Omaha is famous for its steakhouses. It’s the ultimate place for meat lovers, and nestled on South 73rd Street is a restaurant vital to its reputation. It’s a cozy place with country western vibes, brick and stucco walls, and oversized adobe fireplaces. Vintage wooden chairs surround wooden square tables, and wagon wheels decorate a pole fence out front. Even the font on the sign is reminiscent of something out of “Lonesome Dove,” displaying an iconic drawing of a cowboy and the restaurant’s name outside the building: The Drover Restaurant & Lounge.
The Drover is the fourth oldest steakhouse in Omaha, but it’s not just the restaurant’s longevity that has won it a claim to fame: it’s the whiskey steaks. These 8-ounce filets are marinated in whiskey, as well as a few other secret ingredients. A steak soaked in a whiskey marinade tastes different than any other slab of meat you’ve ever tried. Between the smoky, umami flavors of flame-grilled meat, you get a little bite of booze and a touch of caramel. It’s a bold combination the Drover introduced to the public when it opened in 1979, after breaking away from a chain steakhouse called Cork ‘N Cleaver. It rebranded as an independent restaurant and has been serving a menu with charbroiled whiskey steaks as the headliner ever since.
The Drover opened featuring a salad bar and a spirited twist on a steakhouse favorite
Today, you can sit down to an 8-ounce whiskey filet or a 14-ounce whiskey ribeye at The Drover for $55.95. They are the most expensive items on the dinner menu. But there’s more that goes into that steak than just firing up the grill. The meat soaks in the Dover’s whiskey marinade for 15 minutes after it’s been ordered, and it’s served with wheat bread, a choice of french fries, rice, broccoli, or asparagus, and soup or salad. You’ll find other cuts on the menu alongside the filet and ribeye, and any of them can be prepped in the whiskey marinade. Here’s every cut of steak you need to know, so you can decide ahead of time which is the best to try. The menu also features prime rib, teriyaki tenderloin kabobs, roasted red pepper chicken, lobster, and crab, as well as a selection of country-style sides.
We recommend also giving the salad bar a try. It’s one of the Drover’s other famous features and has remained the same – chilled plates and all — since the restaurant opened. It has all the usual fixings of an old-school salad bar: fresh iceberg lettuce and carrot shreds, sliced beets, hard-boiled eggs, raw mushrooms, and plenty of dressing choices. You could fill up on the greens and veggies alone. Just be sure to avoid these common salad bar mistakes while you’re at it…