Fort Calhoun, Nebraska (October 17, 2023) From wings as big as thighs to a burger that’ll make a town famous, dive into my unforgettable feast at LongHorn Bar and Grill in Fort Calhoun.
Yesterday was my first experience with the LongHorn Bar and Grill in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska (101 South 14th Street). I asked owner Andy Faucher what we should eat and review. He told me the Wings with their “Special Sauce,” the “Boom Boom” Chicken Sandwich, and the Oklahoma Burger.
What I thought I would get were two sandwiches and an order of wings. There would be fries, and some sauces. I figured there would be just enough for my wife, my son, and me.
When my wife got home with the food – the bag was so heavy, I wondered if the plastic would hold up as I carried the food inside. The first point to make about the LongHorn’s food is, the portion sizes are large.
My wife, my son, and I sat down, divided up the food, and ate. Ate what we could, that is. Because, there is still food left. Seriously.
We did our best to eat it all. We split everything three ways, and the second point is, everything was good. If you read no further, what you have are the two most-important points: The food is good, and you get a lot for your money.
As for the breakdown, let’s start with the wings.

The wings were, and this is no joke, big enough to not be “buffalo” wings. The 12 we got were a meal on their own. To call them “wings” is kind of misleading because they are so big, meaty, and, well, BIG. The “Special Sauce” was very well done – like buffalo sauce with the sweet dialed down, tip-of-your-tongue heat dialed up. The dry rub has a more standard flavor profile. And, what was below the sauce and rub was tender, juicy, and perfectly-cooked.
The Boom Boom Chicken Sandwich delivered on the “boom boom” for me. My wife and son (especially my son) thought both the sandwich and wings were not “hot,” just “spicey.” I’m gonna give the “boom boom” more credit on the heat, though. With three different adults – all who like spicey food – the Boom Boom Chicken Sandwich was delicious to deliciously-spicey with bacon and cheese as a complimentary flavor blend.

The Oklahoma Burger was my favorite. Probably why so many Fort Calhounians (I think I may be the first to use that term?) rated the LongHorn’s burgers so high. The patties were cooked exactly right, the cheese was super melty, and the onions were carmelized and sweet. For me, an absolute winner. Big win for a burger-lover.

With both the burger and chicken sandwich, the buns were buttered and toasted – as they should ALWAYS BE! With a slight char around the edges – AS THERE SHOULD ALWAYS BE! With a large portion of fries.
The fries came in three varieties: Standard with a spiced coating, waffle with less spice (maybe salt only?), and wedge style the size of a dill pickle. The wedge style deserve a mention as it is not easy to find those, in that size and quality, on a menu these days.

If you ever watched “Restaurant Impossible” or “Kitchen Nightmares,” you know how Robert Irvine and Gordon Ramsay lament the lack of spices restaurants use these days. They’ll spit out bland food on camera to make the point. With the delicious food we got from the LongHorn, lack of spice is not an issue. Everything we ate was spiced appropriately for someone who likes bold, distinct spices, at the forefront of each bite.
If you live in the Fort Calhoun, or Blair, area, you need to go there tonight and prepare to eat a great meal that hits all the right marks for portion-size, flavor, and value for your money.