I like to cook too. I'm always recipe hunting and trying new and different things in the kitchen. However, not all turn my experiments turn out. SO, I thought, why not share that journey as well, and all the comes with it. The good, the bad, the ugly and the burnt.

So, what can you expect to find here? Reviews of locally owned restaurants, plus my experiments in the kitchen, tried recipes, and probably some other juicy little tidbits along the way. I warn you, I am not a food critic. I am NOT a trained chief. In fact, I haven't taken a cooking class since middle school home economics. This is just my experiences, thought and opinions and they are open to anyone who cares to read them.

Thanks for popping in! I hope you'll join me again!