Monday, August 22, 2011

Tommy Colina's Kitchen

3558 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68131(402) 502-9027
Mon 11-2, Tues-Fri 11-9, Sat 9-2 brunch, 3-9 dinner, Sun 9-2 brunch

Chicken Diablo Soup--
With its best friend, the cracker packet
Chicken Tortilla Soup--
Neglected under the shadow of Diablo

Standing in line at the gas station is more interesting, I found out, when you're behind a big dude in a sleeveless tee, waiting to pay for his pint of tequila and plugging his newly-opened lunch spot. It's been a few months since then, but I finally rolled out of bed in time to make the 2pm last call for burgers at Tommy Colina's today. I would recommend you do the same, since Monday is FREE soup day (with the purchase of an entree). The way the waitress rattled off the list of soups with utter disinterest reminded me of reciting a Hail Mary in middle school; like, I've said this a million times, let's just get this over with please. Still, I would probably go back just for the Chicken Diablo, a lumpy/creamy/spicy thing that is best scooped up with crackers, like a chip dip.

Then out came the baskets, each filled to the brim with house-made chips and mammoth sandwiches. The mozzarella on my Pesto Chicken slid off in one gooey glob to reveal a pile of ham and a chunk of chicken breast. Under that was supposed to be a sauce and a slaw, but those ingredients were unfortunately totally lost under the mounds of meat and cheese. By the end of it the deli paper was soaked and sticking to my food. (Do you eat out of a basket in your "kitchen?" Try a plate.) Thankfully, on the Cantina burger, the meat wasn't quite as drowned in toppings. The quasi-local beef is ground fresh daily, which is more than most places can say, making it one of the better burgers around. Go here with a stash of extra napkins and a major appetite. A nod to the vegetarians of the world by perhaps adding a veggie burger would be nice, since I don't think the solitary option of a cheese 'n tomato sandwich is really enough. Or at least get a liquor license, because if you've got a belly full of burger, you'd better have a belly full of beer too. 

Pesto Chicken--
Smoked tomato aioli, green pepper slaw, ham, fresh mozzarella, pesto drizzle;
the ham and cheese could have been its own sandwich, probably.
Cantina Burger--
JalapeƱos, guacamole, and Monterey Jack cheese, plus Tommy C's tasty chips

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