The Grey Plume

We just had such a enjoyable experience. Days later I am still rehashing how delicious our dinner here was. We went with the gnocchi starter, pork tasting, strip loin, and donut. Great wine pairing suggestions.
Only downfalls were out of their control as we were there during a 100 degree day so the temperature in the restaurant was a little warm and the ice cream wasn’t available.
Melissa was an amazing server. Thank you!

I’ve been to the restaurant. I’ve been to their farm/​pop up dinners. They are a dining experience that is hard to describe with anything besides AWESOME!

Great everything. Farm to table so the menu is never the same. The trout is a lot of food and one of the best fish dishes I ever had. I loved the fruit component in the fish (Apple). The panna cotta was well played with sweetness, tart from the sorbet, crunchiness and soft gooey panna cotta.

Lived up to our expectations. The service was very personalized and we were given a semi-​private table for our large party. We had a really good time.
The wagyu was around forty which is super reasonable and tasted amazing too. The pork tasting turned out to be a bit salty (apparently the chef is a big fan of Jacobsen salt) and too hearty. The pasta had good sauce but I wasn’t blown away by the filling. Overall I’d say the beef was the star but everything else was very pleasant. It averaged out to be about $ 60 per person including tip.
Visit the Provisions store across the street after dinner and get 10% off amazing marmalades and fruit-​flavored butter.

Great food & drink options, outstanding service and wonderful décor. A few «interesting» food choices on the menu, but hey live a little. Must try the Sunchoke soup, it was one of the best I ever tasted. Food can be pricy but worth a try. No need to hesitate about coming here.

Excellent service. Water was refilled frequently and service was very fast. Waiters were amazing and so kind. Morgan was my waiter and he is outstanding. I would absolutely recommend to a friend.

One of the worst treatments of my family of any restaurant I’ve been to not only in Nebraska but in the world I know at there worst Mc Donalds would take better care then the grey plum
The food came out mixed and missing parts on me and my father in-​laws dishes even though we ordered the same dish
Terrible wait staff and one of the worst places I’ve ever been to
I can’t believe how me and my family had it so bad but they still are receiving five stars by others I really don’t get it
At your own risk

I had a completely different experience than the people that provided 5 star reviews. I heard a lot of hype about this restaurant so I was excited to try it for my first time.
My date and I tried the dick fat fries as an appetizer. They weren’t bad but weren’t great either.
For an entrée, I narrowed it down to the chicken, swordfish, or farfalle pasta. The waiter recommended the pasta so I ordered that and my date ordered the lamb.
My pasta consisted of approximately 8 pieces of pasta spread out over a lengthy dish with a green sauce for a base. I think I can cook better pasta at home and I can certainly make more than 8 pieces for the $ 24 they charged.
My date ordered the lamb which came in a random assortment of lamb chops and lamb sausage. My date thought it was over salted and lacking in flavor.
I have no problem paying much higher prices than the charged for good, quality food. However, I didn’t feel that the our meals on this occasion would even be worth $ 5 per plate. This was a real disappointment and I can say I will it be going back to this restaurant that left me seriously underwhelmed.

Since writing my first review, I have had the opportunity to eat a full dinner at The Grey Plume on two occasions (one of them being Omaha Restaurant Week, which was an amazing deal!). I have been just as satisfied on both visits as I was on my first visit. The service is consistently good, the food is incredibly unique and delicious, and the presentation is truly outstanding.
On both visits I tried the soup. The first visit was a corn chowder, and on my most recent visit it was the Butternut Squash Soup. The soups here are outstanding! The Butternut Squash Soup was easily the highlight of my meal on my most recent visit. They incorporate so many incredible and unusual flavors which meld together to make the most delicious dish. The server brings out a bowl with all the ingredients, explains to you what everything is, and then pours the soup base from a decanter so all the flavors mix together. It is both beautiful and delicious.
For my entrée I went with the trout both times (prepared different ways, though). I actually really dislike fish, but loved my dish both times (I was feeling adventurous). The fish here is so well-​prepared and served with such interesting complements, that it is impossible to not enjoy it. My friend ordered the Morgan Ranch Wagyu Strip Loin, and I tried a bite of her dish and it was amazing!
On my most recent visit, I ended my meal with the Cinnamon Crème Brûlée. This is definitely not your typical crème Brûlée, and my dining companion commented that it almost had a coffee flavor. It was very beautiful, though, and tasted very good.
The bottom line is that I have never been disappointed by anything I have eaten at The Grey Plume. It is pricey, but it is absolutely worth every penny for the beautiful and incredible tasting food. You cannot find a comparable dining experience anywhere in Omaha. They recently instituted a 20% gratuity on all checks. This is the minimum I tip anyway (and what everyone should be tipping), so it wasn’t an issue for me and it was actually nice to not have to mess with the math at the end of the meal.

