The International Cafe

• Gobackability-- Once or twice a month
• Service -- Fast and Friendly
• Food-- Most Excellent
• Browness--Burnt Sienna
  

The International Cafe

2416 Farnam St Omaha NE 68102

(402) 991-6442

North African, Halaal

Jordan: So Homer... the International Café.

Homer: A fitting restaurant to begin our international tour through Omaha. It even has “International” in the name.

Jordan: Yes. How "brown" is the International Café?

Homer: From the outside, there was really no way to tell just how "Brown" this place was. It was also right across from one of my favorite late night food joints, The Smoke Pit, (A future review?) So I had pre-conceptions...

Jordan: I guess I’m trying to use the word "brown" like the way people use the "green" nowadays. For our purposes the "browner" the better.

Homer: As in restaurants as in life...

Jordan: Sure.

Homer: I got to this place first. there wasn't a line when I got there at 1;00, but the line grew and diminished like a beautiful wave…

Jordan: As I walked in the door, I remember thinking, "Hell yeah!". the smell reminded me of going to the oriental or global grocery stores I would go to with my grandparents when I was a kid. The tacky table cloths were pretty sweet too.

Homer: The whole place was bigger than it looks from outside.

Jordan: Another good sign.

Homer: You could probably bring a bus of drunken frat boys and their passed out dates in to the place and not fill up even the back third…The thing I noticed when I walked in was that there were people sitting together. I don't mean sitting together like a couple on a date or like a group of people who all came together for lunch. Literally, people came in over the 30 minutes I was waiting for Jordan's slow ass, and I don't think they even knew each other, but they all sat at one big table and ate together. Not at all a “drive through and eat by myself” mentality. These people were sitting down to share a meal.

Jordan: The group sitting together were still chatting away even as we left.

Homer: But on to the food. That is why you are reading this blog, right?

Jordan: THE RICE!!!!!

Homer: Oh my god, the rice.

Jordan: SOOO GOOOOOD!!!!

Jordan: Hard to explain... first off, our plates had mountains of rice on them. enough rice to feed 3. Take it from me I’m Asian.

Homer: Is there such a thing as a brown Asian?

Jordan: Oh yeah. This isn't a spray on tan my friend.

Homer: What did you get ?

Jordan: I had the stewed beef and rice.

Homer: For our first time out, I guess we made a little mistake in the food ordering category. I had the Goat and Rice. Jordan had the Stewed Beef and Rice. They basically looked the same, and if I hadn't know what I was eating they literally could have been the same dish.

Jordan: But the "not knowing" what you're eating is part of the adventure.

Homer: I mean, we should probably order things that are more different next time. That way we have a better idea of the range of food the place has to offer.

Jordan: True. From what I could gather, the stuff we got was pretty standard fare. And it was good.

Homer: It made me cry a little, in joy. Ok, maybe not that good, but it was damn good.

Jordan: True... Good sign #2, besides the mountain of rice, bones with the meat.

Homer: The bones is where the flavor is.

Jordan: Yes.

Homer: There was a small salad on my plate, standard ranch, which I wasn't expecting. So I guess it was a nice surprise instead of an affront to my choice in dressings.

Jordan: And the salad was nothing special, pretty standard, probably out of a bag, but good to have along with the other parts of the plate.

Homer: All in all, really good food. Like I said, if I hadn't known it was goat....but If I could, I would eat that rice everyday for the next week.

Jordan: The food was great. the meat was tender and flavorful. Nothing overpowering but I agree, the rice is where its at. And we chatted with the owner right before we left too.

Homer: It was hard to pin "Ahmad" down on the kind of food he serves. The most we could get out of him was "International." I mean, that isn't really a genre of food. What would you call it?

Jordan: : I would characterize it as either "halaal", probably most like north African or certain Mideast types of food.

Homer: Wow. I didn't know we were going that deep. I don't even know what Halaal is. But it is a good thing that you do.

Jordan: Mini lesson: Halal (حلال, ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term meaning "permissible". In the English language it most frequently refers to food that is permissible according to Islamic law. In the Arabic language it refers to anything that is permissible under Islam. It's like kosher laws.

Homer: Now I know.

Jordan: Knowing is half the battle!

Homer: Go Joe!

Jordan: I really liked the joint. It connected with what I would expect for a truly "ethnic" restaurant. Just look at the clientele

Homer: I would probably take a hot artsy girl there on a date for something different in Omaha.

Jordan: True. Everyone there was brown. good sign. Like when you go to a Chinese place and everyone there is Chinese. Then you know its good.

Homer: I am more of a tan...almost a beige....

Jordan: I have always thought of you as a sandalwood.

Homer: But I guess I am not the one that matters. In short, good rice, very brown, nice ethnic atmosphere. Would you go back?

Jordan: You bet. let's see who gets there with a hot artsy chick first. Ready... set... go...

Homer: Until next time, folks, this has been Brown on the Towne.