Dante chef and owner Nick Strawhecker grew up in Omaha and discovered a passion for cuisine during a four-year stay in London while his father worked abroad for First Data Resources.

“We’d go to Belgium or the Netherlands for the weekend, spend weeks at a time in Italy,” Strawhecker said. “That experience in Europe is what piqued my interest in restaurants and food.”

Strawhecker’s first job was at Baker’s in Omaha while in high school. He moved on to Pizza Hut and a couple other restaurants before graduating and attending culinary school at Johnson and Wales in Providence, R.I. From there, he went to Flagstaff, Ariz. for hotel and restaurant management. He did this while also working at other restaurants in the area. After that, he attended another culinary program in the Chianti region of Italy.

“I’m a lucky person that I kind of knew what I wanted to do at a young age,” Strawhecker said. “So I hit the ground running with my career.”

In 2008, Strawhecker moved back to Omaha to open Dante.

“That was at the beginning of the Neapolitan pizza trend that really happened on the coasts in the mid-2000’s,” Strawhecker said. “There was no Neapolitan pizza really in the Midwest so we were kind of cutting-edge in Omaha. The idea was just pizza and Italian wine and some other simple dishes. We quickly expanded from that.”

Let’s talk about the pizza at Dante for a moment. Two of the most important aspects of a pizza are crust and sauce. In my own pizza making journey, there’s a particular pizza I aspired to match. This crust comes from a pizzeria in South Seattle called Pizzeria Pulcinella. The minute I tried that pizza, I knew I had to up my own pizza game. I’ve yet to find a pizzeria this side of New York City that has come as close to Pizzeria Pulcinella as Dante has.

In fact, Dante may have ever-so-slightly bested my beloved West Coast pizza joint. The crust and the sauce are top notch. The dough is made with water, yeast, flour and salt. It’s that simple. Dante nails the proper ingredient ratios. The result is a well-seasoned, tender, crispy crust that’s both crunchy and chewy.

The tomato sauce is just as simple – hand-crushed tomatoes, olive oil and salt. Properly mixed, simply delicious.

Don’t let the simplicity of the dough and sauce fool you. Getting the right balance of ingredients while adhering to the official Neapolitan pizza standard – a seriously strict specification – is an art form.

In fact, Dante holds certification from Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), which is a stringent Italian government organization that ensures the authenticity of Neapolitan pizza. Strawhecker was personally trained by Naples native Peppe Miele, president of VPN Americas. At present, there are only 94 U.S. members in 29 states.

“They come in and certify that you’re adhering to the Neapolitan principals,” Strawhecker said. “We’re the only restaurant in Nebraska with that certification and were number 325 in the world when we got it.”

When it comes to Dante’s pasta, every dish is al dente. This includes the lasagna bolognese. Every pasta we tried was expertly cooked.

Our first visit involved that rum drink and midnight landing for cocktails. We had the ricotta and honey comb and the parsnip and caramelized fennel soup for appetizers. Jennifer chose the squid ink taglierini and crab as her entree. I went after the rigatoni bolognese. We shared a couple slices of margarita pizza and finished with dessert, butterscotch budino and two Americanos.

That rum drink is made with spiced rum and apple cinnamon infused honey and lemon. It has a touch of bitterness to it, yet remains sweet with a moderate semblance to an apple pie. It has a complex profile, and it’s an excellent cocktail.

The midnight landing is made with Maker’s Mark, apertivo, blueberry tattersall and lemon. The blueberry really comes through and plays well with the whiskey. Blueberry tattersall is a botanical liqueur that also has notes of lavender and lemon. The combination of whiskey, blueberry and citrus really blend well together.

The ricotta and honey comb comes with seasonal jam and tigelle (also known as crescentine, which are flatbreads similar to a crumpet). The plate is doused with a generous amount of honey with a fresh honeycomb, four tigelle, a dollop of jam and fresh ricotta. Our server recommended splitting the tigelle in half, topping it with the ricotta, jam and honey and making it into a sandwich. His recommendation was spot on.

The parsnip and carmelized fennel soup is creamy and silky smooth. The natural nutty pepper of the parsnips shine through, while the fennel adds a subtle sweetness with its mild anise flavor. Topped with crispy parsnips and olive oil, it’s a wonderful winter soup.

The squid ink taglierini and crab is made with calabrian chili, garlic and topped with breadcrumbs. It comes with a generous amount of crab. The taglierini holds the calabrian chili sauce well. It’s savory, has a bit of heat and is tartly acidic in all the right ways. The squid ink pasta is so stunning in its presentation, you’ll want to twist your fork in right away.

The rigatoni bolognese is a beef-and-pork ragu simmered for hours with red wine. The rigatoni is an excellent pasta for the bolognese, which is delectably savory with complex flavors that come with a long simmer. Topped with Grana Padano, it’s a fantastic bolognese.

The margarita pizza is a simple pie, made with the aforementioned delectable crust and tomato sauce. It’s topped with basil and fresh slices of mozzarella. Sometimes the simplest pizzas are the most difficult to get right, because each humble element needs to be excellent. Rest assured, the margarita pizza at Dante is among the best I’ve ever had – it might even top my list.

The butterscotch budino is made with rich, creamy butterscotch pudding, topped with a layer of salted caramel and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Surprisingly, it isn’t an overwhelmingly sweet dessert, which allows all of the ingredients to stand on their own while working together in intricate harmony. It’s certainly a delicious indulgence and worth every bite.