Thoughtful, delicious menu, informed, warm staff (thanks Shayla and Heather) in a modern setting. The Grey Plume features farm fresh ingredients, playful excursions into molecular gastronomy (puffy flavor mouthfuls), and in one room an artful take on the state map with farm locations pinned to it. Feel food about eating good food: in the spirit of European restaurant prix incluit, a 20% tip is automatically added to your bill and shared among all staff. Apologizing for not having decaf espresso last evening (they roast their own beans from a Mexican source). One of the servers came back and said they’d found a solution for us. The chief/​owner Clayton Chapman (whom we later met) ran across the street to a coffee house they supply with beans and got back some of his own dexaf beans. Dark, rich and a beautiful crema on the surface. We’ll be back, to paraphrase Arnold.

Five year anniversary for The Grey Plume and the head Chef; Clayton Chapman and his staff put on an amazing 5 Course Dinner to celebrate the occasion. Made reservations for the occasion through Unilocal’s «Seatme» app. Greeted quickly upon arrival and led to our table for the evening.
The Owner/​Chef; Clayton Chapman was making his rounds to each and every table to introduce himself and say «thank you» for coming out to celebrate the anniversary of the restaurant with the staff. In planning for the event, the staff had looked back to find some of the most popular dishes previously served and they did not disappoint.
We have eaten at The Grey Plume multiple times over the years and Chef has always been a most gracious and inviting host. We are simply amazed at the originality and creativity that goes into each plate. Chef Chapman is an artist with his food. The plate is his palette combining flavors and textures from diverse ingredients that create absolute deliciousness.
Our waitress for the evening was Danielle. Throughout the evening, Danielle was friendly, attentive, and informative. When we exclaimed during our conversation that we were not normally beer drinkers (an IPA was paired with one of the dishes), she of her own initiative went and coordinated with the sommelier; Ms. Heather Smith and brought us out a nice Francis Tannahill, «Dragonfly» Gewürztraminer instead. Top notch service and a delightful personality to boot.
The Five Course Dinner was actually so much more. You received not only the five courses, but also five Intermezzos (a small light dish to cleanse the palate between courses), and five desserts.
First Intermezzo was a small puff pastry served warm filled with béchamel sauce and truffle. Delicious — my wife and I could have eaten a basket of these alone. We actually heard other tables throughout the night say the exact same thing. Great start to the evening.
First Course — Potato Soup served with a truffle panna cotta, truffle powder, lime marmalade and homemade potato crisp. The dry ingredients come out in the dish and then the hot soup is poured over top. A small mix with the spoon and you have a different texture and flavor in every bite. Very good.
Second Intermezzo was a small bite of smoked apple mousse, apple butter and apple crumble. The smoke was distinct but not overpowering and the flavors melted in your mouth,
Second Course — Smoked Oyster Mushrooms in a small mason jar covered so that when you opened it, the smoke that was used to infuse the flavor would roll out and you would get this beautiful aromatic aroma. Inside with the mushrooms were apple, kale and pickled ramps in an apple reduction of some type. The smokiness of the dish and associated tastes was sublime.
Third Intermezzo was a small brioche toast round served with a corn oil jam, popcorn mousse, pickled sweet corn, fresh popcorn and bacon powder. Another smooth melt in your mouth treat.
Third Course — Trout Fillet with the roe from the fish as well as a parsnip purée and black bean succotash. This was good, but not my wife’s favorite (Not really a fish/​roe eater)
Fourth Intermezzo was a steak tartare served on grilled toast with a garlic aioli and pickled ramps. Very tasty, I liked this very much and got to eat both since my lovely wife will not eat tartare.
Fourth Course — Wagyu Beef with cuts taken from the collar. Hands down the best dish of the night… exceptional among so many other outstanding dishes. The beef came with braised red cabbage, whole grain spatzle (added nuttiness to the dish), cauliflower purée, grilled cauliflower and kale with beef au jus with house made whole grain mustard. Melt in your mouth. Different flavors with every bite and they all went together so well.
Fifth Intermezzo was a squash sorbet with pumpkin seed salt. Made from five different types of squash. Actually tasted more like cantaloupe and the saltiness was very good.
Fifth Course was 5 desserts. Started with a chocolate coffee ganache on toast square; wife loved it, me not so much… she got my half. Then we had a vanilla panna cota with maple tapioca, a poached pear dessert with clove crumble, and a beet semi fredo with white chocolate and lemon powder. All were great. The final dessert was a duck fat donut which literally melted in your mouth. It was absolutely wonderful. Would have loved to eat a dozen or so of those as well.
An absolutely wonderful evening all around.
Side Note — The Grey Plume has initiated a new (last three weeks or so) hospitality charge. So instead of normal tipping, the hospitality charge (20 Percent) is automatically added to your bill. It is The Grey Plume’s belief that by transitioning from the traditional tipping model to this hospitality charge, it is a more equitable way to reward all the staff members; cooks, bartenders, waiters/​waitresses, dishwashers, etc. They are taking comments on the new process.

