Omaha is a city with some great steak houses. I've told you about Johnny's, Gorat's, and The Drover in earlier posts on Road Tips. None of them are world class steak houses, but each are very, very good. They are old style steak houses where I'd never be embarrassed to take someone to. One venerable steak house in Omaha that I haven't been to in years is Brother Sebastian's. During a recent trip to Omaha, I met a dealer there for a late evening dinner.
I first ate at Brother Sebastian's back in the mid-90's after a colleague turned me on to the place. But Brother Sebastian's had been in business for about 20 years prior. Loren Koch had never operated a restaurant, but he envisioned a wonderful steak house that also showcased Koch's love for fine wine. In April of 1977, he opened the doors to Brother Sebastian's. It's decor inside and out had the feel of an old world mission. There are cozy dining rooms throughout, the lights are old-world lantern styled, and there is a wonderful charm to the place. There was a large room in the cellar that was fashioned after an old monastery wine cellar aging room.
It wasn't long after my first meal at Brother Sebastian's that they suffered a horrendous fire that gutted the building. Koch immediately announced that he would rebuild the original restaurant. A year later, the restaurant reopened and has been going strong ever since.
It was after 8 p.m. when I made it into Omaha and pulled into the parking lot of Brother Sebastian's. Brother Sebastian's is in a residential neighborhood off Pacific St. and just east of 120th St. in West Omaha (see map). Well, the way Omaha has moved west over the past few years, Brother Sebastian's location could actually be called West Central Omaha. I waited at the bar for my dealer to show up. The bar is known as Brothers Lounge and features a nice bar, cozy booths and subdued lighting. It wasn't long before my dealer showed up and we were taken to a small room with booths.
Being that it was close to 8:30, there appeared to be a small crowd in the restaurant. But because Brother Sebastian's have so many little dining areas throughout the building, it's really tough to know how many people actually are in the restaurant.
Our waitress came out to greet us and to give us some time to look through the menu. I took a look at Brother Sebastian's extensive wine list and picked out a bottle of Franciscan Cabernet that was reasonably priced at around $45 bucks. We caught up on a few issues as we waited to order.
Steak is the primary focus at Brother Sebastian's. They're very well known for their tender and overly flavorful prime rib. They also feature a number of chicken dishes, as well as a number of seafood entrees. They also have a long list of "surf and turf" options on the menu. One thing that jumped out at me was Brother Sebastian's New York Pepper Strip - a 12 oz. New York Strip that is lightly encrusted in cracked black peppercorns, then served with a spicy peppercorn sauce. OK, that's all I had to see. I was sold. I ordered it rare-plus. Along with the New York Pepper Strip, I got a side of rice and broccoli.
My guest got the Rib eye and also got the rice and broccoli. Along with the main entrees, you get a trip to Brother Sebastian's somewhat rather nice salad bar. One thing that I had forgotten about was their great French dressing. It's a homemade sweet and sour dressing that is killer. I wish I could make a dressing like that.
Our steaks came out not long after we finished our salads. My steak had a generous serving of the spicy peppercorn sauce on the top of it. But it was light where it didn't detract from the flavor of the meat. The peppercorn crust wasn't heavy, as well. Each bite was just below an orgasmic delight for me.
My guest said his steak was very good and that the Franciscan Cabernet was a great pairing with the meat. It's full bodied, but light to the taste. Franciscan is one of my favorite wines to have with steak.
Our waitress was wonderful. She was attentive and kept checking on us to see if we had any needs. We talked with her after the meal was over and she said she'd been there for a number of years. "Just after the fire is when I started," she said. "We use the fire as sort of a measuring stick around here. The owner will make references to 'before the fire' or 'after the fire' when he talks about people who have worked for him. I'm an 'after the fire' hire."
It had been some time since I had last been to Brother Sebastian's, quite possibly close to 10 years. But in a city that is known for some solid steak houses, Brother Sebastian's does quite well for themselves. Plus they've had to weather the influx of national chains and contemporary steak houses into the Omaha area over the past few years. On top of all that, they survived a disastrous fire and came back as strong as ever. It's very easy to see why Brother Sebastian's has sustained for so long during a time when a number of restaurants are closing up.
Comments