Steak Out with Kix Brooks (2015) s01e01 Episode Script
Omaha
1 Man, is that a piece of beef, or what? We are in real steak country today, Omaha, Nebraska, checking out three very different, very delicious local favorites.
You need to have a taste of this.
This is delicious.
We've got the famous whiskey steak at Gorat's.
God, that is sexy, indeed.
Johnny's Café has been keeping it classic for almost a century.
That is the tenderest prime rib I've ever put in my mouth.
And Dario's Brasserie brings mouth-watering French staples to the Midwest.
I don't understand what you're saying, so it's gonna be perfect.
Hillbilly is what I'm speaking, fluent hillbilly.
This is gonna be smokin'! Hey, it's Kix Brooks.
I'm probably best known as part of the country band Brooks & Dunn, and if there's one thing I love as much as music, it's a great steak.
I love it! There's not a town out there that doesn't have a steakhouse they're proud of.
Look at that.
Want to go with me? Let's go do it! Yeah, man.
Oh! The best of everything I'm just a hungry dude.
I like to eat.
Today we're in Omaha, Nebraska, at Garot's Steakhouse.
Now, what's really cool, this place is very simple, classic Italian steakhouse.
Some of the most prestigious people in America eat dinner here.
This is Warren Buffett's favorite place.
I can't wait to get my teeth into this.
Let's go check it out, huh? Garot's has been a local tradition since 1944 and remains one of the last classic Italian steakhouses in the area.
Omaha is known for its great steaks, great steakhouses, and Garot's is a staple in Omaha.
I've been here 100 times.
I like it because it's traditional.
It's got good food, and they give you plenty of it.
Chef Darren is the rock star in the kitchen, cooking up their signature dish, the whiskey rib-eye.
Now, whiskey steaks are a staple in Omaha, but Garot's is known as the very best.
This is our 14-ounce whiskey rib-eye.
- Whiskey rib-eye.
- Yes.
- I like the sound of that.
- Yes, sir.
It's marinated with our whiskey marinade that we make in house.
Is that bourbon or -- Yeah, yeah, that's right.
- It's bourbon.
- Okay, okay.
I'm just checking.
All right.
How you put it together? We're gonna pour a little bit of brown sugar in.
- Soy sauce.
- A little bit of Dijon in there.
- And what's in that little guy? - A little Tabasco sauce.
Oh, heck, yeah.
You know I'm from Louisiana.
- Bring it.
- There we go.
So, do we just drink the whiskey or -- No, the whiskey -- what we're gonna do is let it simmer a little bit, four or five minutes there.
And then once the sugar caramelizes, then I'm gonna add the whiskey.
- Whiskey's last? - Yes, sir.
Assuming there's any left.
I'm hoping.
I'm hoping.
Let's pour that in there.
That was a lot of whiskey you put in there.
The good thing about that is that I cook it down a little bit, so you don't have to be over 21 to eat this steak.
Okay.
Let's hit both sides with salt and pepper, and we're gonna baste all the way around it.
So, will that sugar kind of caramelize on the outside of that steak? Yes, a beautiful crust.
- Pull those juices right in there, I bet.
- Yes, sir.
- Will you taste that sugar? You barely taste - any sweetness.
So, you go about probably four minutes on each side? Yes, give you a nice crust on there.
- Oh, yeah, that's pretty.
- Look how that darkens up.
Look at that.
God, that is sexy, indeed.
Garot's whiskey steaks are topped with their house onion rings, which are dredged in flour and seasoning and fried till golden brown.
- Here we go.
- Definitely.
And that sugar has caramelized, and it's amazing.
You can just see the juices rolling out of there.
Mm! You've got a great char on the outside, and you have a great, tender steak on the inside.
If you really look for it, the whiskey is evident, but this steak could not be any more tasty, and I think the sugar plays a big part in that.
Delish.
You taste whiskey in there? Mm-hmm.
I know it's real whiskey because I was drinking it back there.
Garot's always has perfect steak.
I've heard you probably eat more steak dinners here than anybody in Omaha.
Since Day One.
While Garot's is considered an Italian steakhouse, they're also known for their Triple Decker Reuben made with smoked corned beef from Omaha Steaks, their bison chili, a popular meat out here on the Plains, and Warren Buffett's favorite -- a T-bone, hash browns, and a cherry cola.
Now, you can get a chicken Parmesan at any Italian restaurant, but Garot's adds a cow-country twist by using beef.
All right, show me what's going on.
All right, first off, we got a flank steak right here.
The steak is dredged in a flour mixture, followed by a simple egg wash, then into panko bread crumbs with a few secret seasonings.
We're gonna drop this down.
Look it here.