The Grey Plume is one of the best restaurants in Omaha. I’ve lived across the street for years, hence my reluctance to write a review. However, it is finally time.
The food is always on point. They use a lot of local ingredients, which makes for fresh food & happy feelings of supporting local growers and producers. They have a bar menu & happy hour that are very reasonably priced. DUCK FAT fries and donuts are where the crazy, fatty fun is at but they have lighter options as well.
I’m actually a huge fan of their soups. The soup usually highlights a specific flavor. The focus on one vegetable is disciplined and sometimes surprising. The soup is always beautifully presented, but the flavor & various textures are the real stars. Most recently, I had the sweet potato soup which had little pieces of firm sweet potato and hints of brown butter.
I must thank Chef Clay & the whole Grey Plume crew for their warmth and attention to detail. I always feel welcome, even if I only stopped in a couple times a semester.

Wow. I can’t even begin to explain our experience at The Grey Plume tonight.
Wonderful wait staff, amazing water refilling (which I didn’t know could be a thing), and incredible food and wine.
The charcuterie board was good, and had a great selection. Not a fan of the chicken liver, but every other meat was great!
We had the trout and wagyu, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The sommelier recommended the Nascetta to pair with my fish, which I am now obsessed with. We got the Reserve Clasico Chianti, which was also great with the beef.
The duck fat donut and espresso was also phenomenal.
We will definitely be coming here again to celebrate.

I had only been to Grey Plume one time before and it had been for restaurant week so the menu had been different. Needless to say, I was very excited for my first full dining experience here. I started off with the Luminary red blend which was really nice. We were treated to an amuse bouche which was supposed to taste like «chips and salsa». Delightful and spot on! For my first plate I had the Honey Creek Chèvre gnocchi, not only was it visually beautiful, but the combination of flavors was really interesting! The celery root, pear, pecan, and cocoa… so good. Others in my party had the sweet corn soup and the heirloom turtle bean salad and loved it. For my main entrée, I had the TD Niche Farm’s pork tasting. Wow! Not only was it quite a presentation, but the variety of pork on the plate of outstanding. If you are a pork lover, this is a no-​brainier! It had pork loin, pork belly, a pretty spicy sausage, and 2 – 3 other kinds of pork that I couldn’t identify but were delicious. The maitake mushrooms that come on this dish are my all time favorite mushroom. (Side note: up until a year ago I would not go near a mushroom) We finished with the duck fat donut and ice cream which I can not recommend enough. It was near heaven. It melted in your mouth and combined with the vanilla crumble was amazing. I also highly suggest the 20 year Tawny dessert wine to end dinner. Perfect finish.
This is not a dinner to rush through and we definitely never felt that way. Service was impeccable. We will be back for a truly special dining experience.

