Most Omahans are well aware of Mahogany Prime Steakhouse, and it’s one of the steakhouses many recommend to visitors when asked, “So, where’s a good place to get a steak?”
It’s a question Omaha tends to get more often than most cities. Most of us have an answer—usually from a short list of favorites. I’ll spare the suspense—Mahogany is now on my short list.
Just a year ago, Mahogany moved down the road a bit. Head west on FNB Parkway and south on 144th Street, and you’ll arrive at the new location in the growing Heartwood Preserve development, built from the ground up to meet the restaurant’s growing needs.
The previous building, now home to Pivot Prime, was first built for a different concept. According to executive general manager Andrew Roy, “the bar had about seven or eight seats. Unless you arrived right at opening, you likely wouldn’t get a spot.” The new location was built, in part, to solve that problem. The bar now has plenty of room.
Bar area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Roy got into the hospitality business tending bar for some extra cash while attending St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M. He fell in love with it and went on to win a couple competitions, including one called ‘The Last Slinger Standing.’ From there, he curated a deep interest in wine and attended The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas. Later, he taught a wine class where he also met his future wife.
Mahogany Prime Steakhouse started in Tulsa, Okla., in the early 2000s. The Omaha location opened a couple of years later as part of a three-location group. Executive chef Brad Johnson oversees the menu and welcomes feedback from the kitchen about new ideas and what’s working and what needs improvement. They source their prime beef from L&L Packing in Chicago, a family-owned meat purveyor.
Dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
According to Roy, when Mahogany was just a concept, Johnson said, “Why don’t we make a restaurant where we focus on providing only the best? We only do high-ticket items and make sure we get the best of the best from wherever we can and see if we can make this work.”
The decor inside is a balance of classic steakhouse elements with contemporary design. White tablecloths, dark wood chairs and red carpeting are the traditional foundation while modern pendant lights and stone columns divide the dining room and bar into intimate settings without making the space feel confined. Abstract art pieces are prominent throughout, while black-and-white photography pays homage to classic Hollywood Americana.
Wine cellar and bar
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The bar, with ample seating, is a focal point. Illuminated shelving showcases a collection of spirits. Next to the bar is an elegant wine cellar surrounded by clear glass walls. The bar and cellar emphasize the focus on wine and cocktails.
A note on the cocktails – You’ll see Maven Ice listed in the ingredients below. Maven Ice is part of Maven Social, a local hospitality group behind restaurants and cocktail bars like Via Farina, The Wicked Rabbit and Alice. These ice cubes are crystal clear because the water is frozen in such a way the cloudy imperfections are forced out. The result is an elegant, large cube (or sphere, as it were) that’s eye-catching and keeps the drink cold without diluting it too fast.
Millionaire Margarita
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Millionaire Margarita is made with Maestro Dobel Diamanté Tequila, Ferrand Cognac, agave, lemon and lime poured over Maven Ice. The cognac takes the place of triple sec or Cointreau, which gives it a grown-up, luxurious finish. It’s mildly sweet with a punch of citrus from the lemon and lime. Despite the high-end ingredients, the cocktail shows restraint—polished, composed and decadent.
Strawberry crush
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Strawberry Crush is made with Western Son Strawberry Vodka, Soli Vanilla Vodka, Real Strawberry and lemon. Like the margarita, this is moderately sweet and carries a strong strawberry profile. There are subtle notes of vanilla that give the drink a faint herbaceousness. There’s a slight bitterness on the finish that rounds everything out.
For an appetizer, we tried lobster cargot with butter, garlic and havarti. The lobster is cooked beautifully and sits in a pool of garlic butter, the meat soaking it in. A bite of lobster delivers rich, buttery, garlicky flavor, while the havarti adds a subtle cheesy saltiness. This is a case where cheese and seafood pair exceptionally well. Pro tip: if you dip your bread-service roll into the pools of butter left over, your enjoyment of this appetizer continues. It’s the most expensive appetizer on the menu and totally worth it.
North Coast salmon
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Jennifer chose the North Coast salmon with shrimp, capers, tomato and beurre blanc. The salmon and accompanying shrimp were flawlessly cooked, juicy and tender. The beurre blanc paired expertly with the fish, as did the tomatoes, shrimp and capers. There’s acidity from the tomato and a tangy punch from the capers. Everything on this dish worked in balance, combining for a composed, satisfying seafood bite.
Prime ribeye
Photo by Jennifer Corey
I ordered the 14-ounce prime ribeye cooked medium rare. It’s seasoned with just salt and pepper and finished with clarified butter. This steak is incredibly tender, moist and succulent—quite literally, it melts in the mouth. While there’s a time and place for heavier seasoning, Mahogany lets the prime beef speak for itself. A proper balance of salt and pepper brings out the natural richness of the meat. The clarified butter adds a luxurious silkiness. This is the best steak I’ve had in a restaurant in a long time.
For shared sides, we ordered the au gratin potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Au gratin potatoes
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The au gratin potatoes are cheesy, buttery and seasoned very well. The potatoes were cooked to perfection and paired just right with both the steak and the salmon. It’s rich and creamy and defies two people to finish it, one delicious bite after another.
Brussels sprouts
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Brussels sprouts come with honey molasses and pork belly. They carried a lovely char and were delicately tender. The molasses cuts through the sprouts’ bitterness, and the pork adds a salty element. While Jennifer found it to be just right, I thought the molasses, though packed with tangy flavor, was a tad heavy-handed. For me, it overpowered the dish.
Single barrel old fashioned
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Jennifer and I shared an old fashioned with dessert. On our visit, it was made with Penelope Single Barrel Whiskey and blood orange bitters over Maven Ice. This cocktail is a touch more bitter than sweet and carries a wisp of orange citrus. It’s smooth and elegant with a warming whiskey heat on the finish.
Vanilla bean crème brûlée
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The vanilla bean crème brûlée comes with fresh berries and pecan cookies. The brûlée sugar cracks under the spoon, a near paper-thin crust that elegantly gives way to the creamy custard beneath. It has a prominent vanilla flavor, not too strong, just right. The sweetness doesn’t overpower the custard. The pecan cookies snap when you split them. They’re smoky, crunchy and nutty. The accompanying fresh, juicy berries add a level of freshness to the dessert. It’s a memorable crème brûlée.
For now, Roy said there are no plans for expansion, with a strong focus instead on ensuring Omaha’s Mahogany smooths out any kinks and rough edges—though I detected few, if any.
Dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
“Our big push this year is to have a lot of servers go for their intro sommelier certification,” Roy said. “It’s like half my staff at this point, and we reimburse people. So I’m counting the dollars and telling everyone, ‘Okay, you better sell some wine.’”
While that last part was tongue-in-cheek, it speaks to a broader focus on constant improvement within Omaha’s ultra-competitive steak scene. I, for one, will remember that first bite of my prime ribeye—and likely measure many future steaks against that standard.
