If you’re looking to sample a new spot without gambling your restaurant budget — or score a bargain at an otherwise expensive eatery — Omaha Restaurant Week will do the trick. 

 Sunday will mark the final night of Omaha Restaurant Week. For 10 belt-busting nights, 60 of Omaha’s most prominent restaurants have dazzled patrons’ taste buds.  

 Omaha Restaurant week was founded in 2011 and is organized by Urban Events, Inc. and endorsed and sponsored by Omaha Restaurant Association.  

 Dining out during the event also benefits Food Bank for the Heartland. 

Food Bank for the Heartland is a nonprofit organization that distributes food to 530 food pantries, schools, emergency shelters and other nonprofit partners. They are the largest food bank in Nebraska and Iowa, serving 93 counties in the two-state region.  

The annual program recruits restaurants willing to offer special prix fixe menus at competitive pricing structures of $20, $30, $40 and now $50 per person.  

Omaha Restaurant Week is a celebration of the unique and exciting culinary scene in the Omaha metro. Patrons can select from their choice of appetizers, entrees and dessert. The restaurants also features their regular menus during the promotion.  

 There are no tickets or passes required. Food lovers may simply dine out at as many participating restaurants as they like during Omaha Restaurant Week, exploring new dining opportunities or enjoying old

favorites.  

 In order to get a good sense of what each restaurant has to offer, I visited three different places – Baela Rose, Pitch and Darios. Each located in the historic Dundee neighborhood, each cooking up a different

cuisine.  

Baela Rose, the newest addition to the Omaha restaurant scene, is the creation of husband and wife team Kyle and Rose Anderson. Baela Rose opened in June and named the eatery after their daughter. 

The Andersons utilize classic cooking technique with the use of local ingredients while offering a wide variety of starters, small plates and entrees.  

 After asking the waitress the most popular dishes, my friends and I all picked four different items off the menu. 

 Nuts and pork started off our dining experience. A warm blend of almonds and fatty pork in a honey, lemon and mint sauce left me eager for the next course.  

 For the second course I chose the braised short ribs. It was a mixture of black jack grits, braised collard greens, sweet corn and black bean succotash.  

 My favorite dish of the evening was the crispy duck breast with fennel and

 zucchini.  

 For dessert, the Andersons made peach and granola exclusively for restaurant week. With homemade peach ice cream and granola, grilled peach, fennel marmalade and yogurt, this dessert was truly a work of art.  

 With the use of local and seasonal ingredients, Baela Rose incorporated some of the best parts of the metro area. Baela Rose’s participation in Omaha restaurant week has put their food within reach for all diners.  

 The food is effortless, tasteful and one of the best new restaurants in Omaha.  

  Down the street Pitch Pizzeria — another Dundee staple — participates in Restaurant Week. Known largely for its pizza, Pitch offered patrons a three course meal.  

 Pitch incorporates imported accompaniments and emphasizes local house-made ingredients in its cooking. 

For restaurant week, Pitch gave patrons the choice of three different courses.  

 The meal started of with a classic arugula salad with prosciutto, candied walnuts

and   gorgonzola  

 Known for their pizza, Pitch offered the “Doc” Pie for their second course. Mozzarella, goat cheese, roasted garlic, house cured pancetta, house-made fennel sausage and asparagus fused together to create the traditional Pitch taste that so many come

 back for.  

For dessert, I decided to go with the classic creme brulee. The rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel was the perfect end to a satisfying meal. 

 The final restaurant I visited was the well-known Dario’s Brasserie.  

After opening in Dec. 2006, Dario’s has become the heart of Omaha’s historic Dundee neighborhood.  

 Chef and owner Dario Schicke grew up in Sarajevo before enrolling at the French Culinary Institute in New York, where he

trained in classical French cooking.  

 “Brasserie,” or an informal French cafe that serves beer, wine and simple hearty food is at the heart of this eatery. Dario’s features banquet seating and gentle lighting that gives an intimate and elegant feel.  

 The three course meal started with bayonne ham croquettes with pesto and aged balsamic. These small, fried bundles packed the punch with flavor and taste.  

 The roast chicken breast included a savory bread pudding, a small salad and a supreme sauce so good I asked my waiter for some extra bread to wipe it off my plate.  

 The chocolate mousse with honey nouget, salted caramel and almond pistachio praline was the perfect finishing touch. 

  Schike’s passion for French food contributes to the exceptional food at Dario’s. 

 The highest quality and freshest ingredients, along with the latest cooking techniques, are combined to make a memorable dining experience. Eateries participating in

Restaurant Week offer the highest quality and freshest ingredients, along with traditional cooking techniques combined to make a memorable dining experience. 

Omaha Restaurant Week is a chance for restaurants to apply the multicourse prix fixe structure to some of its regular dinner items and new guest to experience the establishment. 

If you ever find yourself in Dundee make sure to check out Baela Rose, Pitch Pizzeria and Dario’s Brasserie for a taste of Omaha.