Paul and Jessica Urban purchased New York Chicken and Gyro in downtown Omaha in 2010 with the intention of converting it to a fine dining restaurant. High costs and limited funding led them to make the best of the existing kitchen. They kept the gyro equipment and served many of the original menu items, including the burger recipe that later became known as the Block Burger. They got creative with daily specials, and two years later it became Block 16.
The Urbans met in culinary school and worked in various restaurants in Omaha. They spent a little time in Bermuda before returning to Omaha to forge their own culinary path. Theirs is a story of tenacity and determination.
Block 16 interior
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
“We’d run this place during the day,” Paul Urban said. “Then both go work night jobs–Jessica as a sous chef at a restaurant out west and me as a chef at the Omaha Country Club. We were working eight days a week, almost literally.”
Those early days of sweat equity paid off. By their fourth year, word got out about Block 16 and their place in downtown Omaha solidified. Their walls are decorated with local and national press clippings and boast a wide range of culinary recognition–including celebrity chef Alton Brown.
Block 16 press wall
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
Brown declared Block 16’s Croque Garçon burger “the best burger I’ve ever had. Period,” during his Best Thing I Ever Ate tour in 2015. This put Block 16 in the national conversation. Being somewhat a burger connoisseur myself, it has been on my must-try list.
Paul and Jessica operate a farm in Honey Creek, Iowa, where they raise various animals and grow produce—some of which ends up in the restaurant’s dishes. They source locally whenever possible: their chicken comes from Plum Creek Farms in Burchard, Neb., and their beef comes from Jon’s Naturals in McClelland, Iowa. They procure their food from companies that share their commitment to local, humanely raised and preservative-free products.
Burger fight champion
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
Block 16 frequently updates their menu with innovative ideas and ingredient combinations.
“We’re still doing a different special every day,” Urban said. “We’ve got a little over 4,000 of them that we’ve done. Our kids are part of the process now too. The other night at dinner, our six-year-old Greta said, ‘You should do mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon, and then add gravy.’ So that’s what we did—we turned it into croquettes with rotisserie chicken. It was amazing.”
Our first visit was for dinner on Thursday. We ordered two cocktails, the old fashioned and the black Manhattan. Jennifer and I shared the duck duck goose fries, and for sandwiches, she ordered the bacon and Brie sandwich and I had the Croque Garçon burger.
Old fashioned and black Mahattan
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
I was somewhat surprised to see cocktails on the menu, sort of irregular for a casual grab-and-go. The cocktails come from The Green Room around the block, pre-mixed in single-serve bottles. They offered a black manhattan, old fashioned, negroni and BBLL (blackberry lavender lemonade).
This old fashioned is on the sweeter side, and the bitters linger on the palate at the finish. It’s a mix of whiskey, simple syrup, orange and aromatic bitters. The bourbon punches through just right. It’s easy to forget it was pre-mixed.
The black Manhattan is a mix of whiskey, Averna amaro and bitters. It’s equally acerbic and sweet. The blend of amaro and bitters balances just right with the whiskey. The Green Room clearly knows what they’re doing.
Duck duck goose fries
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
The duck duck goose on the “fun fries” menu is a meal unto itself. Delectable French fries are crispy with a soft middle. A generous portion of duck confit (slow cooked duck legs) with crispy duck skin, gooseberry gastric, cheese curds and a duck fat mayo top the fries. Every element on top of these fries makes sense, and the sweetness of the gooseberry gastric adds a sweet contrast to the savory. It’s a worthwhile indulgence.
Croque Garçon burger
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
The Croque Garçon burger is a one-third pound beef patty, cooked to a perfect, juicy medium on mustard and truffle mayo. Atop the patty is a combo of Swiss-American cheese with a sunny-side up egg. All of this sits between a soft brioche bun. The egg pops when you place the top bun. As the yolk runs down the burger, it adds a velvety richness that succulently complements everything between the brioche. It’s messy, saucy and simply delicious.
Is it the best burger in America? I’ll just confirm Alton Brown has excellent taste.
Bacon and Brie
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
The bacon and Brie is a sandwich with butter-toasted herbed LeQuarter bread. Inside is marinated, grilled chicken breast, thick bacon, melted Brie, arugula and apple butter. The chicken is tender and well seasoned. The apple butter is a fantastic addition, adding a sweetness that plays well with the saltiness of the chicken and bacon. It may not be the most photogenic sandwich but more than makes up for it in flavor
On our second visit, we tried the creamed root veggie soup, Plum Creek Farms (PCF) fried chicken, dragon wrap and chicken bacon ranch.
Creamed root veggie soup
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
The creamed root veggie soup was on the daily specials menu. It’s rich, hearty and savory. The root vegetables were blended so well it had a silky, velvety texture. The addition of sour cream cuts through the heartiness just enough. The scallions add contrast with a hint of onion.
PCF fried chicken
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
The PCF fried chicken is buttermilk soaked crispy fried chicken thighs. The chicken thighs were tender and juicy. The crispy fried skin carried the perfect amount of seasoning. They were fried to perfection and bursting with flavor.
Dragon wrap
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
With the dragon wrap, you get a choice of protein, and Jennifer ordered hers with salmon. It comes on grilled naan with pickled vegetables, slaw, hummus, arugula, chickpeas, chimichurri, dragon sauce and fries. This is a juicy hand-held. The sauce and juices blend together and run down your fingers and throughout the wrap. Thankfully, the naan keeps everything in place. We found the fries on top to be a tad overbearing and unnecessary. Still, all of the elements within the wrap, and the naan itself, were delicious.
Chicken bacon ranch
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
With the chicken bacon ranch, you get the option of regular fried breast tenders or Nashville hot. I opted for the Nashville hot. When ordering, I was told it was about a 3 out of 10 on the heat scale. I didn’t detect much heat, but the tenders were fried and cooked beautifully. The bun didn’t quite stand up to the hefty tenders and the chimichurri sauce, which made it messy. Still, it’s a tasty sandwich, made more so by the thick-cut bacon.
Block 16 is set to open a new location in Omaha’s Eppley Airfield around 2027 through a licensing deal. The Urbans still nurture dreams of a small dining venture with their farm, though any realization of that would be in the distant future.
“The dream would be to maybe open up a small fancy place near our home or just do dinners out at the farm,” Urban said. “We’ve got a really pretty view out there, and we’d love to just have people out and grow everything and, you know, do our own thing.”
Block 16 dining
Photo by Chris & Jennifer Corey
Meanwhile Jessica is hard at work opening a charter school in Iowa called the Little Red Barn Schoolhouse alongside a small team. It’ll be located on 180 acres in the Loess Hills and will emphasize real-world skills, creativity and minimal screen time.
“It’s going to be a four-day-a-week, year-round school where 90% of the time is going to be spent outside,” Urban said. “The kids are going to learn math just like everybody else, but they’re going to learn it by planting a garden, measuring and spacing—it’s just so much more hands-on. Most kids today don’t even know how to use a compass. This is about putting that necessary knowledge back into them.”
You can contribute to the school’s fundraising via their GoFundme page.
Block 16 is much more than a place to get a great burger. It’s a downtown staple and a testament to the Urbans’ commitment to responsibly sourced good food and a drive to give back to the community that solidified their legacy as Omaha culinary pioneers.
