Blanc Burgers + Bottles(Midtown Crossing)

[Linkin5]

That sucks.  Only burger in town with an ounce of creativity.

They had creativity I guess, but that doesn't do you any good when you can't even make a basic burger half as good as quite a few places around town.  Along with that the appetizer I had there (calamari) was horribly prepared.  The only thing I liked about the place was great beer selection.

[derog]

That sucks.  Only burger in town with an ounce of creativity.

What good is creativity if the execution sucks?  

I might be the only one here happy to see it go,    but most should concede the following.  The food was overpriced and mediocre with quite possibly the worst fries I've ever had (and ala carte at that) all set against the back drop of a depressingly antagonistic orange/white decor that may have better suited for an oncology clinic cafeteria or the commissary at Home Depot's corporate offices.

Big E, I'd suggest you venture further up the street for a burger at Tommy C's.

I agree. The burgers were overpriced for what you go when compared to anywhere else in town. A la carte sides was a bad idea, and the combos you could get at lunch included their worst burgers, not their best ones.

[FrontlineOmaha]

I know this is digging from a year back, but at least this thread is on the forefront right now!  Be warned, this post also has very little to do with Blanc.

Unfortunately Avery pulled out of Nebraska for now and I got the second to last bottle.

I never knew Avery to have been in Nebraska (that doesnt mean they werent).  Nebraska is really rough on beer distribution, and therefore we have a very limited selection.  Avery IS distributed in KC, which makes me wonder if these were actually smuggled in from Missouri (where Blanc is from)?  I have seen a couple places do this in the past.

I have a bottle of this in my cellar right now, as well as a bottle of their maharaja in my fridge.  They are a phenominal brewery, on par with the likes of Stone, Lagunitas, Deschutes, Southern Tier and several others that we just dont get here.  For some positive news, rumor is that with Lagunitas' brewery expansion, they will be coming to Nebraska soon!

/end thread stealing

[Big E]

Agree to disagree, I guess.  Blanc (judged on the food alone) beat the pants off of any other burger I've ever had in Omaha, save for the burger foodgasm at the Paxton and the lamb burger at M's.I'll give Tommy C's a try, but it had better be more than you get at the typical places around town.

I'm not going to name names on the local places, but most of it is the same sh!t meat on the same sh!t mass produced flavorless bun with the same sh!t ketchup with the same processed cheese sh!t.  The only thing that gives them any flavor is the half-rotten onion.  How that stuff makes a best burger list is beyond me.

[bigredmed]

Agree to disagree, I guess.  Blanc (judged on the food alone) beat the pants off of any other burger I've ever had in Omaha, save for the burger foodgasm at the Paxton and the lamb burger at M's.I'll give Tommy C's a try, but it had better be more than you get at the typical places around town.

I'm not going to name names on the local places, but most of it is the same sh!t meat on the same sh!t mass produced flavorless bun with the same sh!t ketchup with the same processed cheese sh!t.  The only thing that gives them any flavor is the half-rotten onion.  How that stuff makes a best burger list is beyond me.

Got to say, we differ here.  To my taste buds, this place was not very good.  I much prefer Stellas or Louis M's.  Louis M's jalapeno burger with extra "Louis Peppers" on top is the bomb.

[Big E]

Kind of reminds me of the beginning of French Bulldog thread.

Not to knock either local place, but what are they doing that you can't do at home for $2?

[bigredmed]

Kind of reminds me of the beginning of French Bulldog thread.

Not to knock either local place, but what are they doing that you can't do at home for $2?

Maybe it was the fact that of 4 people that went with us, only 1 person had a sandwich that was cooked properly and she didnt have a burger.   All of the three burgers were very undercooked.   For a burger place,the cooks should know how to differentiate between a sear and medium.  

As per the previous post, execution is critical.

[jessep28]

Should have called in that dude from Kitchen Impossible. He would have drastically changed the interior and menu (fewer items & fresher ingredients), accelerating the restaurant's failure.

[Linkin5]

Kind of reminds me of the beginning of French Bulldog thread.

Not to knock either local place, but what are they doing that you can't do at home for $2?

I don't know what Stellas does but I can't make a burger that good.

The way I see Blanc is like if a high end Philly cheese steak restaurant tried to open up in Philadelphia, wouldn't work.

[nebport5]

Agree to disagree, I guess.  Blanc (judged on the food alone) beat the pants off of any other burger I've ever had in Omaha, save for the burger foodgasm at the Paxton and the lamb burger at M's.I'll give Tommy C's a try, but it had better be more than you get at the typical places around town.

I'm not going to name names on the local places, but most of it is the same sh!t meat on the same sh!t mass produced flavorless bun with the same sh!t ketchup with the same processed cheese sh!t.  The only thing that gives them any flavor is the half-rotten onion.  How that stuff makes a best burger list is beyond me.

I'll second the lamb burger...and I'll name names; Goldberg's, Bronco's...haven't been to King Kong or Don & Millie's but I suspect they're equal offenders.

