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My wife and I used to wonder what the drover was when we passed by, and eventually stopped by one night because we decided it must have been a cowboy-dive-bar, but it was so much better than that!
I'm going to start off this review by casually mentioning that I don't eat steak anywhere but my backyard; it's not that I'm snobby or cheap (well, I'm both of those; but it's unrelated to the steak thing); it's just that I only like steak prepared one way: not overdone; and it seems that's just too difficult for most places - not the drover!
We've had a variety of things here and there is really no reason to get anything but the whiskey marinated bone-in ribeye. All of the food is good, but why go to the best steak house in town and get anything but steak? The salad bar is basically crap, but again, that's not why you come here.
The atmosphere is what cheesy 'old time' steak houses strive for and always end up missing, a sort of rustically elegant. I think this has to do with the fact that this place is /actually/ 'old time'. Also, there are no lights, so if you are coming in for lunch during the summer be prepared to wait a few minutes for your night vision to come on; and if you have trouble reading in the dark you may want to bring one of those owl magnifier light thingies from as-seen-on-tv so you can read the menu (not that you really have to: see below).
The only thing that you really need to know is this: go to The Drover, get a whiskey marinated [meat product], bask in it's blissful heaven.
People thought this was:
Pros: Very unique, an old standby of a bygone era
Cons: Dark, not the best steak, dark, bad service, did I mention dark???
Eating in the dark has never been so much fun! The Drover is another one of those Omaha institutions that gets a lot more praise than it probably should because it's been around for so long and is one of the local establishments standing its ground to the ever growing unfortunate invasion of chain restaurants that are spreading like the swine flu in this town. However, it's fun for a trip back to the wild west and for a steakhouse experience that isn't overly fancy or pretentious. If only they served sarsaparilla...
The steak isn't the best, but it's decent enough. The salad bar is similar to Pizza Hut. You can still see the lingering smoke in the air from yesteryear before Omaha joined the masses and initiated a public smoking ban. The dark scenery is great if you're taking a date you don't want to show to the public. It also camouflages the servers. It seems like I can't ever find mine. Hmm...
Omaha has many great steakhouses (it's the steak capital of the country, after all), but this wouldn't be my first choice. However, if you do end up here, you should enjoy your steak without any major problems.
People thought this was:
What do you get when you mix 1970's decor, with tasty steaks, and unpretentious service?
Sizzler's? Uh, not quite that low. Aim a little higher.
Outback Steakhouse? Go up a little bit from that and drop the accent.
Black Angus? You are getting real close!
The Drover!
In a town with a name synonomous with steaks, Omaha, there is this good old fashioned steak house about 10 miles west of Old Downtown., The Drover.
What is the Drover?
A Hugh Jackman and NIcole Kidman Movie?
(That was the Aussie title. The US title was "Australia")
No, I said to drop the accent!
It is the guy who drives the cattle in a cattle herd.
Uh, wouldn't that be called "The Driver"?
Uh, dunno, maybe 'cuz they ain't too many left, it is past tense?
Actually, speaking of past tense, The Drover is a throwback to the 1970's steakhouse, like Black Angus. It has brick walls, a western theme, dark wood accents, and little square rooms with 4 tables each. A Black Angus wannabee.
Hey, if your nostalgic, they offer a salad bar, and your choice of soup or salad with a round loaf of wheat bread on a board with a knife, and choice of baked potato, fries, rice or vegetable. Just like it was everywhere back in the 70's. Victoria Station, Gullivers, Hungry Hunter, Black Angus!
All you need is to come in your Metro pants, your Nik-Nik shirts, and your Flagg Brothers or Little Daisy platform shoes, straw hat, with your velveteen burgundy jacket while wearing your Brut or Charlie!! It is your pre-disco dinner meal before your spark after dark Dance Your Ass Off!!
Wait, is that the Bee Gees I hear playing in the Muzak? No, maybe it is the Sugar Hill Gang.
The Grover has their own Famous Recipe Whiskey Sauce. They offer it in a Filet (8 oz, $32.95), a Sirloin (10 oz, $21.95), NY Strip (14oz, $31.95) or in a Rib-Eye (14oz, $32.95).
They also have Trail Boss Prime Rib (18oz, $27.95), Pork Chops, Shrimp, Crablegs, Steak and Lobster (Market), Chicken Breast, Halibut, and Salmon. Also Sirloin Burgers and Fries ($8.95).
Their wine selection is mostly California with some Aussie, with Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot and Zinnie. They have Special Reserve by the bottle of some pretty good Cali wineries. like Caymus, Niebaum-Coppola, Chateau St. Jean, Cakebread and Stags Leap (all over $100/btl, except Caymus, over $200). However, the menu doesn't show the vintage. There are also a smattering of Whites and Sparkling, and 3 Ports. There is also a full bar.
