The Grey Plume

Periodically I try to update my reviews based on recent experiences but honestly each and every subsequent visit to The Grey Plume (or TGP as I affectionately dub it in acronym format) has lived up to the glowing feelings I had at my first visit. That's saying something to still have something be so consistently impressive, even after 18+ subsequent visits. 

Everything is lovely to behold, tasty to imbibe, and satisfying to the last drop / crumb / spoonful / sip. 

Dungeness Crab Agnolotti & Pacific Halibut

Duck Fat Fries

Everything I said originally still seems to hold true today. So here it in in all its glory, my original TGP dinner review from 2011. And to TGP team... Keep up the Great Work!

Heirloom Watermelon

Plum Creek Farms Chicken

Summer Charcuterie

I try not to make generalizations like this, but there's no other way to state it. The Grey Plume is the best restaurant in Omaha. 

Even when my friend said it, I started to explain how I couldn't really get behind a statement like that. It was too broad, sweeping and generic for a restaurant like this (which is deserving of so many more lengthy descriptors). But also because what does 'best' really mean? It can mean different things to different people, and even vary to the same person depending on the day.  

The most accurate summation I can come up with for The Grey Plume is that this is a culinary experience too unique to describe. I should have known from oohing and aahing over the squash soup, salad and bread at my earlier lunch visit that a full meal would totally knock my socks off.

There are plenty of descriptions and adjectives I could throw at this review, and for those that love food get ready to appreciate the heck out of this, because ultimately "best" is the only way to sum it all up.

Quality over quantity rules here, with each item more perfectly cooked, plated and dancing on your taste-buds than the last. Things I'd never heard of and had to refer to their generously provided glossary to figure out, things so full of complex flavor that your palette can hardly keep up, things that keep your mind enthralled and leave you wanting more yet satisfied.  

Some might say that portions are small, some might say that prices are steep, and some might even say that the restaurant is a bit pretentious. But to those I would argue that perhaps they've missed the point. This isn't a place to come and stuff your craw, this food and experience is to be savored, bite by glorious bite. The Grey Plume beckons you to try a first plate before your second, then to go ahead and indulge in dessert. Every detail is perfectly in place, service is impeccable and the small space is unique to say the least. 

So while I still maintain that terms like "best" are highly subjective, it's strangely appropriate in this instance.

The Grey Plume on Yelp