[Omababe]

I don't know what Stellas does but I can't make a burger that good.

The way I see Blanc is like if a high end Philly cheese steak restaurant tried to open up in Philadelphia, wouldn't work.

Personally, I find many of the newer burger places to be pretentious and overpriced for what you get.

In my not so humble opinion, the best non-chain burgers are the barburgers, such as Stella's, Goldberg's, etc. Gaaaaad I miss the former Chicago Bar (not part of the Old Chicago chain) which was down across from Mutual!

King Kong and Don And Millie's are not bad for fast(er) food burgers. They're both smaller local/regional chains.

D&M's is very reminiscent of the old King's, except you order at the counter and not by phone, plus they serve beer!

King Kong's regular burger is HUGE, plus they offer double and triple. Some of the seasonings that King Kong uses do not agree with me, for some reason.

[nativeomahan]

We ate at blanc three times during their short tenure in Omaha.  While overall we liked it, I would say that the food was as much miss as hit.  I absolutely hated the fries, but the burgers were pretty good.  Without using a Groupon the place was woefully overpriced.  The beer selection was very good, however.  The wait staff seemed to be hired more for their looks than their waiting skills, which, depending on your mood, can either be fine or annoying.

While I generally prefer locally owned restaurants to any out of town chain, out of town talent and new concepts can help jump start a moribund local restaurant scene, or encourage the locals to think outside the box that has long comprised their comfort zone.  Time will tell if blanc left any sort of lasting legacy on the Omaha restaurant scene.

[S33]

There are more places in Omaha than I can count where you can get a great burger. It's a dang burger, not supposed to be fancy, creative or some culinary marvel, it's supposed to be some decent grade beef, seasoned well, with your choice of toppings, slapped between two sesame seed buns - with a massive side of freedom fries.  :)

Cheddar/Pepperjack cheese, jalapeno, and mushroom stuffed burgers are about as creative as you should get, imo.

[Big E]

Sad.

[S33]

Alright, what is your version of a good burger. I'm open to expanding my horizons on this one.

[Big E]

In addition to Blanc and the other ones I mentioned earlier, I'd throw out the cheeseburger with fried egg and slab of pork belly at Au Cheval in Chicago as one of the best things I've ever eaten:

http://aucheval.tumblr.com/

(sorry, their site sucks, but you can find all kinds of amazing stuff on there)

It was $22, but what the eff ever... it was ridiculous good.  

And I"m not trying to be a food snob.  I've got my guilty fast-food pleasures, too.  It's just the routine dismissal of anything new or different or more than $5 for a half pound patty of 70/30 |expletive| meat with processed yella cheese that continually disappoints me.  It's the same mindset of the people that can't understand why the old school steakhouses around here are all closed/closing.  It's because they suck.  There's a reason places can give you a lot of food at a low price:  it's sh!tty food.  You're far better off learning how to cook and buying decent ingredients than eating some of the |expletive| that passes for dining in this town.

Much like the French Bulldog thread, we had a great burger option here and people get all lady-bonery over a Jimmy John's and a Burger Star or Five Guys.  It's just painful.

It's not that a $5 plain-Jane burger doesn't have it's place.  It's just not on a best burger list and it's not in the same conversation with what Blanc was serving.

The food truck at Ted & Wally's (drawing a blank on the name at the moment) serves better food than most of the burger joints in town.

[Greg S]

You're going to want to watch restaurant turnover at Mid Town.  When they first starting leasing to the restaurants and bars, they were leasing for next to nothing to get the spaces filled.  Now that leases are coming up for renewal, will be interesting to see how many re-up and if they are able to get some decent lease rates from the restaurants and bars that stay.

Greg

[Omaha_Gabe]

You're going to want to watch restaurant turnover at Mid Town.  When they first starting leasing to the restaurants and bars, they were leasing for next to nothing to get the spaces filled.  Now that leases are coming up for renewal, will be interesting to see how many re-up and if they are able to get some decent lease rates from the restaurants and bars that stay.

Greg

I think Crave and Laredo will stay. They always seem to be busy. As for the others I'm not sure they will stay. I think MTC needs to stop focussing on trying to get overpriced chains to come in... It seems they can get many businesses here but are just very picky.

[S33]

I have no problem forking out some bucks for a good meal, but I've also had some bad experiences when I've done so. (Remember the Brass Rail? lol) Many times they go overboard with their versions of "gourmet."

Anyway, when it comes to steaks, I cook those at home. I've got a few different places where I know the quality will be top notch, aged just right, and priced reasonably well. (Bakers, I'm not looking at you)

That said, I guess I kinda lied. I have had a burger in Dallas (the name of the place escapes me) with a thin cut of ribeye, 1 fried egg, onions and mushrooms, and I would trade a day of my life for each minute it took me to eat it - because that's probably what it took off my life anyway.

[nativeomahan]

When I go out to eat I generally never order any menu item that I could easily cook at home.  So I don't go out looking to eat burgers.  At least not when I can fire up the grill at home and cook an awesome burger for about $3.