Twisted Fork: Totally Twisted Omaha Eats!

As a New Yorker, one thing I love about traveling to other states is to take advantage of all the local delicacies that one can never find east of the Hudson River.  I’ve sampled Italian Beef in Chicago, alligator in Louisiana and french-fry stuffed sandwiches in Pittsburgh.  On my trip to Omaha, I got the chance to sample a two true heartland originals: chicken-fried bacon and chicken fried steak.  I asked them to chicken-fry my cocktail, but they wouldn’t allow it.  Darn.

During my brief visit to Omaha, in the heart of the old meat-packing area, I found this cool, and somewhat swanky bistro called Twisted Fork.  Now, this being Omaha, I was expecting something along the line of a country-western bar or some upscale steakhouse; this is the home of Omaha Steaks, after all.  This bistro, however, took me by surprise.  It looked like some hip, trendy restaurant that might be in Brooklyn or lower Manhattan.  The menu, however, was not based in the Big Apple.

Three words: chicken-fried bacon.  That’s all I needed to see.  I had first learned about this mad creation on the Travel Channel.  Apparently, it was a Texan creation that, much like a old cattle drives, migrate north to Nebraska.  How would I describe this crunchy, caloric treat?  Essentially, you take a piece of bacon and dredge it in a batter and deep fry the hell out of it.  Oh, and you serve it with a side of cream gravy.  It is nothing short of heart-stoppingly good!

For the main course, however, the stakes (and blood pressure) is raised with chicken-fried steak.  While you can prepare this dish anywhere, it really only tastes good when it comes from this part of the country.  Basically, much like our bacon friend, you take a piece of beefsteak and pound it flat like a cutlet.  Then, it is doused in flour and seasonings before being fried to a crisp over a bed of mashed potatoes.  Oh, and don’t forget the gravy!