The little village of Dodge, Nebraska has a population of around 600 people, some lovely outdoor spaces, a handful of terrific locally-owned businesses…and the kind of restaurant you might expect to find in a much larger town.
Eat Restaurant hasn’t been around long; they opened in 2015 in a building that was once a bank. The bank itself has a long and interesting history. It was built in 1910 but closed not long after in 1929 when the stock market crashed.
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After that, the cute little building on Second Street sat empty for decades. A few businesses moved in and then left before Eat found its home there.
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The interior still reflects the building’s original purpose. It’s a small, intimate space with clusters of simple and elegant tables arranged throughout the dining area. High ceilings are adorned with the original decorative tin tiles.
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Way in the back you’ll find the most coveted seats in the house: the vault table. This is the actual bank vault, left over from the building’s earliest days.
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It’s easily the most unusual, intimate space in the restaurant, perfect for the most special of events.
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To be fair, though, there’s really no bad seat in this restaurant. The decor is simple and folksy with classy little touches throughout.
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The very best part of Eat is, of course, the impeccable food. If you don’t live in the Dodge area, these area meals worth traveling for.
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Chef Michael Glissman spent the first part of his career at upscale restaurants in California before returning to his home state to open Eat with his mother, Lin Schwanebeck.
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The food is a delicate balance between the hearty, down-home food locals are used to and high-class, high-concept, high-quality fare you would find in a large city.
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There are plenty of dishes on the menu that you would recognize, and even find on the menu at plenty of other area restaurants. But Eat puts a subtle twist on every meal; unique ingredients take the place of their more mundane counterparts.
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You can get a burger or prime rib here, just like at any other small-town restaurant in Nebraska, but you can bet that it’ll be the highest quality cuts of meat prepared with great care and the freshest ingredients.
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You can find Eat at 327 Second St. in Dodge. It’s open Monday - Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eat is closed on Thursday.
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For more information and current specials, follow Eat on their Facebook page.
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Hungry for another unexpected restaurant in small-town Nebraska? Check out this fantastic Indian place located inside a truck stop in central Nebraska.
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