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Here are some delicious pictures of our 2013 Omaha Restaurant Week dinner at Taita Restaurant. Pictures are courtesy of FoodMeOmaha friend, Zoe. She has a keen eye and talent for photography. Click here for the FoodMeOmaha review!
I can’t rave enough about Taita Restaurant. Taita is highly-recommended by FoodMeOmaha for outstanding service, delightful cocktails, fine-quality seafood, AND best sushi in town!
On Tuesday, September 17th, FoodMeOmaha and best friends, Maude and Zoe, dined at Taita for the 2013 Omaha Restaurant Week. I was delighted to be back at Taita. (Click here for past FoodMeOmaha reviews on Taita.)
We ordered all the courses from the ORW menu, plus some other dishes. The headliner of this dinner is… holy sushi!!!
Yellowtail Spoons.
Chef Jose Dionicio of Taita treated us to yellowtail amuse bouche. The presentation was as beautiful as the taste. It was a refreshing, smooth bite. Our complaint: we wanted more!
Plum and Tonic.
Plum and Tonic, $6.00. This drink was a unique delight of plum wine, tonic, and nasturtium flower. My first nasturtium! The flower added an earthy spice to the semi-sweet drink.
Nikkei Roll: albacore two ways / cucumber / avocados / tiger’s milk.
Nikkei Roll close-up.
Nikkei Roll, $13.00. This is a tasty, well-executed, albacore two ways roll. I enjoyed all the elements of pure tuna, spicy tuna, cucumber crunch, red onion accent, seaweed layer, and delicate rice.
Veggie Roll: crispy quinoa / takwan-zuke / avocado /shitake / bedford gardens veggies.
ORW Course 1: Veggie Roll. Best veggie roll I have ever had! Typically, I snub “boring” veggie rolls for the raw fish. However, Taita’s veggie roll was a yummy surprise. The crispy, nutty quinoa is the finesse ingredient that makes this roll.
Sashimi: premium soy sauce / yuzu / thai chilies / tobiko.
ORW Course 1: Sashimi. The fresh yellowtail sashimi is enhanced with premium soy sauce, tobiko (flying fish roe), yuzu (citrus fruit) zest, and greens. I adored the simple, elegant sashimi.
Nigiri: Isaki, Uni and Iberico Ham Lardo, and Duck Foie Gras (from left to right).
ORW Course 1: Chef’s Choice Nigiri. On the menu, the nigiri is described as “3 perfect sushi bites.” I avidly agree. This is… holy sushi!!! The Isaki (Japanese Grunt fish) is a lovely fattier but delicate and light fish. Both the uni with lardo and duck foie gras were exquisite, rich, velvety goodness. Each piece was perfectly balanced with rice.
We were a symphony of mmms, ooohs, wows, and ohmygods. Among this foodie trio, Zoe has the most selective taste. Commonly, whenever we dine out, Zoe nonchalantly says “I can make this.” This time, Zoe said, “I cannot imitate this.” THAT says a lot!
The nigiri was glorious so we each ordered another round for $12. Awesome value for holy sushi.
Did you notice that there was no wasabi or soy sauce on the side? None is needed due to the fine-quality ingredients and superb execution by Chef Jose. Taita’s sushi is that good. Check out this great article, “What should you do with that extra wasabi? Nothing“.
Poke: fresh seaweed / rayu / sea salt / onions / tamari.
ORW Course 2: Poke. The sushi loving continues. The poke is a refreshing combination of luscious smooth salmon and fresh seaweed. This hit the spot!
Squid: house-made chorizo / garlic confit / roasted tomato aioli.
ORW Course 2: Squid. This is one my of favorite cooked seafood dishes at Taita. The chorizo-stuffed squid is a glorious union of land and sea.
Anticuchos: grilled majinola wagyu beef heart / roasted potatoes / chimichurri.
ORW Course 2: Anticuchos. The savory, beef heart with crispy potatoes and chimichurri sauce is delicious.
Uni Pasta (split three ways).
