CATTLE CALL

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

Bar with dumplings and elevated late night bites

Perfect For: Casual Dining; Drinks; Date Night

Standout Dishes: Ponchiki; Crudo; Chicken Thigh Roulade; Chicken Momos

Cattle Call is a restaurant of many faces. Is it a swanky cocktail bar with great drinks? A casual eatery serving Nepalese dumplings? A late night haunt with killer sandwiches? Or a cozy restaurant with elevated plates perfect for date night.

Somehow, it serves as all of the above.

When the owners of Kathmandu Momo Station announced they were opening a bar that would serve late night food downtown, it was met with great excitement. Kathmandu’s plump, delightful dumplings have become beloved in Omaha, and the ability to get them in a different part of town (and late night) was an exciting proposition.

But while the momos are great at Cattle Call (located off 14th and Farnam), there’s a lot more than dumplings coming out of this kitchen. In addition to an impressive cocktail and wine lineup, Cattle Call is serving some of the best food in downtown Omaha.

Head chef Abraham Vidaurre is one of the youngest chefs leading a kitchen in Omaha, yet you’d never know it eating the plates put together by this team that successfully integrates cuisines from all across the globe.

The result is a fusion menu that blurs the line between Eastern and Western cuisines, but in a way that pays respect to both.

The menu changes seasonally, so (other than the ubiquitous momos), your options could change every time you visit. It’s a menu that’s made to be shared, as there are more small plates and desserts than there are entrees. You can get a big plate if you want, but Cattle Call encourages you to try a little bit of everything with your friends.

I certainly hope the Morgan Ranch Ribeye (pictured in the header photo) is available, because it’s a better piece of beef you’ll get than in most Omaha steakhouses. Juicy and deeply savory with just the right amount of fat, the ribeye is cooked to a perfect medium rare with a nice caramelized crust, accented by the umami of the whiskey soy jus. The steak itself is seasoned very well, though when eaten with the horseradish yuzu cream and crispy shallots it becomes heavy on salt.

The Chicken Thigh Roulade is another great example of cohesive fusion. The chicken is moist and juicy with a perfectly crispy exterior. It’s joined by an aloo chop, a Nepalese potato cake that’s essentially a puck of fried mashed potatoes, a smoked gouda mornay sauce, and kohlrabi kimchi. Flavors and techniques from Italy, Nepal, Korea, and France all come together beautifully in one dish.

You don’t need to understand the combination of cultures to enjoy this food, however. The fish in the Morro Bay Black Cod combines a flaky flesh with a crispy exterior, and the calabrian puree brings a nice heat that slowly creeps up as you devour the fish, chickpeas, and fresh vegetables. The Morgan Ranch Short Rib is so buttery tender it practically melts on your tongue, and Cattle Call pairs it with a creamy, smooth risotto that still allows each grain of rice to have a slight bite. The rich, deep beef jus ties it all together.

And if you want momos, Cattle Call has you covered there, too. You can get them stuffed with pork, chicken, or vegan filling, and they can be steamed or fried and paired with a variety of house sauces. These plump, tender parcels are a great snack to share among friends or have as a meal.

If you’re looking for a downtown Omaha spot to share several plates tapas-style, Cattle Call’s small plates menu is perfect. Options like the Longwalk Beets, which pairs wonderfully tender roasted beets and a creamy labneh, and the Crudo, with its cuts of silky salmon and an umami-forward miso creme fraiche, are perfect to split among a group, allowing you to explore more of the diverse menu.

Great as the entrees and shared plates are, the highlights just might be for dessert. This is the work of a seasoned pastry chef.

If all Cattle Call served were Pochinki, a cinnamon sugar-dusted cross between a churro and a donut hole, that would be enough. The heavenly soft offerings are a perfect pairing for the luscious, bitter dark chocolate cremeux. But this kitchen is also cranking out a melt-in-your-mouth, sweet, vegetal Matcha Panna Cotta and a Puff Pastry with layer after layer of flaky goodness and an airy, sweet passion fruit diplomat cream crown.

The Cream Puff is almost like a sandwich that has flaky, layered pastry as “buns” to hold in a smooth, luscious whipped white chocolate ganache. Mounted with a funky, zippy zuzu curd, it’s downright delicious.

And the Whipped Rice Pudding has a rich, coconut milk-forward sweetness paired with creamy rice, sweet caramelized dates, and ginger meringues that eat like clouds once you break through the crisp outer exterior.

But the best menu item might just be one that isn’t available until the wee hours of the night (10PM or later). But the Momo Burger is worth staying up for.

Remember those amazing dumplings I raved about a few paragraphs ago? Well, this dish basically takes them and repurposes them in burger form. The ground chicken or pork is formed into a juicy, rich patty with a brilliant, umami-laden caramelization from the flattop. Smoked gouda adds a gooey, smoky component and shredded lettuce adds a fresh crispness, but it’s the deep-fried momo skins that make this one of the best burgers in Omaha. The strips puff up into crunchy chicharron-like curls that add brilliant texture to the burger.

Alongside Cattle Call’s terrific menu is a strong drink program, with craft cocktails, draft beer, and dozens of wine offerings, which can also be ordered by the bottle for retail. The Old Fashioned is ridiculously smooth with just the right amount of smoky, bitter notes.

Whether you’re looking for a meal in downtown Omaha or some drinks before or after an event, Cattle Call’s dark, moody interior matches the occasion. The dining room is well spaced, and giant plate windows offer great downtown Omaha people watching. You can also watch your food be cooked thanks to Cattle Call’s open kitchen, which has Chef Abe and his team’s hard work in full view.

Cattle Call is something completely unique to Omaha. It’s a bar with delicious cocktails, but it also has a kitchen putting together flavors and techniques you won’t find anywhere else. Oh, and the kitchen is open until midnight, providing late night bites beyond nachos or a sloppy burger.

By all means, you can come into Cattle Call and have a great time with just a plate of momos. But if you open your mind and explore this menu, you’re going to experience one of the more unique and delicious menus in Omaha.