Tucked into an unassuming strip mall off the corner of 144th and Blondo in Omaha, NE, Railcar Modern American Kitchen (1814 N 144th Street) offers a modern take on Classic American dishes. Railcar has both an after work HH (3:30-6:30p Monday through Sunday) as well as a late night Friday and Saturday HH (more on the late night times in a bit). Railcar offers discounted appetizers (ranging from $3-$6), $1 off well drinks, $2 off signature cocktails, $3.50 local draught, $4.50 craft draught, $2.50 domestics and $3.50 for all other beers. They also offer $4, $6 and $7 wine glass pours.
I decided to check out the late night HH so I wouldn't have to rush to Omaha after work. The atmosphere was nice as it wasn't super loud or crowded. Due to its location, Railcar flies under the radar as far as go to HH spots, which is a plus for me. Less people = more attentive servers (usually). The first blemish to my experience there was the start time of the late night HH. Both online and their bar menu states the late night HH starts at 9p. When we arrived at 9:15p we were told the HH didn't start until 9:30p. As we only had to wait 15 minutes it was ok, but had we shown up right at 9, I would have been a bit peeved. They either should update things to reflect the 9:30p start or just give people the HH pricing when they show up after 9p.
Initially the service was superior. We were seated right away and asked for our drink orders. Our waitress was very helpful when explaining items on the menu and accommodating "special requests" like no cheese, sauce on the side, etc. After we received our first items however, service took a slight dip. Our actual waitress was nowhere to be found and we had to order additionally drinks and food from the lady bringing our food out from the kitchen. At one point I had to wait almost 20 minutes to get a fork to eat one of my dishes. As it wasn't very crowded I expected the waitress to be a little more attentive, asking how our food was or if we needed anything else.
Now for my favorite part. I started off ordering toasted gnocchi and goat cheese ($6: red pepper San Marzano marinara, goat cheese, toasted garlic gnocchi). Normally I'm not the biggest gnocchi fan as I find it kind of gummy. These bites were perfect however. Not overcooked and a pretty good size to share. The goat cheese wasn't overpowering but the gnocchi by itself was a bit salty.
My first drink (unsurprisingly) was a Bulleit Bourbon Smash ($6: Bulleit, thyme syrup, muddled citrus & orange bitters). I love bourbon but especially Bulleit so this drink could do no wrong. The syrup added a nice finish and complimented the citrus well. Overall the Bourbon Smash was VERY smooth (as Bulleit normally is).
Additionally I ordered the whisky steak skewers ($6: bacon, flat iron steak, bourbon marinade, and peanut coleslaw) and well as the pretzel crusted Jisa Farms cheese curds ($4). First the skewers; If you aren't a member of the "well done" steak camp these may not be for you. They definitely were a bit crisp most likely due to the bacon being cooked on the skewer as well. Bourbon marinade had a nice little kick. I didn't care much for the peanut slaw as it wasn't the best compliment to the bourbon marinade. The cheese curds were delicious. Very light, or as light as fried cheese can be. The pretzel was a good neutral breading that wasn't too thick. Only critique was they were very tiny and I wish they had maybe a spicy ranch dip instead of plain.
I finished the night with a glass of Chardonnay Italian Bubbles ($4). This wine was very dry and I enjoy sweeter rosés. Not very bubbly as the name would suggest (as I'm used to Prosecco). The Chardonnay element of the rosé overpowers this wine. Might be good in a summer sangria.
Overall I give Railcar Modern American Kitchen 4 smiles. Our waitress redeemed herself at the end, being very helpful as we paid our check with the PayPal app (which I recommend everyone do. You'll get a $10 credit for doing so until 9/17 so basically a free app and drink). I'm also a Yelp user so she honored their offer of a free appetizer with a check-in and order of two drinks (also something I recommend utilizing).
