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Omaha Magazine

Mahogany Prime

Dec 04, 2014 08:00AM ● By Omaha Magazine Staff

When you think about that special night out, celebrating a promotion, impressing a client, or perhaps your next anniversary, you want to pick a restaurant like this one.

Mahogany Prime is a restaurant that knows exactly who they are, and they embrace it. It is considered a premium Omaha steakhouse, a place for special events. They deserve the reputation they have cultivated, from making the reservation to the personal “Thank You” as you exit, they hang their hat on impeccable service.

My recent visit was no exception.

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When we made our reservation, they asked if we were celebrating anything special. They understand the perfect way to welcome guests is to make their visit personal. Mahogany Prime is decorated like a traditional steakhouse, with dark woods, rich textures, warm colors, and a perfectly set white clothed table. The table and booths are arranged with intimacy in mind, and you feel as if you are the only ones there. It was full when we dined, but not noisy. We were able to enjoy our conversation, something that is difficult in many restaurants today. The lead server greeted us and offered our choice of water before discussing the wine and cocktail offerings. We selected a bottle Terra D’Oro Red Zinfandel from the Deaver Vineyards of California ($45). It was modestly priced and we enjoyed it thoroughly. There is an extensive choice of wines available and the staff is very well trained in assisting with the perfect selection for your preferences. If you want to pick a wine to impress, you’ll find it at Mahogany Prime.

The assistant server arrived to discuss the features of the menu, and her knowledge of the offerings and preparations bore the stamp of a good training program. On this occasion they had three bone-in steaks available, including a Bison steak. Her description of the Lobster Cargot ($29.99) made our selection of the appetizer almost an obligation; we knew we would miss out on something special had we not ordered it.

Just prior to our appetizer arriving they presented warmed plates. Cue the anticipation. In the typical Cargot preparation, the creamy Havarti cheese was toasted perfectly atop succulent lobster in piping-hot, melted butter. And it was served with freshly baked bread so you could enjoy every drop. It was that good!

Next we enjoyed the Mahogany Prime salad ($7.99), a mixture of five greens with slivered carrots, sliced radishes, tomato, tangy goat cheese, toasted candied nuts…all tossed in a house-made creamy parmesan dressing.

As is the way of a steakhouse of this caliber, steaks and the accompaniments are ordered a la’ carte. I selected a 14 oz. Prime New York Strip ($45.99) and my dining partner an 8oz Filet ($39.99). We elected to share the Au Gratin Potatoes ($9.99) and the Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce ($12.99).

When our steaks arrived sizzling from the grill and placed in front of us, we were asked to cut into the center of the steak to confirm they were prepared to our liking. Our savvy server looked at my dining partner’s steak and knew it was not as requested. She handled it expertly. Soon a series of managers were stopping by and, before long, the steak was returned perfectly cooked. You might think this would have distracted from a perfect evening, but the staff had been so expertly trained it somehow turned into a big plus. The beef was prime as advertised. The Au Gratin Potatoes were a masterpiece of spuds in a cream sauce topped with seasoned bread crumbs and golden brown cheese. The etherial, lemony Hollandaise sauce was served on the side of the fresh and perfectly steamed asparagus.

At this point we absolutely could have (and should have) been done, but you can’t celebrate without a little dessert. We selected the house-made bread pudding with Cognac cream sauce to share, but it was a tough choice considering the five layer chocolate cake that was also on the menu. We enjoyed our dessert with espresso before learning that our server had taken the dessert off the check as an apology for the very slightly miss-cooked steak.

I mentioned earlier about the great service fueled by the team-style attention at every step of our visit. The thing about excellent service is that it is competent without being intrusive. It is woven into the fabric of the experience so that you don’t even notice when, say, a server deftly replaces a fork between courses, almost as if by sleight-of-hand.

Give Mahogany Prime a try for your next special dinner. You won’t be disappointed.

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