I’d been looking forward to dining at The Grey Plume since I found out i would be coming to Omaha. The staff was very accommodating to us and was able to move our reservation up as our plans changed.
We started dinner with two cocktails. I had a Heathered Tea, she had a Verdant Mars. Both were outstanding. The heathered tea was a wonderful and light cocktail on such a sunny summer evening.
An amuse-​bouche of popcorn with garlic scapes, garlic crème, and honey came out. It was excellent, attractive, and set the mood for the rest of the meal.
The sommelier was very helpful in picking out two bottles that would match our evening based on our two different themes for the evening: Mine very pork and foie based, her’s a vegetarian meal. A Donnhoff Riesling from 2011 for the white and a Edoardo Sobrin Barbera d’Alba from 2008 for the red. Both were perfect matches. The acidity of the riesling cutting the fats from my charcuterie board with seared foie nicely, and similarly from the chèvre in her gnocchi… then staying light and crisp for the salad and cold potato soup. The Barbera d’Alba matched the rest of my pork tasting and her trumpet mushroom dish perfectly.
The charcuterie was excellent, and they were willing to accommodate me with one of the bar sized portions since my friend was vegetarian. I opted for the seared foie gras, and was very glad I did. She had the gnocchi, and it was very nice. The cardamom powder was a particularly nice touch.
The greens salad I had was very nice, but didn’t stand out as overly special in comparison to the rest of the meal. The cold potato soup, on the other hand, was wonderful. I really wish I had opted for that and I certainly stole more than a taste of it. (I also wish I had gotten a picture before the soup was poured)
The main courses were both fantastic, and my pork tasting was deceptively large. The pork belly was the star of the show there, but those sausages were no slouch either. They definitely know their sausage. The beets combined with the trumpet mushroom on her plate were a wonderful earthy combination without becoming too hearty for summer. I especially enjoyed the fiddlehead ferns.
By the end I was unable to completely finish the pork tasting, and dessert was completely out of the question. However, some beautiful packages of cookies were sent along with us as snacks for the morning. They were delicious.
The entire experience was very friendly, fairly casual and relaxed without ever feeling pretentious. Everyone was very helpful, and given that it was a Monday after a holiday weekend the restaurant was in a fairly subdued mood.
I will definitely be returning here next time I’m in Omaha.
Very highly recommended.

My wife and I dined at The Grey Plume last evening to celebrate our move to Omaha and our first anniversary. Very interesting place. Came early to have a drink at the bar. Nice locally crafted beer for me and my wife had a glass of wine. The bar staff seemed a bit put off with one another which made the air feel a bit awkward. But overall nice.
For dinner I started with the trout salad which was described as a regular salad, however arrived as a long line of shredded trout mixed with some oils, celery, etc. and perhaps 10 to 15 dots of different flavored Aioli. It was absolutely stunning to look at. The flavor was quite good too. Rather fishy, crunchy and the garlic aioli and truffle aioli were probably my favorite. It also came with some crustini as a medium to eat said salad, however, it was so salty it was inedible.
My entrée was significantly better. Half Rabbit. This came over a parsnip purée with asparagus, mizuna, and surprising exciting addition Grapefruit! This was stunning. Still a bit on the salty side but cooked very well. In addition it was also served with a fried kidney and liver which was a well received surprise.
My wife had a morel croquet and the Pork Tasting. Sadly the pork was bone dry. It is talent to be able to dry out pork belly!
All in all I am not convinced with The Grey Plume as of now. Portion sizes were large. Our server was wonderful but I am not sure the food holds up to these prices. Dry pork for $ 40? Not so sure. Perhaps they should take a step back and go simpler. Though I did enjoy the rabbit, there were A LOT of flavors happening and overall it did the dish a disservice. Simple perfection is better than overthought and mediocre. One other thing that was odd was that the meal cooled very quickly which makes me wonder how long it sat before it was expedited to our table. The place is definitely worth a try if you have the money. However, I would have payed double the price for half the food at a higher caliber.
I really hope this place keeps moving forward. I think it has a lot of potential. But as of now I am left feeling a little disappointed. I look forward to going back and hopefully editing this review for the better.

This is the best restaurant in Nebraska (at least). Period. The combinations of flavors, textures and colors resonate on each perfectly crafted plate. I love that everything is their own, unique and hand crafted from the clay platters that showcase each dish to the artwork that is displayed on the walls.
This is a place that has an opinion and knows exactly what its role is in the culinary community: spectacular food, incredible artistry in presentation, respect and tribute to the land and locals who have sewn the various produce and animals that eventually make it to my plate. I thank you all, keep it coming!
I love this restaurant. I love their philosophy. I love their food. I love their store and selection of classes across the street. Oh sweet sweet love.

