This Nebraska Restaurant Used To Be A Bank And You'll Want To Visit
By Delana Lefevers|Published November 17, 2017
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Delana Lefevers
Author
As a lifelong Nebraskan, Delana loves discovering the many hidden treasures of her state. She has worked as a writer and editor since 2007. Delana's work has been featured on more than a dozen websites and in Nebraska Life Magazine.
The little village of Dodge, Nebraska has a population of around 600 people, some lovely outdoor spaces, a handful of terrific locally-owned businesses…and the kind of restaurant you might expect to find in a much larger town.
Eat Restaurant hasn't been around long; they opened in 2015 in a building that was once a bank. The bank itself has a long and interesting history. It was built in 1910 but closed not long after in 1929 when the stock market crashed.
The interior still reflects the building's original purpose. It's a small, intimate space with clusters of simple and elegant tables arranged throughout the dining area. High ceilings are adorned with the original decorative tin tiles.
Way in the back you'll find the most coveted seats in the house: the vault table. This is the actual bank vault, left over from the building's earliest days.
Chef Michael Glissman spent the first part of his career at upscale restaurants in California before returning to his home state to open Eat with his mother, Lin Schwanebeck.
The food is a delicate balance between the hearty, down-home food locals are used to and high-class, high-concept, high-quality fare you would find in a large city.
There are plenty of dishes on the menu that you would recognize, and even find on the menu at plenty of other area restaurants. But Eat puts a subtle twist on every meal; unique ingredients take the place of their more mundane counterparts.
You can get a burger or prime rib here, just like at any other small-town restaurant in Nebraska, but you can bet that it'll be the highest quality cuts of meat prepared with great care and the freshest ingredients.
You can find Eat at 327 Second St. in Dodge. It's open Monday - Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eat is closed on Thursday.
