V. MERTZ

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

Upscale Dining with Tasting Menu

Perfect For: Date Night; Upscale Dining; Drinks

Standout Dishes: Tasting Menu; Coconut Bread; Bucatini

If you’re looking for a dining experience that temporarily transports you out of Omaha, V. Mertz might just be your spot.

On our inaugural visit, my wife and I didn’t feel like we were dining in an Omaha restaurant. We both remarked that we felt more as we did on our honeymoon, and while V. Mertz might not be located on a Jamaican beach, it has transportive powers that elevate the dining experience.

Part of this feeling is due to the restaurant’s location. Tucked into the bottom level of the passageway in the Old Market, V. Mertz temporarily blocks out reminders of the outside world and creates an intimate experience. Nestled into this nook of brick walls and dim lighting, you encounter a near-perfect dining event, from the eye-opening cuisine to the friendliness of the staff and the spot-on recommendations of the sommeliers.

A meal here doesn’t just feel like dinner. It’s something special.

It all starts with the food, the inventive connections dreamed up by executive chef Amanda Sheeler and her team. At V. Mertz, you’ll experience a litany of flavors, textures, and techniques in masterful and surprising dishes. One of the restaurant’s strongest traits is its ability to subvert diner expectations; you read the menu and think you know what to expect, but when the dish arrives and you dig in, you find yourself simultaneously astonished and thrilled.

The team is constantly changing based on what ingredients are fresh and what genius ideas enter their heads. They can take a humble ingredient like a macadamia nut and transform it into a creamy, salty mousse that pairs perfectly with an acidic poached pear and pickled grapes. He makes his own cottage cheese—a detestable food item in the eyes of many, including this writer—and immerses it in a parmesan and prosciutto broth, which infuses it with more interesting flavors and mellows out the chewy, curd-y texture.

Some of the restaurant’s best work is done with the Bucatini, a dish that combines thick noodles with a hollow center and a carrot bolognese. Bolognese is typically very meat and wine forward, and on its face, the idea of making carrot the featured flavor is odd. But V. Mertz tops this pasta with a bed of crispy charcuterie, which adds a salty element to go along with the sweetness of the carrot. Imagine handmade pasta combined with the flavor of candied bacon.

Masterful as V. Mertz is in transforming ingredients, it does just as well elevating already delicious elements. Striped bass is a flaky, buttery fish, but V. Mertz provides texture contrast by crisping the skin and serving it with fingerling potatoes. A delectably salty potato broth ties every together.

The best example of this elevation is the Wagyu Tenderloin from Morgan Farms. This medallion of beef is already so well-marbled and tender, most home cooks could turn it into a delicious dish. But put that tenderloin in V. Mertz’s hands, and it becomes the best steak I’ve ever tasted. Each bite exudes a burst of buttery sweetness, and the minimal preparation allows the meat itself to shine. The beef is tremendous on its own, but you’ll find yourself tempted to return again and again to the provided peppercorn dipping sauce, a creamy, peppery concoction that pairs perfectly with the hearty steak.

Though V. Mertz has a menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, to get the full experience one should indulge with the tasting menu, a six-course meal accompanied with multiple amuse bouches, petite fours, and a palate cleanser between dinner and dessert (ours was a delightful poached pear sorbet with pickled blueberries). The experience can be ramped up even further with wine pairings, which are delivered and thoroughly explained by one of the friendly sommeliers in a way even a complete wine novice (hand raised) can comprehend.

One does not, however, have to partake in the tasting menu to have their culinary mind expanded by V. Mertz. The restaurant possesses the ability to alter the way you see cheeseburgers moving forward with the Morgan Ranch Cheeseburger Au Poivre, a softball-sized puck of succulent Wagyu beef tucked into a blanket of gooey American cheese. If it’s not Omaha’s best burger, it’s on the short list.

Or you can feast on the Confit Pork Shoulder on a Roll, V. Mertz’s playful rendition on the classic beef & cheddar sandwich. It’s reminiscent of barbecued (char siu) pork; the cut is tender and carries a delightful caramelized sweetness, which is accented by a tangy mustard vinaigrette and a creamy roulade.

Whether you indulge with the tasting menu and wine pairings or belly up to the bar for cocktails and a charcuterie plate, V. Mertz’s service is impeccable and customizes the dining experience to your desires. Every restaurant says they put the needs and wants of the customer first; V. Mertz is one of the best at actually carrying through on that promise.

And you’ll be transported to a different place that you and your tastebuds have not yet experienced.