This is very likely the best restaurant in Nebraska. Warren Buffet dines here, in The Grey Plume’s private dining room, and it looks like a popular place for Omaha high-​society. The Grey Plume is part of a vanguard movement advocating the «farm to table,» local-​and-​seasonal-​ingredients restaurant model. Given their philosophy, the menu rotates and changes frequently.
Food: The food here feels relatively healthy, compared to some of the other belly-​busting Midwestern fare in the region. I had some of their garlic popcorn, duck fat fries (duck fat fries have suddenly become very popular), a vegetarian pasta dish, and a duck-​fat fried donut for desert coated with sugar. Yeah, I know that flies in the face of what I just wrote about this place being healthy, but it was my birthday and I picked the heaviest and least healthy items on the menu. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I added a few.
Service: I’m gonna keep it real… it’s a little snobby here. They make good dishes, and those dishes are pioneering modern Midwestern cuisine, but they know that a little too well. My waitress at the bar frequently extolled the restaurant, its awards, and the chef just a little too much. Otherwise service was fairly good.
Atmosphere: The Grey Plume is located in a newer, downtown section of Omaha where shiny new mixed-​use buildings abound. Parking was fairly easy, and the area felt safe. Inside, the restaurant isn’t very large, and the décor is nothing to write home about, but it was classy enough.
Price: My meal — which included 2 appetizers, an entrée, and a desert — totaled to $ 60 after tax and tip. By Los Angeles standards, that is a jaw-​dropping price for a meal of this size and caliber. Prices are relatively low.
Overall, if I was in Omaha and looking to celebrate a special occasion, I would give this place a go.

Excellent new-​american restaurant in Omaha. This is restaurant charges a high price point but it is worth it!
This restaurant takes great pride in their charcuterie and it shows. My wife and I started with their charcuterie board and it came redolent with cured meats, cheeses and jams. My favorite was their sausage «mousse». I know it sounds weird but it was perfect to spread on the crostini and combine with the marmalade. Their house pickled herring was excellent as well.
My wife and I shared their rib eye platter, which was 16oz of rib eye perfectly cooked ribeye with a small lobe of foie gras to accompany. It was served with braised cabbage, pomme purée, and caramelized cippolini onions. Sooo good. The rich beef and foie needed the acid of the cabbage and the cippolinis.
Dessert is where this meal fell a bit flat and caused me to drop the rating from a 5 to a 4. My wife ordered the duck fat donut and I ordered the Chocoloate Caneles. My wife’s donut while good was covered in a shortbread crumble which… weirdly enough tasted of garlic. Obviously not a good flavor for dessert. The chocolate caneles were ok at best. the little bits of chocolate cake were dry and tasteless.
The abbreviated version Do’s and Don’ts:
1. DO order the charcuterie plate
2. DO order the ribeye special (if it is still on the menu)
3. DO order their cocktails, especially their dessert cocktails as they are excellent
4. DO make sure you check the bar menu for items you may like. You can order from the bar menu in the dining room.
4. DO NOT order dessert here. This was unfortunately the least pleasant part of our dinner.

Well, I’ve waited a while to write this review. You see, I’ve been waiting to try the Grey Plume for a long time. For our sixth Anniversary, it was finally the time. Now where is our server…
The Manhattans were good, the bitterness of the vermouth was a little harsh, but all in all a good craft cocktail. Time to order an appetizer, but where is our server…
Meat and cheese plate, was wonderful, plentiful and full of in house cured meats and condiments that were so delicious, I was ready for a glass of wine to compliment these tasty pairings… if only our server was around to check on our drinks? Clayton, the owner came around to fill our waters on two occasions.
Steel head trout, and Pork sampler were excellent. The fish presentation was perfect, and portion was huge. I did hope for a few more ‘sides’ to cut the meatiness of the fish. I just needed a little bit of greens or potatoes to help with the full effect of the entrée.
We waited for our server to return for a follow up of the meal. After a good dinner, we were ready to call it a night. The checking out process took a while…
I can see where the raving can come from, but the service was horrible. Guessing it was an off night? Why did it have to be that way?
Oh, I’m so conflicted with this place. Hoping for another visit to restore my faith in this establishment’s glowing reputation.