She’s enthused by fellow North O good eats destinations (Alpine Inn, Enzo’s, Florence Mill, Fat Shack BBQ, Omaha Rockets Kanteen). There is something about me that always has to be loved and I figured out through cooking no one will never bite the hand that feeds you.” Best of all is when they “clean” their plates. The most satisfying thing for Kenny is seeing customers savor their meal by tipping back a bowl to drink the last of their soup or sopping up sauce with a dinner roll. She has anchors in her husband – “He will never let me give up on an idea” – and daughter-in-law Stephanie, who waitresses there – “We mesh like no other.” About the tile, she said, “It’s fun, it’s vibrant, it keeps the kitchen a part of the whole and it cleans really well. She’s a vendor at the market, where she likes educating people’s palettes with homemade, garden-fresh salsa and guacamole and from-scratch roasted veggie broths.Īt Frank’s, everything is prepped back of the house to arrive ready in the galley-style kitchen, which has the same black and white checkerboard tile as the rest of the place. It’s so wonderful to have that and it supports them.” The nearby Florence Mill Farmers Market is another fresh produce source. It doesn’t get any better than right out of the ground.” “It means getting up earlier in the morning to pick and wash, but it’s worth it. radishes, onions, peppers, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, cilantro, basil, parsley, et cetera. Her own urban farm-garden at her 11-acre Hills home supplies kale, bok choy, peas, green beans, cucumbers. She decides daily specials by whim, weather, season and what diners tell her they’re craving. The moderately priced menu also includes crab cakes, a veggie stir fry, a seafood enchilada, a spinach-mushroom enchilada, a Reuben sandwich, a pork tenderloin sandwich, wood-fired pizzas, scratch soups, crafted salads and various wines, draft beers and cocktails.Ī small patio offers an outdoor seasonal dining option. She serves it all on a buttered brioche bun with choice of add-ons and sides. Grilled red onions add a sweet, creamy bite. She hand forms full 8 ounce patties of 80 percent lean Angus beef accented with sea salt for a medium grill on the flat-top. People tell her her burger is “hands-down” the best in town. “That piece of meat is like a filet – a little more marbling but not much. It’s just like the lakeside meals you make with fresh caught fish.”įor her succulent steaks, she uses teres major cuts (shoulder blade) from a local purveyor. Served with twice-cooked Yukon gold potatoes and fresh cole slaw. I keep it as simple as can be with a light coating of homemade bread crumbs. “It brings people from all over the place. Her meaty, slightly sweet catch come direct from Canada. The same ethos applies to her walleye Thursdays. It’s bringing those things back and just putting a little twist on them of my own and keeping it fun to where I can stay creative.” That’s why our Saturday night fried chicken is a huge success, Some of my fondest memories are passing platters of food at family dinners and having meatloaf or chicken night. “It’s wise to keep it to good basic comfort foods people remember growing up. Don’t overcook it, don’t over-stress it, don’t overwork it. If you mess that up, you have no business behind a skillet. “Start with a good basic ingredient and keep it simple. Simple sums up her overall approach to cooking. Fried in a stainless skillet in pure vegetable oil. She starts with fresh, never frozen, organic free-range chickens from the family farm. “I stole that recipe from a restaurant I waitressed at years ago in Kansas.” She’s open to good ideas wherever she finds them. Years reading recipes and food books, finding new ingredients and ways to use them, fortify her culinary arsenal. The same confidence and drive that convinced Kenny to be a restauranteur infuses her cooking approach. It’s a neighborhood place but both loyal followers and newbies come from near and far. If there’s a snafu with a dish, she personally addresses it. It just follows me.”Īs time allows during service, the plain-talking Kenny engages diners about their meal or makes small talk. Anything I can get my hands on, found objects or ingredients, I repurpose. “Art flows in everything I do,” said the self-taught Kenny.
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