So, three or four minutes in the hot grease there.
Look at that, it's work, but it's not done.
No, this is not done.
We're gonna add our house marinara sauce.
House marinara.
Tomatoes and garlic and -- And some other -- Some other special, secret Gorat's seasonings.
- All right.
- We put mozzarella cheese on top of the marinara.
And then we're gonna throw it into the salamander for around a minute, two minutes.
You've already cooked that steak.
It's already cooked.
We're just melting the cheese, and we're gonna let it brown over a little bit.
- Okay.
- There you go, Kix.
Here you go.
That's some Italian goodness right there.
Oh, yeah.
That's an Italian meal there now.
I just can't wait for this.
Delicious.
That's a nice mozzarella on there, too.
The steak is so tender, I do not need that knife, and I mean that.
Look at all that cheese.
That's just gooey goodness.
You know all that cheese is good.
You did this batter so light and crispy that it doesn't get in the way of the steak inside.
It screams "Italian.
" Well done, Darren.
This has been fun.
- All righty.
- All right, buddy.
Mm-hmm.
I especially like the balance of the cheese and the marinara on top of it.
It's delicious.
I've never had a steak Parm before.
I've never had a steak Parm before, either.
This is probably the best thing I've had here.
You have a new favorite? I have a new favorite.
We're gonna walk out of here brand-new girls.
Yeah.
Wasn't that fun? Man, and that whiskey steak? I've never had anything quite like that.
That is gonna be tough to top.
Up next, we're headed to a down-home Omaha steakhouse almost 100 years in the making.
Look at that fall off the bone like that.
The best of everything Omaha, Nebraska -- we are hanging out in cattle country, and guess what.
The stockyards are right on the other side of this building.
It started out as an eight-seat saloon like 100 years ago, and the same family are still running business here.
It's called Johnny's Café, and I'm looking forward to getting in the middle of this thing.
What I love about Johnny's is the heritage, the lineage.
I remember as a kid driving by here with my dad when the stockyards used to be here.
Johnny's is an institution in Omaha.
Carrying on the family legacy are sisters Sally and Kari Kawa, along with their father, Jack.
What a wonderful tradition, to have, what is it? - Three generations.
- Three.
My father bought it in '22.
It was a bar and a counter for food.
We're at 93 years now, so we're going for the century mark.
And the man in the kitchen keeping things Omaha perfect for more than 20 years is Chef Jamie.
All right, pal, what are we doing? What we have here is an oxtail.
And we're gonna be doing braised ox joints.
This dish has been a house specialty for more than 20 years, and people line up for it every week.
You got a hot kitchen going.
I'm gonna get out of my coat, if you don't mind.
- All right, - we're going to cut the ox joints between ligaments.
I trim some of the fat off, place this in a pan, and we're gonna brown this off in a convection oven.
- We're just gonna break it down with some heat.
- Exactly.
All right.
This is what we have after about a half an hour.
Man, those are looking good already.
Chef Jamie adds salt, black pepper, garlic powder, tomato paste, tomato fillets, and water.
We're going to pop this one back in the oven for about three hours.
Wow, so you got to really tenderize it, - is what I'm guessing.
- Right.
- Oh, man, look at this.
- Oh, yeah.
We're gonna thicken it up a little.
So, really, you're just turning that sauce into gravy, right? - Exactly.
- That kind of looks delicious.
So, can I finally have a bite of this? Sure can.
I never thought you'd say that.
Oh, yeah, look at that fall off the bone like that.
So nice and tender.
This is very much a short rib kind of thing to me.
When I first saw all that fat on there, I didn't know what to expect, but the way you cook it down for three hours, it loses all that, and really super tender, and a really beautiful gravy sauce on top of it.
And you know, the carrots and the onions in there with the meat, it adds, you know, something crispy and fresh to something that's been cooking all day.
Oxtail, something I've never done.
I'm gonna do it again, though.
These are so good.
Only one way to eat 'em.
What's that? Pick that bone up with your fingers.
I was dying to do that in the kitchen.
The meat's cooked on the bone, and it's very tender.
This is so good.
You need to have a taste of this.
This is delicious.
Other popular dishes you cannot miss here are the beef baron sandwich, cowpoke steak salad, and the native filet mignon, a signature house dish.
Whoo, Jamie! How about this piece of meat, huh? I'm going to place it right here on the char broiler.
All right, so we start with half a cow, and then we're gonna put a little sear on it.
Man, is that a piece of beef, or what? And this is from the rib.
That's why they call it prime rib.
- Yes.
- 'Cause it comes from the ribs.
I'm catching on.
And this will burn some of the fat off, and you get the flavor.
Whoo, come on with it.
Now we're talking.
