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Chain brings Irish-themed fare to Lincoln
BY JEFF KORBELIK / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Dec 09, 2005 - 12:03:28 am CST

It’s amazing how fast east Lincoln is developing, particularly around 84th Street and Nebraska 2.

So it’s not surprising to see several restaurants starting to crop up in this area.

One of the latest is Bennigan’s, the popular national chain which opened its first free-standing Nebraska store here late last month. Located in front of Menard’s, Bennigan’s is a full-service restaurant known for interesting takes on American foods at reasonable prices.

The concept is similar to those at other chains such as Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday, TGI Fridays and Chili’s — all of which are a part of the Lincoln’s growing market.

Bennigan’s has been around since 1976 and today has more than 300 stores around the world, including two in Ireland. That’s fitting, since the restaurant features an Irish theme, with stores decorated primarily in green and menu items labeled with Irish names (Big Irish Burger, Kilkenny Country Chicken Salad, etc.)

The Lincoln store has a dining room, a bar with TVs, a 28-seat party room and a carryout entrance. The dining room has tables and high-backed booths, which help break up the large area, but don’t do much for the noise. It can get a little loud.

The menu is huge, with several burgers, sandwiches and lunch and dinner entrees, featuring steak, chicken, seafood and pasta. Lunch prices range from $7 to $11. Dinners cost between $8 and $14. There are limited vegetarian choices.

The restaurant’s best seller is the Monte Cristo, a battered and fried sandwich with ham, turkey, Swiss and American cheeses on wheat bread. It’s dusted with powdered sugar and served with red raspberry preserves for dipping.

General manager Scott Zabel said the restaurant’s “mix and match” concept has been going over well. “Mix and match” allows diners to combine two or three items — appetizers, entrees and/or desserts — on one plate.

My companion and I went the traditional route of sharing an appetizer and each ordering an entree. I got a cup of chicken tortilla soup ($2.99) as well.

We tried the bleu cheese chips ($4.49) — thinly sliced fried potatoes topped with melted Monterey Jack cheese, bleu cheese crumbles and scallions. They were OK, but next time I would opt for one of the other appetizer choices such as grilled flatbread pizza or Caribbean crab cakes.

We both enjoyed our entrees. My companion had the bamboo chicken and shrimp ($10.99). It feature a marinated chicken breast and shrimp skewers grilled and served over soy-seared vegetables and noodles with a peanut sauce.

I had the Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta ($9.99). The dish contains sauteed Cajun-spiced chicken, shrimp and smoked veggies tossed with spaghetti in a spicy cream sauce.

Like most chains, Bennigan’s dining experience — good service, solid menu choices — is consistent. Eating at the one in Lincoln won’t be much different than dining at the one in San Diego.

Or Dublin.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.

Dining out

Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern

8701 Andermatt Drive

Atmosphere: Casual

Specialty: Continental

Payment: Cash, major credit cards; no checks

Hours: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. daily (kitchen closes at midnight)

Phone: (402) 488-8701

Web site: www.bennigans.com

Notes: Takeout, parking (reserved spots for takeout orders), alcohol (by Dec. 16), children’s menu