On our second visit, Jennifer tried the amaro old fashioned, and later, a bloody Mary. I ordered the rosey thyme. For appetizers, we selected the Dante meatballs and polenta as well as wood roasted brussels sprouts. For entrees, Jennifer had the lasagna bolognese and farm greens, while I chose the spaghetti carbonara. We couldn’t decide between two pizzas, the funghi bianco and the amori di carne, so we ordered both! We ended with tiramisu, and once again, two Americanos.

Please note, there were to-go boxes that accompanied us home. On both visits.

The amaro old fashioned, made with rye, 13 Erbe amaro (an amaro liqueur that boasts a blend of Mediterranean and South-East Asian spices) and black walnut bitters. This is an elegant play on the standard old fashioned. A tad more bitter than sweet, the amaro and walnut bitters are a delicious change from tradition.

A rosey thyme is made with rosemary gin, thyme liqueur, lemon and soda. The rosemary and thyme are very prominent and there’s a sweetness that enhances the herbal essence. It’s a refreshing cocktail that balances each ingredient perfectly.

Dante’s bloody Mary is made with vodka and bloody Mary mix. As far as spice, it’s more mild than other versions. It has an excellent tomato flavor and the right balance of sour acidity.

The meatballs and polenta are made with pork, Grana Padano cheese with tomato sauce that sits atop soft, creamy polenta. The homemade meatballs are fresh, tender and juicy. The marinara is simple yet elegant – savory and bursting with tomato flavor. Every ingredient in this dish is excellent on its own. Together, they’re even better.

The wood roasted brussels sprouts are made with house smoked guanciale (which is a cured pork jowl) and citrus. The brussels sprouts have a beautiful char, aided by the carmelized sugars from the citrus. The sprouts are tender and seasoned well. There’s a wonderful tangy punch of citrus, and the guanciale is an excellent, salty addition.

Lasagna bolognese and farm greens is layered lasagna with a touch of ricotta. The farm greens are topped with lemon and thyme, Grana Padano and pistachio. The lasagna noodles are expertly cooked. The bolognese has an all-day-simmer that is fresh and delicious. It has just the right amount of ricotta – not too much to overpower, not so little you don’t know it’s there. The greens are refreshing and stand up to a delicate creamy garlic dressing. The pistachio lends an excellent, crunchy texture. Everything on this dish works very well together.

The spaghetti carbonara is made with house smoked guanciale, egg yolk, black pepper and Grana Padano cheese. The egg yolk sauce is rich, creamy and savory. The noodles are perfectly al dente. The guanciale brings a saltiness that cuts through the dish. It’s a beautiful, flavorful carbonara.

On the white pizza menu, the funghi bianco pizza comes topped with wood-roasted mushrooms, garlic, Calabrian chili, rosemary and fresh mozzarella. This pizza is fantastic and robust in its profile. The mushrooms were tender and savory, blending extremely well with the prominent notes of rosemary. The Calabrian chili adds a slight bit of heat and acidity.

At the top of the red pizza menu is the amori di carne pizza with tomato sauce topped with Papa’s sausage, mortadella, soppressata, prosciutto and mozzarella. “Di carne” translated to English means “of meat.” This pizza is certainly meat-forward, and it completely satisfied my carnivorous side.

The tiramisu is made with espresso soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cream and topped with coco. It has a lovely thick cream that amplifies the flavors of the coffee-soaked ladyfinger layers. It’s served in a tall dessert glass. Dig your spoon in as deep as you can to come up with the perfect bite. It’s worth it.

Dante’s wine program is all-Italian and represents every region. Strawhecker said Dante has the largest Italian wine list in the state. They frequently host tasting events with visiting winemakers.

In addition to offering wines from Piedmont to Sicily, Strawhecker recently launched a line of Dante-branded wines including a Barolo, a Gavi and a rosato. This move cements the restaurant’s status as a go-to spot for Italian varietals in Omaha.

Many accomplished chefs have honed their craft at Dante, including Kyle Anderson, Ben Maides, A.J. Swanda, and Jake Newton.

“It was what I like to call the culinary renaissance of Omaha,” Strawhecker said, describing how Dante’s kitchen contributed to the city’s growing food scene by fostering and inspiring culinary talent. In my reviews, many chefs have favorably recalled Dante’s kitchen.

Looking ahead, Strawhecker plans to develop Dante in more innovative ways without adding a new location. “We had a restaurant in Blackstone, but we closed it at the beginning of the pandemic,” he said. “Now we’ll expand through restaurant-adjacent opportunities, especially in wine.”

“I haven’t really told anybody about this, but literally today I’m receiving a food truck,” Strawhecker said. The food truck is outfitted with a rotisserie. Unlike the mobile wood oven Dante already uses for pizza at catered and private events, this new venture will showcase a variety of dishes, allowing the restaurant to pop up at more community gatherings.

Dante will soon open its doors on Mondays too, marking a big change for the pizzeria.
“We’ve been closed for Mondays really since we opened,” he said, aiming for this to launch around April 1.

The experience at Dante is simply top-notch. Personally, I’m pleased to have once again found a local pizza joint to measure my own amateur pizza skills against. I can’t wait to go back and find my way through the rest of the menu.