Jamie then rubs the beef with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Next, it's into a 200-degree oven for 2 hours.
Now, this is like an award-winning steak.
What is it about the way that you do it? Well, we take our time, and we put love into what we do here.
Ah, there you go.
Whoo, look at that.
No prime rib is complete without a classic au jus.
Johnny's is made by cooking down beef bones in beef broth, water, and a little wine.
Mm.
Wow! That is the tenderest prime rib I have ever put in my mouth.
I'm not kidding.
And that au jus, the beef broth in there is bringing all the natural flavors out of that prime rib, and you got a little grill flavor going on there.
All the flavors are trapped inside.
It is a perfect prime rib.
I cannot imagine one better.
I'm an old farm boy, so I like the good old steakhouses, let the meat speak for itself.
Johnny's prime rib, the best in Omaha.
When I think of Omaha, I think of Johnny's steakhouse.
No steakhouse is complete without French onion soup, but Johnny's rich roasted bone broth makes theirs a real standout.
First we brown out some bones, place it in a pot with hot water, add some onions, carrots, and celery.
Simmer it for about an hour and a half.
- That's gonna get rich, huh? - Very rich.
Yeah, that broth's looking good.
To the broth, Jamie adds onions and celery, butter, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika for color.
Let that come to a boil, and we'll cook it for about half an hour.
Homemade croutons top the soup, along with a blend of Swiss and mozzarella, then into the oven to brown up.
Catch it when it's just boiling, just golden brown, like your marshmallow at the campfire.
You got it.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley.
You mind if I tear up this piece of work here? Go ahead.
Look at that gooey cheese.
Mm, that is French onion soup.
I've eaten it all my life in steakhouses, and all French onion soup doesn't taste like this.
When you first cook those beef bones, you not only got the grease off of there, but cooking them kind of puts that smokiness, good flavor into it.
And then the mozzarella and the Swiss are just kind of that perfect combo.
It's all over me.
I love it! It tastes very homemade, and it does taste like it's simmering for hours, and they just perfectly finish it off with the cheese on top.
It's delicious.
I mean, that's the best I can do is, it's delicious.
I've been coming here since probably the early '60s.
We used to bring a load of cattle into the stockyards and then have dinner.
You can kind of feel the tradition in here, can't you? - They've kept it up.
- Oh, absolutely.
Jamie, you are awesome.
Why, thank you.
Whoo! How good was that? That whole vibe in there, that's my kind of place.
Now, I really enjoyed that.
Up next, some authentic European cuisine right here in the heartland.
Those fries look great.
Whoo! The best of everything Here in Omaha, you can find all kinds of steakhouses, including a French one, though Dario calls it a brasserie.
Brasserie, that is French for "brewery" for you country folks like me.
Should be interesting.
I love this restaurant because it incorporates steaks as well as a variety of, like, French cuisines.
I think it's one of the better places in Omaha to get a steak.
It's just such a neighborhood type restaurant.
Everybody walks here, and everybody knows each other.
Leading the charge here at Dario's is the man himself, Dario Schicke.
You have something very unique here, and you are very unique.
I am very unique, yeah.
What is your story? I mean, how did you wind up in Omaha? I left my hometown of Sarajevo in Bosnia.
Then I moved to Germany, where I was refugee, and that's where I met my wife, who is from Nebraska.
We moved to New York.
And then one morning, September 11th happened.
We decide to just pack up, and let's go to Omaha and start over.
What a moment.
- And that's kind of where all this started.
- Wow.
I'm gonna be a pain in your rear end 'cause I don't speak very good French or whatever.
You're gonna have to teach me how to talk and how to cook.
- It go both ways.
- I don't understand what you're saying, so it's gonna be perfect.
Hillbilly is what I'm speaking, fluent hillbilly.
It looks like to me we got some steaks going on here.
Well, we have our classic brasserie steak and frites.
Steak and frites is a fancy way of saying "steak and fries.
" Here, hanger steak is the cut of choice for this dish.
Hanger steak is called a hanging tender or butcher's steak because that's what the butchers used to take home because it's so flavorful.
This cut runs down the middle of the cow near the organs, which adds minerality and flavor to the meat.
The steak then gets soaked in a marinade of fresh garlic, red wine, and vegetable oil.
And that kind of helps break the steak down, too, right? It helps break the steak down.
You have to be careful not to add too much acidity.
That didn't look like Uncle Joe's beef marinade there.
No, it's Uncle Dario's marinade.
After 48 hours in the marinade, all she needs is a little salt and pepper.
Then it's on the grill.
So, what about the frites? So, it's just an old, plain Idaho potato which we hand-cut, and so -- Let's cut 'em.
You got a knife? I don't have a knife.
