Omaha Jack’s Grillhouse & Brewery

December 11, 2008

Rancho Cucamonga, CA – This was another restaurant I found while driving around town one day. I stopped in to pick up a menu to see what they had to offer. Looking at the steaks convinced me to add Omaha Jack’s to my To-Do list. Today was the day to try it out. I’d be having dinner this time.

It had been a long day with a lot of very bad news. A nagging sinus headache came on around 5:00 pm. To be honest, I was not really in the mood to have a new dining experience, much less be able to enjoy it, but it was either today or sometime next year. So I decided to stick with the plan.

Walking into Omaha Jack’s Grillhouse and Brewery you’ll find a Pac-Man table game on your left and a toy grabber game on your right. Directly in front is a rounded wood-paneled station where the head waitress greets you. Again, I was in a bad mood when I walked in so I failed to really appreciate the décor. It appears to be designed around the bar area, which was pretty expansive. A handful of big-screen television sets are mounted on walls, etc. A giant-screen television held court over the east wall. Thursday Night Football was on and the bar was almost full of patrons. The bar is divided from the dining area by curved wood panels. The dining area itself appears to be divided into a main area and an area orbiting it. On reflection, it seems to be laid out this way to accommodate a louder crowd at the bar, small to large groups in the main area, and a more intimate (if you can call it that) area around the outside. Now that I think about it, the outer area has more lighting than the main area. Seems like it should be the other way around.

Omaha Jack’s features a selection of their own handcrafted micro-brew beers, brewed right here in Rancho Cucamonga by Brew Master Tracy Simmons. Omaha Jack’s features a half-dozen handcrafted varieties, all of which have won awards in fairs throughout the state. I selected the Woodshed Blonde. It’s a lighter beer, “crisp and refreshing with a touch of honey aroma”. It won a bronze certificate in the 2005 and 2007 California State Fairs, and a silver in the 2006 L.A. County and California State Fairs. Two sips in and I found myself nodding in approval. Good brew. I can see why it won so many awards.

I guess in an effort to save money these days, Omaha Jack’s only serves water upon request. Same with the bread. Bread is served on a small wooden cutting board; an herb topped, butter drizzled mini-loaf that tastes somewhat similar to sourdough. Whipped butter is provided in a stainless steel shot glass-sized container.

At first I was going to pass on the appetizers since nothing immediately jumped out at me. Then I saw something called “OmaHOG wing”. It’s so new it wasn’t on the take out menu I got a few months ago. It’s so new it’s not even listed on the website yet. It’s so new the waitress had not yet had a chance to become familiar with it. She had someone come out and explain what it was. “Why not,” I said. Then she asked if I wanted regular or spicy barbecue sauce. If you have been reading this blog you know what I ordered. So just what is an OmaHOG wing? At first glance it resembles an overcooked corn dog, stick and all. It’s served on a Romaine lettuce leaf bed in what looks like a large ladle. Hmmm. I took a bite. Turns out to be barbecued pork. The ‘stick’ is actually a bone. It’s ever-so-lightly breaded and fried, then covered in barbecue sauce. Lip-smacking good. The spicy sauce was spicy enough to get your attention. A few more spicy bites were enough to make me glad a beverage was close at hand. I’m still trying to figure out what part of the hog that piece came from.

While I was waiting I kept smelling what I thought was marijuana. I thought, “now that’s pretty bold to be smoking a joint in the kitchen of a public restaurant during peak dining hours.” I discovered the source soon after. Keep reading.

For the main course, I wanted their house special steak. With Omaha in the name, they should know from steak. The past six months I’ve been on a search for a good cut of prime rib. Omaha Jack’s ended my search. Their 16 oz. Jack’s Cut (they have a 10 oz. regular cut) is slow roasted and crusted with a special-recipe rub. I could taste crushed garlic, salt and pepper. And whatever else they put in that rub gives it a flavor I had not tasted before on prime rib. It was so savory I couldn’t get enough of it! As promised, it was tender and juicy. And that weed smell I told you about? They bring the prime rib to your table with a burning sprig of rosemary stuck in it. Like incense, the aroma wafts over the plate and into your nose. Surprisingly, after the glowing rosemary peters out, faint traces of it linger on the meat and actually enhance the flavor. The cut itself was well marbled. The only thing that detracted was a small piece of tough gristle, which I seem to find occasionally, especially in the best prime rib. The entree comes with soup or salad, and a side. My choice tonight was the Caesar Salad and rice pilaf. Some of their other steaks are cooked on a grill that they say heats up to 2,400°. That’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius.

There was no way I was going to be able to finish this meal and have room for dessert. So I decided to save some for lunch the next day and try one of their dessert specialties. They all sounded so good, especially after reading the history behind them. Turns out Jack’s wife Sarah cooked up some mean meals. Her desserts had been known to make Jack close up shop early to come in and partake. The one that won my vote tonight was the Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie. Everything you need to know about it is in the title. It is brought to your table warm. My waitress informed me that it could be served á la mode. I declined, but later regretted it. How did it taste? Delicious! There was the very slightest hint of the JD. The chocolate chips are what make this pie stand out. If the pie was this good, I can’t wait to try the other choices. To give you a teaser, one of their creations is called “mini cow pie”. Yep, cow pie. Without giving anything away, I will tell you I’ll probably order that one next time.

Jack and Sarah had it going on back in Nebraska. I’ll definitely be back to this restaurant. Pleasant surprises in every menu item, including the bread that precedes the meal. As if all that was not enough, the meal cured my headache and bad mood!

Omaha Jacks Grillhouse and Brewery – 5 forks. Very highly recommended.

Update May 2012: Omaha Jack’s has undergone some changes and is now called the Cucamonga Brewing Company. They did keep some of the same menu items and, most importantly, the on-site brewery is still there. Unfortunately, some of those changes lower their rating from 5 forks all the way down to 3.5.

Update October 15, 2014: Cucamonga Brewing Company (Omaha jack’s) has closed. It is now the Gen Korean BBQ House.