So rustle up the cowpokes and put on your Chaps.
Uh, only in a SF Gay bar, or out on the range!
Ok, put on your Retro 70's gear, and come on and chow down.
Or is it "Get up and Boogie?"
How about "Shake Your Booty?"
People thought this was:
Come here for steak. Great steak. Do not come here for chicken, salad, soup, sandwiches, or the sides. This place is all about the beef.
And it will be one of the best steaks you have ever had. Aged, prime meat served to you by a very efficient staff, in dim amber lighting.
The salad bar is pathetic, the side dishes aren't worth mentioning, and why come to a steakhouse for a grilled chicken breast?
The Mrs. had the whiskey fillet, and I had the whiskey rib-eye. Delicious.
The whiskey steak was wonderful is not slightly undercooked from what was ordered. The chili burger was pretty good but it was overcooked from what was ordered and the chili was drive. Staff was very friendly and attentive even though they were quite busy.
The best steakhouse in Omaha and the best value to boot.
This is not Mahogany, Flemings, Sullivans, nor Omaha Chophouse. None of the stupidity or pastiche of opulence at your typical high-end chain. No idiotic interplay with the waiter such as:
"Have you ever dined at Fleming's before?"
"Why no, I haven't."
"Well let me tell you how all of this works (dumbass!) All of our steaks are dry-aged to perfection in our onsite cooler for three weeks. They are cooked in our 10,000 degree oven that is capable of incinerating a block of granite in three minutes flat."
"Our lobsters were pulled from the Atlantic this morning. They flew by Marquis Jet to Omaha, all the while being fellated by high-class hookers retained by the Fleming's organization for this very purpose. That is why our lobsters are SO tender and buttery."
"Our sides are intended to feed most of the starving population of Burkina Faso. Our truffled mashed potatoes are a hybrid-cross, and as such, they were rooted by specially-bred pigs that track them with their refined sense of smell. As a consequence of in vitro cloning, the pigs also have two willies!"
I have not had the guts to do it, but I want one of those future conversations to go like this:
""Have you ever dined at Morton's before, sir (sucker)?"
"Why no, I haven't. I just walked out of the Amazon, shaved and showered, and decided to walk through your front door. What is this oversized card you have set in front of me with descriptions of food and numbers on it? What are these metal instruments at either side of me?! What are these clear, cold orbs floating in my water glass? Who are you? Help me understand what is going on here!"
Nope. You'll get none of that at The Drover.
What you will get is high quality beef. The cuts are thick, but not stupid. They cook consistently all the way through. The meat is tender but not pulverized. The flavor is exquisite; rich, but not gamy. I defy you to name a better piece of meat in this town.
The sides are adequate. How do you f-up a baked potato? You don't! They manage to keep it together at The Drover.
The wine list will surprise you. It is not akin in length to War and Peace (Good Lord, Mahogany!) and they will not push some $120 Wine Expectorator "Burgundy of the Week" on your sorry, gullible, soon-to-be-broke ass. This is Omaha after all, not West Omaha. And there is little markup, even on the high-end plonk.
The salad bar is classic. The self-proclaimed first salad bar in Omaha. I love you Drover, but the canned beats may still be from that opening night. That is why I love you.
The atmosphere is top notch. Any date is smokin' in that light (dim would be a charitable adjective), and I am reminded of a bygone era in this town. Men were men, women were women and gambling and drunk driving were official sports in the Nebraska State Games (Runner up in the youth category, 1988, thank you very much).
Yeah, I conceed Gorat's is tired, Cascio's is inedible, Pete's is still good (though the steak's consistency there sometimes reminds me of my old, worn-out penny loafers). Anthony's has gone off the rez. I still drop by occasionally, to check up on these old girlfriends, just to see if I am missing out on anything (And I'm not, on all counts). They razed Ross' (my former favorite) and turned it into a Runza. That is like trading Frank Robinson for Milt (Papa Bear) Pappas.
But the Drover strikes the balance perfectly. It is a time warp, but you walk out so happy and satisfied. The food is GOOD. Your stomach is full, your heart so,so impure and... LOOK OUT FOR THAT SWERVING TOWN CAR!
God, I love Omaha!
People thought this was:
I came to Nebraska looking for a great steak and I left the state satisfied. The Drover has fantastic steak! (fyi, I had the Whiskey Ribeye) Very tender and cooked to perfection. The sides (a potato dish and a vegetable) were also fine.
Negatives: go for the soup because the salad bar just has iceberg lettuce and a minimum of typical Midwestern toppings (peppers, croutons, etc). The wine list is abbreviated and not impressive. The decor is from sometime in the early '70s.
Overall, though, I would say this is a good value--steaks come with the side dishes and it ends up being around $30-35/person with a beverage. If you just focus on the steak, this is a good choice.
