Dante Ristorante Pizzeria: Naples Meets Nebraska
Date of Dining: Monday, December 8th Lunch
Tuesday, December 9th Dinner
Rating: One of Omaha’s Best
I’ll be the first to admit that we might be a little biased towards Dante’s. Having come here since the restaurant opened, we’ve seen it’s progressions and changes. However, these were the first two times since the renovation completed that we’ve eaten here. We used to love the lunches, reasonably priced and sized, although it’s rare we can get the time. Dinners have always had a warm and friendly atmosphere, and the portions aren't so large you feel like you need a pair of elastic pants after.
This past week, we had the pleasure of going to this place twice. During our lunch, we decided to split the Lemon Thyme salad, which is a refreshing lettuce salad, with a lemon vinaigrette that left a pleasant taste on the palate. The serving was plenty for two people, and was a great starter for the meal.
We both ordered their Margherita pizza, mine with 600 day prosciutto, and Ashley’s with roasted mushrooms. The smell of the pizza when it reached the table, brought me back to my trips to Italy. The prosciutto added a salty touch to the savory pizza, while the mushrooms added an earthy flavor. The dough was slightly burnt around the edges, and chewy in the center. This pizza is meant to be eaten with a fork and knife, as opposed to with your hands. It’s that hearty. Each pizza is meant for one person, but we had extra to take home, which was wonderful reheated.
During our second visit, this time with my mother, we ordered the same pizzas along with their Fried Squid appetizer. As a huge fan of Fried Calamari, this one surpassed my expectations. The calamari rings were lightly glazed in a slightly sweet sauce, with some capers, peppers, black olives, and potatoes. This dish would have been perfect, if not for the potatoes. Their accompaniment in the dish, seemed to be for filler. The texture of the potatoes contrasted greatly with the rest of the dish. Again, this dish would have been perfect without them.
Also, we finished the meal with the best dessert I have ever had: Butterscotch Pudding. Seriously… I do not like pudding, but this is my favorite dessert. The creamy pudding is served with a dollop of homemade cream, that made this dessert decadent and rich. If the meal wasn’t satisfying enough, this dessert will close the experience on a brilliant note. I would have tried to stick my face in the glass so none of it would go to waste.
Although we had pizza both times, we have had lots of dishes over the years, and neither of us can remember being disappointed. This is a restaurant that has been doing local farm to table since they opened, and have made an art of it.
