Well Fed On the Town

A recent spate of wintry weather saw me venturing out into the cold to join business associates for Italian Food at Spezia in Omaha, Nebraska. Our party of 12 was whittled down to 6, that darn weather, as we gathered near the bar to begin our evening. Drinks were promptly served from the cozy, but well stocked bar. Finding Guinness on draft was a pleasant surprise as well.

Serious perusal of the menu offerings was the first order of business as we were seated and drinks were refreshed, with Appetizers being first up on the hit list.

A quick go-round of the table and we agreed that the Calamari would be acceptable to most, as well as the Hot Artichoke Crab Dip. Calamari is a staple of the Appetizer Menu for just about any Italian Restaurant. Typically dusted in flour, fried up light and crispy it is served with one or two dipping sauces, with one being a thick, marinara sauce.

However, the Calamari offered at Spezia differs from this distinctly. Large round cuts of the upper body of the squid are battered, but in a thicker, more dense batter that one might associate with some kind of onion rings, lacking the flaky quality that batter often has though. The Calamari themselves are Pan Fried in a sweet, slightly spicy blend of roasted red pepper, banana peppers and peperoncini. The entire offering is served in the olive oil, butter, garlic sauce it was prepared in, without the addition of any dipping sauces. For those who want a different take on this traditional dish, I can’t claim it to be better (or worse) when prepared this way, but in the sense of embracing variety, it is very much worth your attention.

The Hot Artichoke Crab dip was precisely what one would expect. The appetizer portions were of ample size, plenty to go around, and the thick, cheesy dip was served up on small herbed toast points and grilled flat bread. No surprises from this dish, but on a cold night, it definitely hit the spot.

Spezia’s menu offerings haven’t gone the way of so many other places, offering pages and pages of selections, leaving a diner wondering how they could possibly prepare each of them with care and precision. Instead, they have embraced the simple, manageable concept of two pages front/back. In those two pages though, they have accomplished an excellent variety and mix of Italian favorites, seafood, steaks, chops, and the like.

So, have you started wondering when we get to the Chicken ‘n’ Dumplins yet?

For my dinner, I chose the Gnocchi alla Pollo. For those who are not familiar with gnocchi, they are small…well, potato dumplings. Each is about the size of a tortellini, only in this case it is a dense, pasta and potato dumpling that’s been laying in the sauce (served sauce on the bottom, instead of over the top in a more traditional plating) such that the dumpling has that burst of flavor from the thick, Gorgonzola cheese sauce, then gives way to the texture you’d more expect of a pierogi or a dumpling.

The chicken breast (the Pollo part of my Gnocchi alla Pollo) was in bite sized pieces, seared in a black pepper spice blend and tossed with cremini mushrooms and fresh baby spinach over the Gorgonzola Cream sauce. All in all, the effect was excellent. I would have preferred a bit more of the Gorgonzola Cream sauce, whose flavors blended wonderfully with the chicken, gnocchi and was set off by the crisp, smooth texture of the baby spinach, but even still it was refreshing to find a more traditional plating than one typically gets in the variety of Italian American restaurants across the country.

Have you ever come across a “Monday Night” price on bottles of wine? I hadn’t, until Spezia. Many, but not all of their wines by the bottle were available at a 40-50% discount from their typical prices on this Monday night. The wines tended heavily towards Italian offerings and were separated by White/Red and by region of Italy. In order to accommodate everyone a bottle of Pinot Grigio and one of Pinot Noir were ordered, ensuring that each dish available would have a wine that could compliment the depth and complexity of its flavors.

All in all, the experience was wonderful. The ambiance was such that our conversation quickly turned away from work and towards more interesting topics, with the backdrop of a good meal and a nice restaurant to break the ice.

Spezia
3125 S 72nd St
Omaha, NE 68124
(402) 391-2950