Dante Pizzeria...Wow!

www.dantepizzeria.com

Tonight Katy and I decided to experience Dante Pizzeria, which is a spot in west Omaha that serves homemade Italian using local ingredients.

I was inspired to take us there by the restaurant writer for the Omaha paper, who raved over hand-made pastas and everything else they offer.

They source everything locally, including cheese which that same writer had a chance to help make recently plus specialty meats from another local restaurant that I guess does its own charcuterie.  

I decided ahead of time I wanted the Pappardelle
Bolognese, because the sauce looked amazing and I don't know that I've ever had pappardelle.

One word...wow.  The pasta had a chew to it I found very appealing with a slight taste of wheat (whether the pasta has wheat or not, I don't know, but that's what I tasted.

The bolognese sauce was incredible. You can see from the description above the pic that it has a few meats along with herbs and wine, and the depth of flavor was really something.





Katy tried the Tagliatelle, which somehow I did not get a picture of to share with you here, but you can see from the description above that it looks pretty good as well. She thought it was very good.  I think she was a little surprised the tagliatelle noodles were only slightly larger than fettuccine in size...perhaps both of us were.  But it was very good.

We also really wanted to try their pizza, because wood-fired ovens can do some amazing things and because a co-worker of mine had told me this was the best pizza he's ever had.

To keep it simple, we went with the Margherita Pizza so we could really taste the crust and homemade sauce.

Like the other entrees, it was very, very good.  The crust was light and airy, thin enough to fold if that's what you like, and the cheese, that cheese from Branched Oak Farms north of Lincoln, was fresh, smooth and mild.  

I would have to say the pizza was cooked to perfection. The meal could have ended there, of course (and yes, we did take pizza home), but then they brought a dessert menu, which isn't listed online nor is it in what they bring you initially.  The choices were unique and hand-made...we had to try them.

So that there to the left is their S'Mores dessert.  Sorry I don't have the full description of it, but this is what they have created.

It begins with a homemade graham cracker on the bottom. The cracker is four inches or so across and more than a quarter inch thick, but not quite half an inch.  It's airy, not dense.  

Next they add a layer of chocolate. I don't know where the chocolate comes from, but it was rich and silky without being overly sweet.

They top it with a homemade marshmallow.  I'd never had one of those before.  It was really something.  They cook the whole thing in a cast iron skillet in the wood oven. I can tell you that the charring on the marshmallow reminded me very much of bonfires as a kid. Wonderful.

Katy decided to get the Butterscotch Pudding.  This pudding is very rich.  It's homemade, of course, and they call it a butterscotch Italian pudding. 

It's topped with a layer of caramel, also homemade, that is smooth and silky just like the chocolate was, and incredibly rich.

Then they top that with homemade whipped cream topped with sea salt.  Wow.  I had a bite of this and as much as I love chocolate, this was better than my dessert. 

The mix of flavors was just so unique that it was one of those food moments where you are in awe of the person who came up with the idea to put those flavors together in the first place.

Will we go back?  Most definitely.  Will it be soon?  Well, unlikely given the cost, though I don't think overall it was out of line.  Absolutely a place we'd go for a special dinner or even just to have a unique night out.  Highly recommend this place.

Zac's Pre-K "Graduation"

OK, yes, I did indeed put the word graduation in quotes. I mean, it's Pre-K, people. It's not like he's on to adult-hood or a career or anything.  Cut me a little slack, if you don't mind.  :)

Beaming With Pride!

Now, having gotten that qualifier out of the way, I KNOW Zac had a great time at his graduation and we, along with Nana and Puddin', sure enjoyed watching him as he literally beamed with pride during the processional and throughout the process. 

Miss Rochelle, Zac and Mr. Jake

I've got links to several videos I took and a few pics here.  I have to apologize for the distance I was forced to be for much of this.  

Mom, Zac, Dad :)

You can't zoom in with video on an iPhone, or at least not with the stock app that comes with it, and the lighting (I was in a darker area) created issues for photos I intended to get, as you can see from the glare in both pics and videos. To the right is the "Tooty Ta" song. Hilarious!

They did a number of cute things during the ceremony, which hopefully you can see and hear in the videos.  One neat thing was taking what the child had said they wanted to be when they grow up and having the teachers give their opinion on what they thought that child would be. 

With His Award

Another neat thing was giving each of the kids a candy bar-themed award for something unique to their personality. It showed me how much they paid attention and really cared and wanted to encourage the kids. 

His Whatchamacallit Award

I would say that, overall, Zac is well-prepared heading into Kindergarten this coming Fall and La Petite did some good things to aid in that preparation.  At times, they did challenge him,and he is always looking for that opportunity to learn.  Not sure he got that one from me, have to say.  :)