Chef Ryan Puls blends tradition and innovation at The Speakeasy, a rural Nebraska restaurant housed in a red-brick building.
Along a quiet stretch of highway just southeast of Holdrege sits the ghost town of Sacramento – and a secret dining destination. (If it’s dark, a little dot of light will guide you there.)
Patrons who know the hidden spot enter an unremarkable red-brick building, marked by a simple wooden sign that reads ‘The Speakeasy.’ The doors open to a steakhouse “in the middle of a cornfield, pretty much,” according to Chef Ryan Puls, who took over the business from his father.
Many of the menu staples are Beef State favorites – steak and prime rib – but the young chef and his culinary
knowledge elevated the offerings.
“At first people didn’t know quite what to think about that,” said Manager Erica Fitzgerald. Now she says, the business has more than quadrupled.
“We’ll have people from India, from Great Britain, all over the world,” said Puls.
The white linens and cozy atmosphere add a little nostalgia to the historic venue, and a haunting legend adds intrigue to the smalltown restaurant.