Jaclyn’s Pick:

Plank Seafood Provisions
1205 Howard Street
Fare: Seafood
Cost: $90 for one appetizer, two drinks, two meals and one dessert
Reservations: Accepted but not needed for our Saturday lunch

We’re back, eaters and readers!

Martha and I are delighted to dust off the ‘ol blogging forks after a 7-month hiatus (thanks, covid) and tell you our unsolicited opinions on the good bites of Omaha. And we’re here to tell you about Plank Seafood Provisions.

Now, when you live in Nebraska – a landlocked state with damn good steak around every corner – you tend to forget about seafood. But if you go to Plank, you’ll soon be dreaming about coastline delicacies.

Beignet Style Hushpuppies ($9) — Sweet corn fritter, chives, jalapeño jam

It was a no brainer for us to split an order of the hushpuppies. With words like ‘beignet style’ and ‘jalapeño jam’, we hardly even looked at the rest of the starter options. The hushpuppies did not disappoint. They came out hot and fresh to our table in under 5 minutes and were delicious. If anything, we coulda-shoulda-woulda ordered two servings to have more of them. The jalapeño jam is the perfect spread to top these puppies and we highly recommend you try them.

Seasonal Spiked Lemonade ($9.50) — Paloma-style lemonade

I wasn’t planning on ordering a drink, but then Martha spotted the seasonal spiked lemonade and asked for details when the server showed up to start our order. As soon as he said it was Paloma-inspired and one of his favorites of all the seasonal recipes he’s enjoyed at Plank, I knew I’d try one, too. It was nearly the perfect drink for one of Omaha’s first spring-y days spent walking around the Old Market. Refreshing and well mixed, we look forward to getting to know the other seasonal spiked lemonades Plank offers throughout the year.

Smoked Salmon Carbonara ($18) — House smoked, bucatini pasta, applewood smoked bacon, grape tomatoes, gremolata, creamy parmesan sauce, cracked black pepper

Martha would never claim to be a seafood lover. Her time lived in Boston did teach her to branch out and try more, but on a DNA-level, she’s still a meat and potatoes gal. That being said, she quickly eye-balled the Smoked Salmon Carbonara during her menu research and thought it sounded delicious.

For no other reason than learning her own likes and dislikes, Martha didn’t love her dish. The pasta was good and the sauce flavor was on-point for carbonara, but she kept think she would enjoy lobster carbonara better, maybe? The dish was beautiful and prepared wonderfully, it just wasn’t for her. She’s eager to come back and try something else on the menu.

Lobster Roll ($27) — Citrus mayo, chives, buttered New England-style hot dog bun, fries

I knew when I saw a picture of Plank’s lobster roll on Omaha Food Lovers that I’d be remiss not to order one myself. And dare I say this out loud … it was better than the several I’ve had in Boston.

You know how some fish can be, well, too fishy? Stay with me here. Properly prepared seafood is supposed to be fresh and mild – not fishy, sour or ammonia-like. This. Lobster. Was. Perfect. Each creamy bite in between the buttered and toasted bread was better than the last.

Plank’s lobster roll is every bit of worth $27. Trust me.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding ($8) — Bananas brûlée, homemade brown sugar rum ice cream, salted caramel sauce.

I didn’t have a single ounce of space left in my stomach to eat this bread pudding. But just look at it and tell me you wouldn’t go into a food coma for this dessert.

By now, our longtime readers know our affinity for bread pudding. And every tantalizing bite of Plank’s rendition puts them to the top of the list. Crunchy, caramelized bananas. Still-warm slice of pudding. Generous caramel drizzle. If we decide to award individual Certified Good Bites for things like best dessert or best bread pudding – our list starts here. Put it on your own list for your next Old Market visit.

Quick covid notes: Plank requires masks to enter, you can take them off when seated. Staff wears masks and every table is sanitized and labeled accordingly so visitors can dine with extra peace of mind. We aren’t sure on table spacing, but we came at an off time on a Saturday and diners were generously spaced out.

Final Bites

My dearest eaters and readers, I wanted to give Plank Seafood Provisions a Certified Good Bite. But rules are rules, and we both have to agree on such a rating. So for me, I give Plank an astounding fork up for great service – and even better food.

Martha regrets that she was the only reason Plank doesn’t get a CBG – yet. It’s still a fork up rating for her, though. We hope it still tells you how much we enjoyed and recommend Plank that it came *that close* to getting the distinction. Have you already visited Plank? Is it on your list? We’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.

Until next time —

Cheers!
The Good Bite Gals

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