Uni Pasta, $18. We split this favorite dish (ordered from the regular menu). The uni pasta has wonderful chewy noodles with real crab meat immersed in creamy sauce.
Majinola Wagyu Brisket: stout beer and cilantro-brasied brisket / white beans / carrots.
ORW Course 3: Majinola Wagyu Brisket. The beef was good but paled compared to Taita’s seafood dishes. I wanted more cilantro flavor and tender meat.
Bass: roasted carrots / spring onions / clam stew / thai chilies.
ORW Course 3: Bass. While the bass with crispy skin and light stew was good, it was outshined by the sushi.
Salmon: butternut squash / house-made chorizo / pickled onion / apple salad.
ORW Course 3: Salmon. The salmon is my favorite cooked fish at Taita. This is a unique, complementary combination of salmon with crispy skin, butternut squash, savory chorizo, and refreshing apple salad.
Once again, X marks the spot at Taita for seafood treasures. The pinnacle treasure is the sushi!!! Taita has superbly executed, fine-quality sushi. FoodMeOmaha declares Taita is the best sushi place in town.
Special thanks to Chef Jose for the holy sushi!!! Special thanks to our waitress, Haley, for the wonderful and welcoming service.
2013 Omaha Restaurant Week Dinner
Note: The overall rating is an average of all the ORW courses. The FoodMe YUM rating for the nigiri is 10!
On Saturday, September 13th, sneaky friends surprised well-loved Maude for her birthday. We celebrated Maude with two of her passions, the beach and yoga.
Clueless Maude was blind-folded and led to a beach-themed pool party. Surprise!!!
Smiles, laughter, and fun ensued. The merriment continued with a yoga cake for the yogi birthday girl.
Here’s the “dog down” on the yoga cake masterpiece from Bliss Old Market Bakery.
Bliss Old Market Bakery created an awesome cake! Bliss delivered on all the requested elements. The Maude-like figure was made out of fondue and hand-painted. Maude’s favorite color purple was incorporated and the trim was based on a Chinese red bracelet symbolizing good luck.
All lit up. Yoga by candlelight.
Happy Birthday to yogi Maude!
Maude loved the cake. Here’s her happy cake reaction: “Wow. It’s huge! Very thick! And there’s a Yogi on top!”
Then, Maude ate her miniature head… Self-cannibalism?
Friend, Kelly, joined in on the cannibalism and ate Maude’s miniature arms! I had a small bite out of curiosity. The fondue was semi-sweet and chewy.
Custom Pink Champagne Yoga Cake
The cake delivered in both looks and taste. Maude’s happy taste reaction:
“When I took my first lick of the frosting…I KNEW, right away, that it was going to be badass good…The thick texture of the cake itself, sans the frosting, was VERY good. I immediately devoured my first slice, making sure I had as much frosting as I had cake…Not too sweet, not too heavy, and not too flimsy. It was a cake that should be enjoyed and devoured at an even pace.”
Bliss Old Market Bakery’s pink champagne cake and butter-cream frosting is a semi-sweet tasty combination.
Namaste to Bliss Old Market Bakery for a fabulous cake!
If you like this story, check out other FoodMeOmaha posts on Bliss Old Market Bakery.
Special thanks to Annette and Nate Ryan for their house and pool hospitality! Thanks to all the friends who came and joined in the merriment! Thanks to well-loved Maude for the reason for the party!
Side plug: Check out Maude Moreno as a yoga teacher at Sound Method Yoga and One Tree Yoga. She has inspired FoodMeOmaha and others to yoga (gotta balance the eating)!
Espana has a great LivingSocial deal – $12 for $25 to spend on food and drink! It’s easy to rack up the bill at Espana so this helps the wallet.
I enjoy Espana for their ambiance, sangria, and tapas. My favorite tapas are the mussels with sherry sauce, diced potatoes with both sauces, and fried calamari.
I recently added a Food Events index page on FoodMeOmaha. More content requires more organization.
This is an easy reference on all the public food events I have blogged about. Click on “Food Events” on the menu bar, then click on any of the blue links. See the screenshot below.
Click to your stomach’s desire…
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