Vivace
1108 Howard St., Omaha
I may have had stars in my eyes on my last visit to Vivace because it was my birthday, but I feel they honestly deserve a good review today.
Because it was my birthday I decided to celebrate with a Champagne Cocktail. Our charming and innocent waitress (after telling me I looked lovely) confessed in a whisper that she didn’t know what was in that drink. She quickly recovered and decided that the Bartender probably did know. (Note: Yes, the bartender DID know how to make a champagne cocktail as well as the basic screwdriver my beau ordered.)
I was planning on ordering a filling meal and certainly dessert so I decided to forgo any appetizers. Besides, we had a basket with focaccia and accoutrement of olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, and diced tomatoes and garlic. Being able to mix it to your own desired proportions is nice and I restrained myself from filling up on bread alone. My beau and I began with Vivace’s Field Salad. It is a simple salad I have since replicated at home but it is quite delicious; mixed greens topped with strawberries, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and a pear balsamic dressing. The portion is generous for a pre-entrée salad and would almost be adequate for a lunch.
We spent some time considering the dinner specials menu which changes with some frequency. The shy waitress explained their daily specials as well. The waitstaff was well informed on the menu items, specials, and ingredients. One special in particular caught our interest: Ratatouille and Goat Cheese stuffed Ravioli. At Vivace, if you are ordering pasta as opposed to other Italian style entrees, you may choose your sauce, choose your pasta, and choose additional toppings. I selected the basil pesto alfredo sauce over penne pasta topped with grilled shrimp. My beau choose the ravioli special with a dill pesto and salmon. We thought the dill and salmon would be a nice combination.
My sauce turned out to be more alfredo than pesto but still had a noticeable basil flavor. The shrimp were plump and delicious, but cooked just a few seconds too long. We were right in that the salmon paired nicely with the dill pesto. The dill flavor also complimented the ravioli, however, the Ratatouille flavor was not very prominent and was overwhelmed by the dill. The vegetables inside ended up being more of a texture component than a flavor component. The goat cheese naturally having a mild flavor was there mostly to provide a bit of creaminess.
The portions were large, especially after eating a good size salad. We took our pasta home and were left with a sufficient portion for dinner the next day. Despite being too full to finish my entrée, I wanted to order dessert anyway. (And my second Champagne Cocktail.) The dessert tray was tempting, but aside from a lemon tart, was mainly heavy desserts such as dense brownie, rich carrot cake, pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce, and naturally, tiramisu. I reflected back to the specials menu which listed several “small bites.” I love pears and there were two pear items listed: a pear soufflé with a chocolate crème anglaise, or chilled pear soup with goat cheese fritters. I think chocolate a pear can be a weird combination so I chose the pear soup. It was small for a typical dessert but I thought it was just the right amount. It arrived with three quarter sized warm goat cheese fritters. These perfectly complimented the pear soup which came in a small shallow dish. The first taste immediately reminded me of a light version of the syrup that comes with a can of fruit. I thought I was going to be disappointed but almost instantly began to taste undertones of creamy caramel. It was a wonderful combination and the perfect light finish to a meal.
Overall my experience at Vivace was enjoyable. The food was well prepared and the staff made every effort to make sure our experience was pleasant. Pasta prices range from $7 - $13 depending on what protein or veggie you add. Dinner Specials varying from Seabass, Osso Bucco, Pork, and several steak options range in price from $16 - $35. They also have a solid wine selection. I recommend Vivace as place to have a relaxing time with good food, and it can be as fancy or as casual as you care to make it.
