It’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone refer to a restaurant as a “gastropub.” If you’re an Omaha diner, you probably know what I mean with that term: A casual neighborhood joint that happens to have chef-driven, tasty food that is often made from scratch, down to the condiments. But it maintains the feel of a European “pub,” casual enough to stop in for a beer, sometimes listen to a live musician or meet friends for happy hour.
Culinary Dropout is, in my mind, reinventing the concept of a gastropub. West Omaha diners, at least from what I saw during two recent visits, are eating it up. Though the restaurant is a chain, it has a local feel, with a menu of approachable comfort food, straightforward cocktails and a buzzy atmosphere.
Culinary Dropout is a Fox Restaurant Concept, as is Flower Child, which recently opened in Regency. The Phoenix-based restaurant company also started North Italia, which also has a location in Village Pointe. The Cheesecake Factory invested in both Flower Child and North Italia in 2016 and acquired all of Fox’s concepts in 2019.
Culinary Dropout opened in August. The success of the first two concepts led to opening a third, said Donny Holcomb, the restaurant’s senior general manager.
“There is a great food scene here, and we’ve been busy since we opened,” he said. “It’s been overwhelmingly good feedback.”
He’s right about one thing – on both visits, Culinary Dropout was packed, and it’s not a small dining room. Holcomb told me it seats close to 300. We made reservations both times, and if you want to go, I’d advise it. Large groups of people who didn’t were in for a wait.
The first night, we sat at the busy bar and tried two of their house cocktails. The Old Fashioned American Spirit, a take on the classic, is made with Rittenhouse rye 100 proof, burnt demerara, spiced cacao and a trio of bitters. It’s good, a richer take than what you might expect. The Campfire Vibes is sort of a liquid apple pie situation, very seasonal, made with 100 proof bonded Kentucky whiskey, chai apple cider, Spanish vanilla and roasted five spice. We’ve long made a seasonal cocktail with similar ingredients, and though the Culinary Dropout version is sweeter than ours, it’s quite good, and I’m sure a crowd pleaser.
Entrees are primarily focused on comfort food pub classics. There’s meatloaf, fish and chips, ribs and lasagna, among other dishes.
We decided on the fried chicken, which we saw a lot of diners ordering, and the Korean-style ribeye cap, which the menu calls “very limited,” but was available the night we visited. Our server told us both dishes take some time to prepare, so we ordered white truffle deviled eggs while we waited.
They arrived with a fluffy, creamy texture and the notable flavor of truffle backed by acidic, tangy mustard and salty, crispy bacon bits. I’d order them again and copy this flavor profile for a homemade version of the dish in the future.
Our entrees arrived well seasoned and nicely cooked. Both were dishes we would order again.
The fried chicken is surprisingly juicy and tender, even the white meat. The breading has a hint of spice — cayenne, perhaps — and it was thick enough to create a crunch, but not overpowering. The chicken comes with classic sides: mashed potatoes topped with a ladle of gravy and crispy slaw. I’d like to note the absolutely delicious buttermilk biscuit, with a tender crumb, buttery finish and a top almost as crispy as the fried chicken itself.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Korean braised beef. Slow cooked and super flavorful, the tender meat had a hint of Asian flavor and the right amount of saltiness. Neither overwhelmed the meat. I liked the crisp-tender vegetables and just-chewy roasted beech mushrooms at its side.
Holcomb said the restaurant butchers the meat for the dish in house, then the cap goes in a spicy Korean marinade, then gets cooked until tender and hand-sliced to serve.
“It kind of stands on its own,” he said.
The second time we visited, it was Thursday night, and a live musician was set up in one corner playing an acoustic set – at a totally conversational volume, I’ll add. Holcomb said the live music is part of what the restaurant is known for, and every location around the country plays host to local musicians. He did add that, during Nebraska football games, there’s no live music, and the restaurant instead turns up the sound of the game. Both, he said, appeal to the Omaha customer base.
Service is friendly and brisk, and, for the most part, knowledgeable, both at the bar and in the dining room. The restaurant’s prices are in line with most sit-down restaurants. The Korean ribeye cap is the most expensive on the menu, at $42. The burger sits at $19, the meat and cheese plate, which I was excited to try, is $25.
I really wanted to sample The Slicer, a board filled with the chef’s selection of thinly sliced meats, cheese and accompaniments. We liked the mix of mild, hard cheeses and salami and prosciutto served with crisp grilled bread. Apples and a fruit compote felt seasonal, but I am never thrilled to see asparagus in the middle of October, and it was woody in its off-season. The plate comes with three of the aforementioned deviled eggs.
A gastropub must serve a good burger, and I wanted to try the restaurant’s higher-end version of a Big Mac, a double cheeseburger topped with onion, lettuce, pickle and Thousand Island.
The bread is one indicator that it’s upscale, with a pillowy finish and nice flavor. The two beef patties were nicely cooked and juicy.
My dining partner tried to order the French dip, but the sliced prime rib was sold out, so he went for the meatloaf instead. While it was fine, it was the least interesting of anything we tried. Texturally, it was OK, topped with a thick layer of a ketchup-like sauce. Of all the food we tried, it was the one we probably wouldn’t return for.
The sides are fine across the board. I was pleasantly surprised by a side salad packed with vegetables, Parmesan and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
I asked Holcomb later about some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, and he named a few: house-made pretzel bites with a side of cheese fondue, the crispy chicken katsu sandwich, steak frites, fish and chips and that fried chicken, among other dishes.
Culinary Dropout is approachable. It’s the kind of food people like to eat in a space that’s inviting and vibrant. It’s rebooting an old idea in a way that’s familiar, too, with a few bright spots that make it memorable.
Culinary Dropout
culinarydropout.com
17304 Davenport St. #100, in Village Pointe
531-895-0030
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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