ORLEANS ROOM
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★
Districts: Blackstone
Modern French Restaurant & Cafe
Perfect For: Breakfast/brunch; Drinks; Happy Hour; Lunch; Upscale Dining
Standout Dishes: Corned Beef Hash; Prime Ribeye; Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict
In my experience, it’s rare for a hotel to have one great restaurant, much less two. Most hotels figure their guests will make dinner plans elsewhere and figure they can get away with offering room service and a decent bar/bistro. Some higher-end concepts pour all their food resources into creating a special dining experience at their signature restaurant. But for a hotel to feature two standout eateries is nearly unheard of.
That’s what makes the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel so unique. Its dining accommodations would’ve been uncommonly grand if it stopped with the fantastic Committee Chophouse. But the hotel pushed its chips in even further with the Orleans Room, and that bet is paying off handsomely.
But before we get to the food (which is excellent), it must be mentioned that you can have a great time at Orleans Room without eating a bite. The selection of liquors, wines, and house cocktails (which change seasonally) is excellent, and the atmosphere is perfect to release your inhibitions and relax for an evening. The bartenders are knowledgeable, accommodating, and adept at making delicious drinks.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week, Orleans Room has a swanky, upscale atmosphere without feeling stuffy. It’s upscale yet inviting, and while both the decor and ambience suggest this is a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, it’s welcoming and at a price point that anyone could dine here.
Sure, you could come in and go all out with the Prime Ribeye, an enormous cut of rich, juicy beef that’s tender enough to cut with a butter knife. The fat in this heavily marbled steak renders down and melts so that it bastes the meat from the inside, emphasizing that beef flavor while giving the meat a buttery texture. A horseradish cream adds a spiciness that wakes up the sinuses without overwhelming the dish.
Add in a side of the German Potato Salad, which features tender, lightly fried potatoes, sautéed peppers, and sweet pearl onions, and you have a plate worthy of splurging on.
Don’t feel like going all out on a steak dinner? Orleans Room also offers a burger (amped up with pork belly and greyere cheese) and the Blackstone Reuben, which is, according to the voters in the 2022 Blackstone Reuben Debate, among Omaha’s finest.
It’s difficult to debate with the voters’ decision. Orleans Room’s Reuben starts with a spiced, salty brisket that’s so tender it practically falls apart on its own. The toasted rye bread practically oozes butter upon a bite, and the sauerkraut adds a nice acidic punch. The tanginess of the 1000 Island dressing is more muted in this version, and the greyere cheese isn’t as powerful as the traditional Swiss, but this allows the delicious meat to further stand out.
While these dishes are familiar to the American palate, much of Orleans Room’s menu is focused on French cuisine. It allows you to expand your culinary repertoire by experiencing dishes like pate, beef tartare, and a Croque Madame sandwich.
For all the goodness Orleans Room has to offer, it might shine brightest during the first meal of the day (on Saturday and Sunday, at least): brunch.
Chef Zach Choquette has equal talents for balancing flavor and exquisite plating, and he gets to show it off during everyone’s favorite weekend meal. The Corned Beef Hash (featured in the header photo) is almost too beautiful to eat; that is, until you take your first bite. Then you can’t stop shoveling it in fast enough. The same brilliant corned beef that elevates the Blackstone Reuben is combined with crispy shaved brussels sprouts, acidic red cabbage, buttery fried potatoes, and a perfectly cooked fried egg. The kicker is the pops of tang from mustard seeds littered throughout the dish. This plate is as stunning flavor-wise as it is visually.
But that’s only the beginning of the brunch brilliance. In the wrong hands, the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict would be too salty, but Orleans Room provides balance with a creamy hollandaise and runny egg yolk. The version with jambon de bayone, a cured ham often referred to as “French priscuitto”, may be even better, as this meat contains more umami and less salt.
The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are velvety and sweet enough to be enjoyed even without syrup, and fresh blueberries add pangs of sweetness and juiciness. The eggs in the French Omelet are cooked to a creamy, silky perfection, the filling of creamy ricotta and earthy mushroom duxelle made the flavor pop.
If you’re on the run and don’t have time for a full meal, grab a pastry to go. The traditional Croissant is everything you want it to be; rich and flaky with butter gushing forth in every bite.
Prefer a sweet breakfast? Opt for the Chocolate Croissant, which does not skimp on the “chocolate” portion of that title. Where most bakeries/restaurants add just a touch of chocolate, biting into the middle of this doughy delicacy causes an eruption of rich, gooey chocolate that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
You’re lucky to get a stale bagel at most hotels. These pastries rival and even surpass what you’ll find at most bakeries.
As brilliant as the food is, one could visit the Orleans Room and have a great time without taking a single bite. The restaurant has a wide range of spirits and wines, and its bartenders know how to make a mean cocktail.
There’s no doubting that the Committee Chophouse is the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel’s signature restaurant, but I appreciate that the hotel refused to stop there. In establishing the Orleans Room, it not only empowered Choquette to show off his prowess, but it created a fun cocktail lounge with killer food and a standout brunch. That dedication to culinary excellence isn’t often found in hotels, and the Cottonwood should be celebrated for it.
May I suggest you celebrate with an incredible brunch?