Green Gateau
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By JEFF KORBELIK
The tickets were stuck in the picture frame.
Kelli Kerns, co-owner of the Green Gateau Cafe, found them as she dusted.
The photo was of the Eiffel Tower, taken during a family vacation.
333 S. 10th St.
Atmosphere: Casual to upscale
Specialty: European continental
Payment: Cash, checks, credit cards
Cost: Entrees, $7 to $30
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday
Phone: (402) 477-0330
Web site: www.greengateau.com
Notes: Limited parking, wine and beer, takeout, party room, reservations accepted, Saturday and Sunday brunch
Food: 4 out of 4 stars
Service: 4 out of 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 out of 4 stars
Vegetarian friendly: 2 out of 4 stars
The Last Bite: The Green Gateau is entering its 15th year in Lincoln, which is saying something. The restaurant features European continental cuisine, but complements its menu with local staples.
Photo: Apricot duck, a dinner option (Jill Peitzmeier)
The Green Gateau’s menu is European continental cuisine, and the cafe’s decor is meant to enhance that concept.
The tickets were for an elevator ride to the top of the Paris landmark, and were left there by a satisfied customer.
Kerns said it’s an example of how the Green Gateau has, once again, made an impression on a diner.
“It was like they were saying, ‘I’ve been there, too,’” she said. “It’s the little things like that.”
Indeed it is the little things that have gone a long way in making the Green Gateau one of the best restaurants in Lincoln.
That and the food, of course.
On my visit, I enjoyed the chef’s special ($17.95), a grilled shark drizzled with an orange sauce and served with green beans and rice.
My friend savored the bourbon strip ($15.95), a marinated sirloin served over whipped potatoes with grilled peppers, mushrooms and onions.
His wife went with the chicken cordon bleu roulade ($14.95), an oven-roasted chicken breast rolled with shaved honey-cured ham, Swiss cheese and fresh asparagus spears and served with a rich mornay sauce.
All three entrees were delicious. So was our starter — a baked brie en croute ($7.50). The soft cheese was baked inside a flaky pastry shell and served with toasted corstini and a spicy sauce.
Green Gateau’s attention to food and service is a big reason why the cafe is entering its 15th year — which is saying something in this day and age of cookie-cutter corporate restaurants that dominate Lincoln’s dining landscape.
Kerns’ parents, Bill and Bev Livengood, opened the Green Gateau on South 10th Street in October 1982. Their idea was to give Lincoln diners something different, with a menu featuring such things as duck, lamb and seafood.
The restaurant has changed over the years as diners’ wants and tastes have changed.
Today’s menu, created by executive chef and co-owner Eric Lemke, is diverse, with several steak, chicken and pasta selections complementing the European cuisine.
As for those little things …
* Fresh bread made with garlic and black olives accompanies meals.
* Salads are served inside a crunchy, tortilla-like shell.
* Soups and salad dressings are homemade.
* The extensive wine list includes several selections that won’t break pocketbooks. We enjoyed a Bogle Pinot Noir for $22.
* Live jazz music is available on Friday evenings.
* The restaurant’s banquet hall — the 280-seat Windsor Stables — is great for meetings, receptions and holiday parties.
“We’ve changed as Lincoln changed,” said Kerns, who, with Lemke, took over the restaurant from her parents a few years ago. “We try to provide the special touches that set us apart.”
In turn, satisfied diners are leaving their own touches as thank yous — such as tickets in a picture frame.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
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