People thought this was:
I have to admit that I love The Drover in a sick way. From the 70s throwback decor to the delicious whiskey marinade filet, I'm sold. The wait staff is always helpful and friendly, they have a relatively legitimate wine list and their baked potatoes are kind of what I imagine heaven could taste like. My friends adore the salad bar, but I'm not a huge fan of iceberg and more iceberg. You have to come here. It's seriously wonderful- they even have fresh loaves of bread for the table! A hidden gem for sure.
They make a good steak. They are famous for their Whiskey steaks, which adds a uniqueness that I really enjoyed. I'm not usually a fan of steak marinades, but this one was subtle and worked well. The steaks without the marinade were tender and flavorful as well, but if you're here instead of being at some other steakhouse, the Whiskey steaks are probably the reason why.
So great steaks are always a good thing. But what makes the Drover such a great place to bring visitors is it's Midwest character, both in decor and in the menu.
Read my whole review here:
http://www.gastronomic...
People thought this was:
I visited this restaurant when in US on a business trip from my home country of Australia back in 2001. Omaha is possibly one of the most boring cities I've ever been to, but this restaurant was spectacular. I had prime rib for the very first time in my life and ever since then it's been my absolute favourite steak. You can't actually get prime rib in Australia, except at specialized places such as the San Francisco Grill at the bottom of the Hilton in the middle of the city. It was absolutely tremendous here - 22oz "trail boss" is what they call it at the Drover, if memory serves. To this date, this place ranks as the best steakhouse I've ever eaten at. I never had the whiskey filet but work partners have told me that it's fantastic.
One of the VP's of my company was on that business trip at the time. We were being hosted by our US customer and maybe a week or two later all our reps and theirs were at another steakhouse bizarrely- themed after a Benedictine monastery. During the conversation, we were all talking about how good the food was there. The VP in question frowned, shrugged and said "well, it's good, but it's not the Drover." Of course, there was a few seconds of silence but I was totally laughing inside. For years afterward, we used that phrase of his to indicate something that wasn't absolutely perfect. Servers needed to be rebooted because they "weren't the Drover". People took sick days because they "weren't the Drover".
Anyway, summarizing: Greatest steakhouse I've ever been to in the US. And the red-headed chef liked me. Unfortunately, he was a guy..
People thought this was:
This is by far my favorite steakhouse in Omaha. It has yet to disappoint. On a recent visit, the whiskey strip and whiskey fillet were sampled. To get anything but a whiskey marinated steak is blasphemous. They were both cooked perfectly to a medium rare, thick and juicy. The salad bar is average as previously reviewed, as were the baked potatoes and grilled vegetables. The steaks on the other hand were fabulous as always, with a hint of flavor from the whiskey marinade, plus the perfect char on the outside, which allowed it to perfectly melt in the mouth. The service was also amazing, and with a 30 minute wait on a Tuesday evening, the place was packed with business types and the older couples normally found at old school steakhouses. We were made perfectly comfortable while waiting. The host went out of his way to continually check on us. They have one separate cocktail waitress that kept drinks full throughout the evening beginning with the wait for a table. The wine list is simple, but serviceable, and the drinks are stiff. The prices are reasonable for such quality, between $25 and $35 for steaks on the menu. All other steakhouses in this great steak state pale in comparison to this Omaha original.
Everone say this restaurant is great. We went there on New Years Eve. I ordered my steak medium rare and, after a long wait, it came out well-done and cool. Two others had the same problem. We sent them back and they came out with well-done warm steaks. Finally we were led to believe that this was as good as we were going to get. They may have been having a bad night, but I'm not giving them another chance. I can cook a much better steak in my back yard.
This place had very good steak marinated in their special whiskey sauce! The staff was wonderful and attentive. The ambiance was one of a typical steak house- exposed brick, dimly lit, etc. I prefer more lighted places and some with a bit more pizzaz where I'd expect people my age to be and not those of my parent's!
People thought this was:
The bone in ribeye whiskey style was great. Cooked to perfection, the steak was extremely tender and full of melt in your mouth goodness. Haven't tried the sides or dessert, but the steak was well worth the recommendations. Service was good, but wait was a bit long for the steaks. Place is rather dark and has a dated feel.
As the other reviewers have stated, The Drover is the place to go for steak! Probably the very best filet I have ever had, not even a speck of grizzle that sometimes turns up even in the most expensive restaurants. Not exactly cheap at $31 for the 8 ounce filet but worth the price. Cooked exactly as ordered (rare). Simple salad bar and choice of baked, fries, rice or vegetable of the day included. Full bar available and reasonably priced. Good selection of wines, not broad in quantity but of generally good quality at a decent price.
Omaha, NE
Category: French
Omaha, NE
Category: Steakhouses
Omaha, NE
Category: Indian
Omaha, NE
Category: American (New)
Omaha, NE
Category: Nightlife
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