You have muscles? - Yeah, I got -- - Got muscles.
So, why don't you grab a fresh peeled potato? Put it all the way in the corner.
Coming down.
Show them muscles.
And there's your hand-cut fry.
The fries are then cooked twice, first on a lower temperature until just cooked through.
Then they cool completely and are finished in a hot fryer for maximum crispiness.
(Shoot!) I'm still tired.
I'm gonna get billed for that.
So, we're gonna just pile it up.
So, man, I just got to cheat.
Those fries look great.
- Whoo! - Nice and hot.
We serve hanger steak always sliced against the grain.
- We're gonna just -- - There you go.
Dario finishes this classic dish with a rich, homemade veal stock, which is slowly cooked for more than six hours.
There it is.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
Our classic Dario's Brasserie steak and frites.
Steak has a great consistency to it.
Yeah, this is a little bit tougher cut of meat, so really can use that marinade, very flavorful.
- Mm-hmm.
- And economical.
Mm-hmm, certainly picked up all the flavors off that marinade.
I'm getting a real great wine bite.
Garlic is definitely coming through.
When you're chewing it, you start tasting all that.
Extracting all those juices, yeah.
Absolutely, it's fantastic.
And then your sauce on top is a great reduction.
And then these fries.
They're crispy, all the things you were talking about.
It really makes a difference.
Mm-hmm Yeah, I just double-dipped.
It's all yours.
And what do you got? I went with their hanger steak and frites.
So, you know what a hanger steak is? - It's now my new favorite, I would say.
- Yeah.
The steak is just so tender, perfectly cooked to medium rare.
Every time I come here, that's what I always get.
I love it.
Up next, my favorite way to end a big steak meal -- chocolate cake.
But this one's got a twist.
There's a sandwich for you.
The best of everything Well, back here in Omaha at Dario's Brasserie, some of the other favorites are beef cheek goulash, which is a traditionally European stew, and the côte de porc, which is a playful twist on the French classic côte de boeuf, and of course, an incredible dessert.
What is it about a steakhouse where you've got to have something sweet and special at the end of a meal? Well, you have to have your chocolate after big steak.
What we do, it's a Straffe Hendrik -- that's type of beer we use -- chocolate cake.
So, we use quite a bit of beer in our cake.
Dario makes a simple chocolate cake but substitutes water with dark malted beer, which produces a very rich, dense result.
Then he bakes it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
This is beautiful here.
So, a lot of that texture that I'm seeing, you say the beer is causing that, huh? The beer is causing it, and that beer adds also freshness and bubbles to the cake, too.
But what about the taste of the beer? Does that get to it, or -- - That's what it's all about.
- Yeah? - Chocolate and Belgian beers are a match made in heaven.
- It's awesome.
And what we're gonna do is put some more beer in it.
Never heard of such a thing.
Grandma never made cake with beer.
Here's a little beer for you to try.
Huh? Yeah.
Look how dark that is.
- See how almost chocolaty, caramely that beer is.
- Oh, man.
And this injects the beer flavor but also adds moisture to the cake.
I got the -- I hope you had plenty of beer there.
Me, too, yeah.
Next, Dario spreads a traditional whipped ganache over the cake.
It's a great-looking icing there is what it is.
Now comes tricky part.
Ah, there's a sandwich for you.
There's a sandwich.
Next, another layer of decadent ganache is added.
Can I just spread it a little bit, just to see what it feels like? Oh, yeah, totally.
- Oh, gosh.
It is like mousse, isn't it? - Yeah.
The cake sets up in the refrigerator and is expertly trimmed for plating.
So, you're gonna just cut in.
We serve that with homemade caramel, chopped, roasted chestnuts, and beer-poached pears.
Look at that.
Ready for you to dig in.
I'm gonna turn this over, get in on this pear.
Wow.
I guess the coolness of that ganache now, it's almost fudge-like.
The cake's still nice and fluffy.
Then you got those pears in there and that caramel underneath, putting that sweet edge on it.
It's just a nice complement.
And I would like to tell you I'm really tasting a lot of beer in there, but I'm not.
It's just kind of an accent.
Incorporates great with the chocolate and the ganache - and kind of gets lost, but there's in the background.
- Exactly.
Beautiful.
Mm, yummy.
And that piece in the middle that's almost fudge-like? I was surprised.
- This was excellent.
- It just melts in your mouth.
- That just melts in your mouth.
- It is.
People come for the food but also for the live entertainment, which is Dario.
Rice Krispie treats? Just like mama used to make.
These are just simple crispy treats dipped in a little liquid nitrogen.
Hey, you're awesome, Dario.
Thank you.
Wasn't that good? Just something you don't get in any other steakhouse.
