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.  :)

Memorial Day Pool Time

Like most families, we spent Memorial Day grilling out and enjoying time with family.  Katy remembered we had this whale pool we'd never pulled out, so we took it over to Gary and Nell's for the kids to play in.


The temps stayed in the low 80s, so the water didn't warm up much, and it was breezy, but they sure had a fun time jumping around.  You'll notice Mandy has absolutely no fear and goes at it with much more gusto than the boys.  You may also notice she's the only one wearing goggles.  This is to protect her eyes, which are still healing from her recent surgery.  I find her hilarious.


Zac really enjoyed not only the water but several hours with his cousins, who are some of his favorite people in the world.  I will say that the older they all get, fewer arguments and catastrophes seem to occur when they are together.

Zac Is Four!!!

Four years ago today, we welcomed into our lives a tiny bundle we weren't quite expecting yet.  Nine weeks early isn't what you hope for as a parent, but thanks to the amazing folks at UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, things went very smoothly.  


I thought I would post a few pics of those early days along with one more recent just for fun as we see what he has become.  Zac is so much of a joy, with a keen sense for humor and an ear for music that permeates most of what he does.  But four years ago, we were more worried about other things.  Here is a very small snippet from a blog post back on February 3rd, 2008:

We spent significant time in Zac's room today and tonight. Last night they put him back on the c-pap (sp?), which is essentially just a bigger breathing tube, to help make sure he's getting enough oxygen.

It's wonderful that we no longer have to worry about simple things like breathing, though obviously toddler years bring a new set of worries. I mean, he didn't lose those two front teeth by doing nothing last year!  :)

Zac, mommy and daddy love you very much.  And we know that God loves you and us very much because He decided to bring you into this world when we didn't think we could even have a baby. It was He who made sure you were ready to join us and it was He who kept you healthy and safe so you could be with us today. Happy Birthday to my favorite little boy in the whole world!

The Big 04

On Wednesday the 1st, Zac turns 4, but we decided to hold his birthday party today, rather than doing it after his birthday.  Unfortunately, one of the negatives to Zac being in daycare down in Lincoln is that it doesn't make sense to invite his school friends, but that's OK, because he loves playing with his cousins anyway!

So Chad, Mickie and the kids joined us for a few hours to celebrate and let them play together. We had a good time and a good cake. Zac is quite pleased with his presents and even has one left we held back for him to open Wednesday morning before we leave in the morning, which he doesn't know about.

The kids seemed to enjoy the cake and frozen yogurt.  Yes, frozen yogurt since at least two of us, and maybe three, have issues with lactose, so I played it safe.

I'm sharing a video of us singing Happy Birthday to Zac so everyone has a chance to enjoy it.  You'll note he leaned over on one of the candles trying to blow out the fourth one and it was a little hot. 

 

He's none the worse for wear, though, and has recovered just fine!  :)  Guess I shouldn't have spread the candles out so much.  I've also added pics from the party to the slideshow on the right.  Enjoy all!

Zac Christmas Program

Today was Zac's first Christmas program of any kind.  The program at our church is written by the same woman each year, and she writes both the musical score and the script, which I find pretty impressive.  The kids all did a great job, and some, as expected, sing a little louder than others, which adds to the fun.  :)

Zac's group of kids were asked to join in on the last two songs of the program, and I've linked those videos here as well as posted links to them on Facebook and on my YouTube account.  When it came time before church for Zac to sit with the other kids to wait for their time, he was not so excited about the prospect.

A bit later, right before it started but before he'd have to be a part of the production, I had him sit on my lap and asked him if he was scared.  Sure enough, he had the stage fright.  :)  Luckily, a little bit of bribery with promise of cookies after the service nudged him in the right direction and he performed well. Though he didn't always pay attention and didn't stand up for the ending number, he did sing and at least he didn't mill about!  :)

Pumpkin Time!

Well today was our planned outing to the Bellevue Berry and Pumpkin Ranch. It used to have a shorter name, but perhaps they realized they needed the pumpkin income, so now it's longer and includes pumpkins.

I don't know for sure on that, but I do know you can have quite a bit of fun for about $8 per person on the weekends and that includes the hayride to the fields where you can pick out a pumpkin (you do pay for the pumpkins, of course). 


I managed to grab a few pics along the way and got a few videos, which you'll be able to see on my YouTube channel, linked on the right.  The video I'm including in this post is Zac getting to ride a Shetland pony, which is his first ride on a horse. He was excited to get to do this, and that's saying something, since right before he was letting pigs sniff his hand.

Memorial Stadium Field Trip

I had the opportunity today to accompany Zac's class on a field trip for a tour of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.  If you're a fan of your team, getting to visit where they play is cool enough, but the stadium also houses all the coaches offices, strength complex, national championship trophies, Heisman and other award trophies and winners' jerseys, not to mention the indoor practice field and countless other very cool things.

My favorite part of the entire visit was the video of the gameday experience from almost a player perspective, with cameras showing you what it's like to be right in amongst the players. The video room has a partial wraparound screen and mostly lets the video itself tell the story. As a big fan of the Huskers, it gave me goose bumps.


We did see a couple of football players, including Jared Crick, the ridiculously large defensive tackle destined for a great year and future first round NFL draft choice, I think. When he walked past me, I felt like a twig. I mean, I know someone 6'6" and about 300 pounds is a pretty big person, but he's so muscular that he doesn't look that heavy. I seriously felt very, very small as he passed by.  It was pretty cool, actually.  :)

Zac had a good time on the trip, though I suspect it'll mean more to him after he gets a little bit older and has a chance to go to a game, which we intend to treat him to next year when he's 4. I think he'll be able to handle the noise level a bit better at that time and will have the patience to sit through the game.  He certainly enjoyed running around on the field, which is what this video is from, and then of course I have pictures here of us in front of the five national championship trophies and of the indoor practice facility. Look for more pics in the slideshow to the right and a second video on my YouTube channel.