Goldberg's II | Omaha Restaurant Review

I'm going to be honest: there's really only one reason I go to Goldberg's II in Omaha. It begins with "S" and ends with "weet potato fries."



I take that back. There are many reasons I go to Goldberg's, not the least of which is the sweet potato fries, along with there gloriously spicy, tangy, creamy special horseradish dipping sauce. Two words, people: perfection.



That was one word. How about: tasty perfection?

If there are sweet potato fries on any menu, most of the time I will order them, simply to scoff. Generally, the sweet potato fries I come across in restaurants pale in comparison to my own juggernautical sweet potato fry creation. (Juggernautical, new word. Just coined.) But these, dare I say, are just as good as mine, if not better simply because of the dipping sauce I need to learn how to make. They are simple sticks of sweet potato baked (not greasy enough to be fried -- bonus!) and dressed simply with salt to let the plain old delicious sweet potato shine through. Also, so you can drench them in horseradish sauce.



The Dundee Goldberg's location is a laid-back, seat-yourself sort of bar and eatery. My friend Elaine used to go there to eat dinner and watch TV back when she didn't have one. The bar is perfect for that. The whole place has an old-timey feel to it, with high-backed wooden booths and vintage pictures of Omaha hung here and there. The servers buzz about from table to table, like so many bees, always busy, always checking to make sure everything is in order and taste the way you want it to. I've never had bad service, even when the place is packed during the lunch hour with hungry, impatient corporate types.

My husband and I went here twice a week for a while last summer, for the sweet potato fries, and the salads. And the muffins. And the burgers. Really, for the whole she-bang.



One of my favorite items on the menu is the Steak Salad. It's packed full of romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, sunflower seeds, bleu cheese crumbles and the most perfectly cooked medium steak you've ever laid your eyes on. I'm not even sure these pictures do it justice. Melt-in-your-mouth steak, and just the right amount of it, cut thin and draped over the vegetables. The balsamic dressing is the perfect partner for it -- Ginger Rogers dressing to the Fred Astaire steak.

If they could dance, they would. I swear.

And just look at that presentation! Not bad for a bar. I didn't feel dressed up enough to eat this fancy salad. The salads all come with your choice of muffins (the orange! go for the orange!) or french garlic bread (also good).



I have sampled things other than the fries and the steak salad. And all are quite delicious. I've never had a bad entree. They run daily specials as well, so don't forget to check the chalkboard on your way in for the latest delectable concoction from the Goldberg's kitchen in Dundee.