Some really great steaks out here in cattle country.
Omaha, Nebraska.
You will love it.
You need to have a taste of this.
This is delicious.
We've got the famous whiskey steak at Gorat's.
God, that is sexy, indeed.
Johnny's Café has been keeping it classic for almost a century.
That is the tenderest prime rib I've ever put in my mouth.
And Dario's Brasserie brings mouth-watering French staples to the Midwest.
I don't understand what you're saying, so it's gonna be perfect.
Hillbilly is what I'm speaking, fluent hillbilly.
This is gonna be smokin'! Hey, it's Kix Brooks.
I'm probably best known as part of the country band Brooks & Dunn, and if there's one thing I love as much as music, it's a great steak.
I love it! There's not a town out there that doesn't have a steakhouse they're proud of.
Look at that.
Want to go with me? Let's go do it! Yeah, man.
Oh! The best of everything I'm just a hungry dude.
I like to eat.
Today we're in Omaha, Nebraska, at Garot's Steakhouse.
Now, what's really cool, this place is very simple, classic Italian steakhouse.
Some of the most prestigious people in America eat dinner here.
This is Warren Buffett's favorite place.
I can't wait to get my teeth into this.
Let's go check it out, huh? Garot's has been a local tradition since 1944 and remains one of the last classic Italian steakhouses in the area.
Omaha is known for its great steaks, great steakhouses, and Garot's is a staple in Omaha.
I've been here 100 times.
I like it because it's traditional.
It's got good food, and they give you plenty of it.
Chef Darren is the rock star in the kitchen, cooking up their signature dish, the whiskey rib-eye.
Now, whiskey steaks are a staple in Omaha, but Garot's is known as the very best.
This is our 14-ounce whiskey rib-eye.
- Whiskey rib-eye.
- Yes.
- I like the sound of that.
- Yes, sir.
It's marinated with our whiskey marinade that we make in house.
Is that bourbon or -- Yeah, yeah, that's right.
- It's bourbon.
- Okay, okay.
I'm just checking.
All right.
How you put it together? We're gonna pour a little bit of brown sugar in.
- Soy sauce.
- A little bit of Dijon in there.
- And what's in that little guy? - A little Tabasco sauce.
Oh, heck, yeah.
You know I'm from Louisiana.
- Bring it.
- There we go.
So, do we just drink the whiskey or -- No, the whiskey -- what we're gonna do is let it simmer a little bit, four or five minutes there.
And then once the sugar caramelizes, then I'm gonna add the whiskey.
- Whiskey's last? - Yes, sir.
Assuming there's any left.
I'm hoping.
I'm hoping.
Let's pour that in there.
That was a lot of whiskey you put in there.
The good thing about that is that I cook it down a little bit, so you don't have to be over 21 to eat this steak.
Okay.
Let's hit both sides with salt and pepper, and we're gonna baste all the way around it.
So, will that sugar kind of caramelize on the outside of that steak? Yes, a beautiful crust.
- Pull those juices right in there, I bet.
- Yes, sir.
- Will you taste that sugar? You barely taste - any sweetness.
So, you go about probably four minutes on each side? Yes, give you a nice crust on there.
- Oh, yeah, that's pretty.
- Look how that darkens up.
Look at that.
God, that is sexy, indeed.
Garot's whiskey steaks are topped with their house onion rings, which are dredged in flour and seasoning and fried till golden brown.
- Here we go.
- Definitely.
And that sugar has caramelized, and it's amazing.
You can just see the juices rolling out of there.
Mm! You've got a great char on the outside, and you have a great, tender steak on the inside.
If you really look for it, the whiskey is evident, but this steak could not be any more tasty, and I think the sugar plays a big part in that.
Delish.
You taste whiskey in there? Mm-hmm.
I know it's real whiskey because I was drinking it back there.
Garot's always has perfect steak.
I've heard you probably eat more steak dinners here than anybody in Omaha.
Since Day One.
While Garot's is considered an Italian steakhouse, they're also known for their Triple Decker Reuben made with smoked corned beef from Omaha Steaks, their bison chili, a popular meat out here on the Plains, and Warren Buffett's favorite -- a T-bone, hash browns, and a cherry cola.
Now, you can get a chicken Parmesan at any Italian restaurant, but Garot's adds a cow-country twist by using beef.
All right, show me what's going on.
All right, first off, we got a flank steak right here.
The steak is dredged in a flour mixture, followed by a simple egg wash, then into panko bread crumbs with a few secret seasonings.
We're gonna drop this down.
Look it here.
So, three or four minutes in the hot grease there.
Look at that, it's work, but it's not done.
No, this is not done.
We're gonna add our house marinara sauce.
