/ CULINARY / floors of reclaimed barn wood. Inspired cocktails headline the evening before you cruise through the tasting menu or Chapman’s standards, including seasonal soups, garnished in the bowl and poured tableside. It’s your lucky night if TD Niche Farm’s Heritage Pork Tasting is on offer—the dish stars pork from the Elk Creek, Nebraska, farm prepared five ways and brilliantly presented. Across the street, Provisions by The Grey Plume creates and sells house-made condiments, jams and preserves in addition to divulging Chapman’s techniques during hands-on cooking classes. — Elizabeth Hey The Mixing Bowl 1945 10th St., Gering 308-633-1288 • mixingbowlgering.com Chef Jamie Meisner established The Mixing Bowl with a handful of goals: to bring a well-executed menu emphasizing local ingredients to Gering, to keep the atmosphere casual and to honor the Midwestern style of German cooking she learned in her grandmother’s kitchen. So take a cue from the locals who stream in for breakfast (including Sunday brunch), lunch or nothing but baked goods—no one’s judging, and the diversity here is delicious. Try the breakfast burritos: pork layered with fluffy eggs, melty cheese and Meisner’s salsa on a locally made tortilla. For lunch, opt for the pineapple express burger, a flavor infusion with peach-habanero sauce, grilled pineapple and bacon. Just don’t leave without checking the bakery case—it’s where Meisner really lets her heritage shine. Amid cupcakes and cinnamon rolls, eye for German-inspired pretzels and grebel, a doughnut of sorts that tastes best right out of Meisner’s kitchen with any of her restaurant’s espresso drinks. —Editorial staff The Peppermill THE MIXING BOWL, GERING 502 E. Hwy. 20, Valentine 402-376-2800 • peppermillvalentine.com You may know it as the “Cornhusker State,” but Nebraska has also been nicknamed the “Beef State” because of the 6.8 million cattle raised annually on its ranches. That makes Nebraska a fine place to order a steak. I like The Peppermill in Valentine. The restaurant’s grain-fed beef comes from area ranches. Working with a local grocer to prepare and age the beef makes it taste even better, according to Robert Joseph. The Peppermill owner is a sixth-generation rancher; third generation to run the restaurant. With steak in mind, I pass the temptations of entrees such as the Sandhills fish fry. I notice a menu dedicated to steak —eight different cuts from prime rib to sirloin—and take the server’s recommendation on the 14-ounce ribeye. The texture and taste are so good, I don’t add any sauces, though the restaurant’s steak seasoning, following the recipe of Robert’s great-grandfather, makes a flavorful souvenir. —Mike Whye Actual, Factual Nebraska Family-operated Sehnert’s Bakery in McCook has been in business for more than 60 years. Stop in for bieroc, a savory blend of ground beef and cabbage wrapped in dough and baked ’til golden, gourmet sandwiches, espresso drinks and even live music. CREDITS: THE MIXING BOWL; OLSON’S PHOTOGRAPHY VisitNebraska.com 21
Nebraska Official State Travel Guide The Official 2019 Not-At-All What You Thought State Travel Guide: Page 25
