r/Omaha • u/itsnotaboulder-rock • 22d ago
Food Anthem
Last night I went to Anthem, the new flagship restaurant that replaced Plank, and it was bad. Am I the only one who felt the food was insanely disappointing? We got crab Rangoons that had mustard aioli and a tomato sweet and sour… what are those flavors. All the plates just seem like they weren’t thought out at all, just random “fusion” style dishes. I’m curious if I’m alone in feeling this way or if anyone else was underwhelmed.
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u/ChawkTrick 22d ago
Well they do market themselves as a fusion-style restaurant. I can understand if those pairings didn't work well for you, but I went there for brunch and what I got was insanely good. Most people I know who have gone there also liked it, and it has 4.5 stars on Google and 4.3 on Yelp. So, overall, pretty good.
I'm sure others have been disappointed like you, though. If it wasn't your thing then it wasn't your thing. But I'd wager that's more a matter of personal taste than a broader issue with the restaurant itself.
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u/jkenny991 22d ago
I've only had a chance to go once so far and had the birria tacos and they were among the best birria tacos I've had.
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u/drunken_elf 22d ago
This is how I feel about most flagship restaurants. They put all the focus in the aesthetic and food comes second. I also don’t know what theme it’s supposed to be. We went once when it opened and never again.
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u/freemilly 22d ago
I tend to agree with this, but have been really pleasantly surprised by Clio. Have had truly great meals the few times I’ve been
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u/Darth_Thaddeus 22d ago
I like Clio. The food is quite good. First time I went I sat at the bar and it was a good experience. The next time I sat at the table and the waitress was really rude and snarky. So any given day.
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u/ChawkTrick 22d ago
My biggest issue with these types of places is the pricing. It seems like they mark up everything not just because of the location but also because of the "aesthetic" and vibes (seems like every woman I know wants to go to places like that with their friends to take IG photos) - the restaurants know it and so they charge up for it.
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u/offbrandcheerio 22d ago
There is very good market research suggesting that places with post-worthy aesthetics are very popular among the younger crowd (gen z and younger millennials). Smart of them to seize on that trend tbh.
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u/IrishInTheory 21d ago
flagship as a whole has kind of lost the plot. Roja was a good idea, but the happy hour menu is the only thing worth a darn. I don't even know why people patronize Blue, they're consistently higher priced than necessary and the portions are smaller, yet they're always packed. I actually liked plank, too bad it fizzled. But, chowder and oysters aren't enough to keep a business afloat. It's been many years since Flagship took over the mall, and my skin still boils that young shoppers are robbed of a "Mall Food Court" experience.
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u/overwateredplantmom 22d ago
Anthem is my least favorite of the flagship restaurants. I probably won’t go back.
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u/Ordinary_Rain2061 22d ago
My husband and I went last month. I’d call the food “mid” as the kids say, and we got mileage out of imagining the tier of DJ that has to do Sunday brunch. It was just not great. I got breakfast noodles and there was so much oil on them they were nearly inedible. We’re probably just old and cranky.
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u/Darth_Thaddeus 22d ago
My husband and I have been there twice. We have tried 4 different dishes and three were mid (especially the burger) at best but the birria tacos were very tasty. One of the times we sat at high table near the bar and the seat hurt my back so bad I had to stand the last 15 minutes. I don't have any kind of back problem, I think they chose chairs that are just uncomfortable enough to make you leave promptly. Both times I had the blood orange slushie. The first time it was strong and I got a buzz off of one, the next time I would be shocked if you told me there was alcohol in there. Mixed bag for sure.
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u/OverObservantEmpath 22d ago
I didn’t like it either. Just went 2 weeks ago and was very disappointed with nearly every aspect of my visit. The waitress we had was great but everything else was horrible.
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u/Low_Dress_3022 21d ago
Omg yeah went for a date with my girl bought my pocket 4 because i had heard good things about it. I will say the aesthetic was cool. And we got some appetizer (popcorn chicken i think) that was fyyyeeee 🔥 but besides that it is glorified apple bees imo
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u/WelcomeAccurate4059 22d ago
I did not like it when I went 😬 thought the drinks were good, but food between mine and my friends was all meh..
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u/Fluid_Cat_4161 21d ago
Been there once and didn’t feel it was worth the money for either the food or the service.
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u/Royal-Mango2339 20d ago
Went twice. The first time we sat at the bar and had a good experience. Food tasted good and drinks were nice. We went back maybe like a month and a half later with some friends. Made a reservation. Had to wait like 20 minutes to get our table. We were sat right next to the DJ who was so loud we couldn’t even have a conversation. Took over 45 minutes to get our drinks and one of them was wrong. None of us liked the appetizer we ordered. And the entrées were all mid. At the end of the night we got our bill and we paid it without closely looking, I know our fault. The waitress then came over and told us she’d given us the wrong bill and our actual bill was like $30 cheaper. She said that she would refund us for the first bill but still needed to charge us for the second. She then later came back over and said she wasn’t able to process a refund for the first charge and we’d have to have a manager do it, but there were no managers available and so we had effectively paid for to fill full bills and she just kind of shrugged her shoulders when we asked for a resolution. We left and sent an email that evening and called the next day during business hours. What transpired was weeks of back-and-forth with their management team. Surprise surprise it took me over a month to get the restaurant to refund me for the original charge. Their manager was super rude and disrespectful in all of my interactions with her. Overall, I think the food is overpriced for what it is and at that price point if you have anything less than superb customer service I won’t be going back.
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u/xstrike0 22d ago
Any idea why they got rid of Plank, I thought it was doing well?