House marinara.
Tomatoes and garlic and -- And some other -- Some other special, secret Gorat's seasonings.
- All right.
- We put mozzarella cheese on top of the marinara.
And then we're gonna throw it into the salamander for around a minute, two minutes.
You've already cooked that steak.
It's already cooked.
We're just melting the cheese, and we're gonna let it brown over a little bit.
- Okay.
- There you go, Kix.
Here you go.
That's some Italian goodness right there.
Oh, yeah.
That's an Italian meal there now.
I just can't wait for this.
Delicious.
That's a nice mozzarella on there, too.
The steak is so tender, I do not need that knife, and I mean that.
Look at all that cheese.
That's just gooey goodness.
You know all that cheese is good.
You did this batter so light and crispy that it doesn't get in the way of the steak inside.
It screams "Italian.
" Well done, Darren.
This has been fun.
- All righty.
- All right, buddy.
Mm-hmm.
I especially like the balance of the cheese and the marinara on top of it.
It's delicious.
I've never had a steak Parm before.
I've never had a steak Parm before, either.
This is probably the best thing I've had here.
You have a new favorite? I have a new favorite.
We're gonna walk out of here brand-new girls.
Yeah.
Wasn't that fun? Man, and that whiskey steak? I've never had anything quite like that.
That is gonna be tough to top.
Up next, we're headed to a down-home Omaha steakhouse almost 100 years in the making.
Look at that fall off the bone like that.
The best of everything Omaha, Nebraska -- we are hanging out in cattle country, and guess what.
The stockyards are right on the other side of this building.
It started out as an eight-seat saloon like 100 years ago, and the same family are still running business here.
It's called Johnny's Café, and I'm looking forward to getting in the middle of this thing.
What I love about Johnny's is the heritage, the lineage.
I remember as a kid driving by here with my dad when the stockyards used to be here.
Johnny's is an institution in Omaha.
Carrying on the family legacy are sisters Sally and Kari Kawa, along with their father, Jack.
What a wonderful tradition, to have, what is it? - Three generations.
- Three.
My father bought it in '22.
It was a bar and a counter for food.
We're at 93 years now, so we're going for the century mark.
And the man in the kitchen keeping things Omaha perfect for more than 20 years is Chef Jamie.
All right, pal, what are we doing? What we have here is an oxtail.
And we're gonna be doing braised ox joints.
This dish has been a house specialty for more than 20 years, and people line up for it every week.
You got a hot kitchen going.
I'm gonna get out of my coat, if you don't mind.
- All right, - we're going to cut the ox joints between ligaments.
I trim some of the fat off, place this in a pan, and we're gonna brown this off in a convection oven.
- We're just gonna break it down with some heat.
- Exactly.
All right.
This is what we have after about a half an hour.
Man, those are looking good already.
Chef Jamie adds salt, black pepper, garlic powder, tomato paste, tomato fillets, and water.
We're going to pop this one back in the oven for about three hours.
Wow, so you got to really tenderize it, - is what I'm guessing.
- Right.
- Oh, man, look at this.
- Oh, yeah.
We're gonna thicken it up a little.
So, really, you're just turning that sauce into gravy, right? - Exactly.
- That kind of looks delicious.
So, can I finally have a bite of this? Sure can.
I never thought you'd say that.
Oh, yeah, look at that fall off the bone like that.
So nice and tender.
This is very much a short rib kind of thing to me.
When I first saw all that fat on there, I didn't know what to expect, but the way you cook it down for three hours, it loses all that, and really super tender, and a really beautiful gravy sauce on top of it.
And you know, the carrots and the onions in there with the meat, it adds, you know, something crispy and fresh to something that's been cooking all day.
Oxtail, something I've never done.
I'm gonna do it again, though.
These are so good.
Only one way to eat 'em.
What's that? Pick that bone up with your fingers.
I was dying to do that in the kitchen.
The meat's cooked on the bone, and it's very tender.
This is so good.
You need to have a taste of this.
This is delicious.
Other popular dishes you cannot miss here are the beef baron sandwich, cowpoke steak salad, and the native filet mignon, a signature house dish.
Whoo, Jamie! How about this piece of meat, huh? I'm going to place it right here on the char broiler.
All right, so we start with half a cow, and then we're gonna put a little sear on it.
Man, is that a piece of beef, or what? And this is from the rib.
That's why they call it prime rib.
- Yes.
- 'Cause it comes from the ribs.
I'm catching on.
And this will burn some of the fat off, and you get the flavor.
Whoo, come on with it.
Now we're talking.
Jamie then rubs the beef with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Next, it's into a 200-degree oven for 2 hours.
Now, this is like an award-winning steak.
