Jams - An American Grill - Omaha

LTH:

I had a super meal on 4/16/08 at Jam's American Grill on West Dodge St in Omaha. I was skeptical that a restaurant in a strip mall (and one that appeared to date to the 1950's) could be any good but my local hosts promised it was "the go to place" for casual yet fine dining in Omaha. Boy were they right and the place being packed to the rafters and a :30 wait to get a table at 6:30pm on a Wednesday would seem to bear this out.

Jam's bills itself as an American Cafe and Grill and the menu is, indeed, reflective of the diversity of cuisine one can find "from sea to shining sea." There were the ubiquitous (in Omaha) huge 100% Angus aged-in-house steaks, a variety of pasta dishes with housemade pasta, comfort food items like meatloaf and chicken fried steak, several Asian offerings and a couple of Latino dishes including fish tacos. My experience has been that in places like this that the wider variety led to overall mediocrity but I was pleasantly suprised. Prices were very good for the level of quality, IMHO, and the portions were large enough to prompt a small take-home container for each of us.

The wife in my host couple had a seafood and veggies pasta dish that she was able to order off the menu when she told the server she wasn't finding exactly what she wanted on the menu. The penne was perfectly al dente, the shrimp and veggies cooked perfectly buoyed in a not too heavy or garlicky pomodoro sauce.

The husband had the chicken fried steak and he raved about it the entire time. It featured a HUGE piece of hand-cut, breaded and fried steak goodness with a flavorful (peppery) but not too rich gravy over the top with a side of red-cabbage slaw that was housemade too.

I had the fish tacos thinking that if this place dared offer such a dish in the heart of beef-country they were probably good. I was right - two nice-sized tacos with crispy chunks of flash fried and lightly breaded mahi-mahi and sides of Spanish rice and barbecued pinto beans with a spalsh of queso fresco on top. Man, this was good eatin!

Three entrees, two glasses of wine (the list was pretty respectable too) was $67 including a 20% tip. I will be back!

They don't take reservations for groups under six but do have a "call-ahead" system that enables you to get your name on a list and when you arrive you move to the top of the waiting list. Parknig is catch as catch can in the strip mall. Jam's is one big room (well, there is a second banquet room off the east side) and is nicely decorated but is really loud. Probably not suitable for a business dinner but for pretty much every other occasion I would recommend it. I wasn't able to bring a camera so no photos - sorry!

I don't much care for their website but felt LTH-ers would want to be able to check it out if they plan to visit Omaha:

http://www.jamseats.com/

Jam's - An American Grill
7824 W Dodge St
Omaha, NE
402-399-8300

Enjoy,
Davooda

Glad to hear how much you enjoyed Jams, Davooda, and that it still seems to be clicking on all cylinders.

This place opened after I moved out of Omaha, but I've managed to eat there happily on a few occasions.

Thanks for the report. (The restaurant is "Jams" by the way, as opposed to "Jam's", which I changed in the post title.)

I'm not sure how often you get to Omaha, but if you're interested, watch for a post on the 24th Street Mexican offerings in the near future.

Cheers,

Aaron

Aaron - thanks for making the correction.

I get to Omaha at least once per annum and look forward to the 24th Street report. BTW - my hosts at Jams told me they really enjoy The Tasting Room which sounds to me like a small plates (but not tapas) joint that has a pretty darned good wine list. The owner visited Napa years ago and fell in love the with wines, the cuisine and the Napa style (not to rip off said show or brand) and is trying to re-create that in Omaha. I intend to visit on my next trip but if you make it there first, let us all know how it is!

Regards,
Davooda

Davooda wrote:BTW - my hosts at Jams told me they really enjoy The Tasting Room which sounds to me like a small plates (but not tapas) joint that has a pretty darned good wine list.

Thanks, I'll have to remember that, as I may have cause to be visiting more frequently in the coming months.

I also highly recommend La Buvette in the Old Market for a rustic, Euro-feeling, wine bar and nice snack experience. Really a terrific place in any city, especially when the weather is nice, the doors are open, and the Market is bustling.

I spent one entire Labor Day sitting outside at La Buvette, eating various small things, the four of us drinking several bottles of some *very* nice wine, at good prices. I think that, all in all, the wine people at La Buvette really do know what they're doing, both in terms of what they stock, and how they price it. Definitely a good value for money.

Haven't been to the French Cafe for a long time, but always enjoyed it.

Bohemian Club. Nothing more need be said.

Geo

Geo wrote:Bohemian Club. Nothing more need be said.

Bohemian Cafe.

Remarkably, I've never been.

Bohemian Cafe
1406 South 13th Street
Omaha, NE 68108
402-342-9838
http://www.bohemiancafe.net/

La Buvette Wine & Grocery
511 S 11th St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 344-8627

Ooops, of course: Bohemian Cafe

But then, when a kid grows up in Northern Calif, it's Bohemian Club

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Club



Aaron, I can NOT believe a Serious Eater like you hasn't ever tried this Classic eatery. Liver dumpling soup, duckling, schnitzel, ummmm! Give it a whirly!

Geo

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26647

bbqboy wrote:http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26647

You've got to go to the second page to get to the Bohemian Cafe review. Kind of difficult to figure out where the stuff you're reading about is in that particular thread.

sorry. but it was a pretty good comfort food overview of the Big O.

All he missed was Bronco Burger.

bbqboy wrote:sorry. but it was a pretty good comfort food overview of the Big O.

All he missed was Bronco Burger.

No problem, I was surprised I'd never heard of LoBello's and The Farmer's Market before I realized they were in Pittsburgh and Atlantic, IA.