Perfect French Onion Soup: French Cafe, Omaha
Proper French Onion Soup should be served in a small crockery style bowl. It should be covered with a stringy, relatively unsalted, melty cheese (Fontina or Gruyere) baked on top. Below the cheese should be a round crouton of bread floating on the soup, soaking in the broth from below and adhering to the cheese above. It should be served not quite so hot that you’ll burn your taste buds by sipping tiny bits of it. It should have the rich, salty, sweet flavor of slightly caramelized, stewed onions (often a mix of sweet yellow and red onions). The French Cafe in Omaha, embodies this perfectly in their French Onion Soup.
The French Cafe has very high, stately ceilings with every side and ceiling surface trimmed in rich, dark wood. The white linen covered tables are stationed just far enough part to give the service staff room for table side preparation of certain, signature dishes. (Cesar Dressing, Cherries Jubilee, Bananas Foster, etc).
To complete the look, the walls are lined with large, black and white photos of diners in Paris, enjoying their meals, reading their papers and going on about their lives. The menu embodies this elegance with limited, but stately and creative offerings.
In addition to the before mentioned French Onion Soup, we started with an order of the Smoked Salmon (served with capers, diced red onion, and separated boiled egg with a sweet onion compote, it was a cool, refreshing start to the meal.
The salad was a nice mix of baby greens served with a house dressing that I’m going to guess was an asiago balsamic vinaigrette. It was tangy and sharp with a nice flavor and blend of textures from the baby greens.
I went with the Steak au Poivre. A good sized filet, prepared medium rare, precisely as I had ordered it. Accompanying the steak was a stacked column of potatoes au gratin and a fresh vegetable medley. The steak was drizzled with an excellent Bernaise sauce, though I would have preferred a small tureen of Bernaise on the side (next time I’ll know to ask for that).
The wine list at the French Cafe has an excellent if moderately sized selection including some nice French wines, as you would expect. For diners with the means they have a very nice selection of extremely upscale reserve wines, certainly beyond what you would expect from a small spot in the Old Market District of Omaha.
Lastly, though I did not order it myself, it is noteworthy that Veal Osso Bucco has moved off of the Daily Specials menu and onto the regular menu. Requiring hours and hours of painstaking preparation, this is a dish that truly is made with Love. Only a chef with a passion for what they are creating bothers with the trouble necessary to prepare Osso Bucco.
With more Continental or French American Faire than traditional French, the French Café is a very enjoyable Omaha dining experience.
French Cafe
1017 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 341-3547