What is it about the way that you do it? Well, we take our time, and we put love into what we do here.
Ah, there you go.
Whoo, look at that.
No prime rib is complete without a classic au jus.
Johnny's is made by cooking down beef bones in beef broth, water, and a little wine.
Mm.
Wow! That is the tenderest prime rib I have ever put in my mouth.
I'm not kidding.
And that au jus, the beef broth in there is bringing all the natural flavors out of that prime rib, and you got a little grill flavor going on there.
All the flavors are trapped inside.
It is a perfect prime rib.
I cannot imagine one better.
I'm an old farm boy, so I like the good old steakhouses, let the meat speak for itself.
Johnny's prime rib, the best in Omaha.
When I think of Omaha, I think of Johnny's steakhouse.
No steakhouse is complete without French onion soup, but Johnny's rich roasted bone broth makes theirs a real standout.
First we brown out some bones, place it in a pot with hot water, add some onions, carrots, and celery.
Simmer it for about an hour and a half.
- That's gonna get rich, huh? - Very rich.
Yeah, that broth's looking good.
To the broth, Jamie adds onions and celery, butter, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika for color.
Let that come to a boil, and we'll cook it for about half an hour.
Homemade croutons top the soup, along with a blend of Swiss and mozzarella, then into the oven to brown up.
Catch it when it's just boiling, just golden brown, like your marshmallow at the campfire.
You got it.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley.
You mind if I tear up this piece of work here? Go ahead.
Look at that gooey cheese.
Mm, that is French onion soup.
I've eaten it all my life in steakhouses, and all French onion soup doesn't taste like this.
When you first cook those beef bones, you not only got the grease off of there, but cooking them kind of puts that smokiness, good flavor into it.
And then the mozzarella and the Swiss are just kind of that perfect combo.
It's all over me.
I love it! It tastes very homemade, and it does taste like it's simmering for hours, and they just perfectly finish it off with the cheese on top.
It's delicious.
I mean, that's the best I can do is, it's delicious.
I've been coming here since probably the early '60s.
We used to bring a load of cattle into the stockyards and then have dinner.
You can kind of feel the tradition in here, can't you? - They've kept it up.
- Oh, absolutely.
Jamie, you are awesome.
Why, thank you.
Whoo! How good was that? That whole vibe in there, that's my kind of place.
Now, I really enjoyed that.
Up next, some authentic European cuisine right here in the heartland.
Those fries look great.
Whoo! The best of everything Here in Omaha, you can find all kinds of steakhouses, including a French one, though Dario calls it a brasserie.
Brasserie, that is French for "brewery" for you country folks like me.
Should be interesting.
I love this restaurant because it incorporates steaks as well as a variety of, like, French cuisines.
I think it's one of the better places in Omaha to get a steak.
It's just such a neighborhood type restaurant.
Everybody walks here, and everybody knows each other.
Leading the charge here at Dario's is the man himself, Dario Schicke.
You have something very unique here, and you are very unique.
I am very unique, yeah.
What is your story? I mean, how did you wind up in Omaha? I left my hometown of Sarajevo in Bosnia.
Then I moved to Germany, where I was refugee, and that's where I met my wife, who is from Nebraska.
We moved to New York.
And then one morning, September 11th happened.
We decide to just pack up, and let's go to Omaha and start over.
What a moment.
- And that's kind of where all this started.
- Wow.
I'm gonna be a pain in your rear end 'cause I don't speak very good French or whatever.
You're gonna have to teach me how to talk and how to cook.
- It go both ways.
- I don't understand what you're saying, so it's gonna be perfect.
Hillbilly is what I'm speaking, fluent hillbilly.
It looks like to me we got some steaks going on here.
Well, we have our classic brasserie steak and frites.
Steak and frites is a fancy way of saying "steak and fries.
" Here, hanger steak is the cut of choice for this dish.
Hanger steak is called a hanging tender or butcher's steak because that's what the butchers used to take home because it's so flavorful.
This cut runs down the middle of the cow near the organs, which adds minerality and flavor to the meat.
The steak then gets soaked in a marinade of fresh garlic, red wine, and vegetable oil.
And that kind of helps break the steak down, too, right? It helps break the steak down.
You have to be careful not to add too much acidity.
That didn't look like Uncle Joe's beef marinade there.
No, it's Uncle Dario's marinade.
After 48 hours in the marinade, all she needs is a little salt and pepper.
Then it's on the grill.
So, what about the frites? So, it's just an old, plain Idaho potato which we hand-cut, and so -- Let's cut 'em.
You got a knife? I don't have a knife.
You have muscles? - Yeah, I got -- - Got muscles.
So, why don't you grab a fresh peeled potato? Put it all the way in the corner.
Coming down.
Show them muscles.
And there's your hand-cut fry.
The fries are then cooked twice, first on a lower temperature until just cooked through.
Then they cool completely and are finished in a hot fryer for maximum crispiness.
(Shoot!) I'm still tired.
I'm gonna get billed for that.
So, we're gonna just pile it up.
So, man, I just got to cheat.
Those fries look great.
- Whoo! - Nice and hot.
We serve hanger steak always sliced against the grain.
- We're gonna just -- - There you go.
Dario finishes this classic dish with a rich, homemade veal stock, which is slowly cooked for more than six hours.
There it is.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
Our classic Dario's Brasserie steak and frites.
Steak has a great consistency to it.
Yeah, this is a little bit tougher cut of meat, so really can use that marinade, very flavorful.
- Mm-hmm.
- And economical.
Mm-hmm, certainly picked up all the flavors off that marinade.
I'm getting a real great wine bite.
Garlic is definitely coming through.
When you're chewing it, you start tasting all that.
Extracting all those juices, yeah.
Absolutely, it's fantastic.
And then your sauce on top is a great reduction.
And then these fries.
They're crispy, all the things you were talking about.
It really makes a difference.
Mm-hmm Yeah, I just double-dipped.
It's all yours.
And what do you got? I went with their hanger steak and frites.
So, you know what a hanger steak is? - It's now my new favorite, I would say.
- Yeah.
The steak is just so tender, perfectly cooked to medium rare.
Every time I come here, that's what I always get.
I love it.
Up next, my favorite way to end a big steak meal -- chocolate cake.
But this one's got a twist.
There's a sandwich for you.
The best of everything Well, back here in Omaha at Dario's Brasserie, some of the other favorites are beef cheek goulash, which is a traditionally European stew, and the côte de porc, which is a playful twist on the French classic côte de boeuf, and of course, an incredible dessert.
What is it about a steakhouse where you've got to have something sweet and special at the end of a meal? Well, you have to have your chocolate after big steak.
What we do, it's a Straffe Hendrik -- that's type of beer we use -- chocolate cake.
So, we use quite a bit of beer in our cake.
Dario makes a simple chocolate cake but substitutes water with dark malted beer, which produces a very rich, dense result.
Then he bakes it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
This is beautiful here.
So, a lot of that texture that I'm seeing, you say the beer is causing that, huh? The beer is causing it, and that beer adds also freshness and bubbles to the cake, too.
But what about the taste of the beer? Does that get to it, or -- - That's what it's all about.
- Yeah? - Chocolate and Belgian beers are a match made in heaven.
- It's awesome.
And what we're gonna do is put some more beer in it.
Never heard of such a thing.
Grandma never made cake with beer.
Here's a little beer for you to try.
Huh? Yeah.
Look how dark that is.
- See how almost chocolaty, caramely that beer is.
- Oh, man.
And this injects the beer flavor but also adds moisture to the cake.
I got the -- I hope you had plenty of beer there.
Me, too, yeah.
Next, Dario spreads a traditional whipped ganache over the cake.
It's a great-looking icing there is what it is.
Now comes tricky part.
Ah, there's a sandwich for you.
There's a sandwich.
Next, another layer of decadent ganache is added.
Can I just spread it a little bit, just to see what it feels like? Oh, yeah, totally.
- Oh, gosh.
It is like mousse, isn't it? - Yeah.
The cake sets up in the refrigerator and is expertly trimmed for plating.
So, you're gonna just cut in.
We serve that with homemade caramel, chopped, roasted chestnuts, and beer-poached pears.
Look at that.
Ready for you to dig in.
I'm gonna turn this over, get in on this pear.
Wow.
I guess the coolness of that ganache now, it's almost fudge-like.
The cake's still nice and fluffy.
Then you got those pears in there and that caramel underneath, putting that sweet edge on it.
It's just a nice complement.
And I would like to tell you I'm really tasting a lot of beer in there, but I'm not.
It's just kind of an accent.
Incorporates great with the chocolate and the ganache - and kind of gets lost, but there's in the background.
- Exactly.
Beautiful.
Mm, yummy.
And that piece in the middle that's almost fudge-like? I was surprised.
- This was excellent.
- It just melts in your mouth.
- That just melts in your mouth.
- It is.
People come for the food but also for the live entertainment, which is Dario.
Rice Krispie treats? Just like mama used to make.
These are just simple crispy treats dipped in a little liquid nitrogen.
Hey, you're awesome, Dario.
Thank you.
Wasn't that good? Just something you don't get in any other steakhouse.
Some really great steaks out here in cattle country.
Omaha, Nebraska.
You will love it.