After a brief stop at the Crescent Moon with my co-workers, Chris and Zach, my wife Jodeen and I headed to Village Point in West Omaha to check out brix. Located just off N. 170th Street, brix is a one-of-a-kind wine, beer and spirits store that offers a wine bar lounge area, learning events, and casual shopping. Pronounced “Bricks”, the establishment takes it’s name from the measurement scale used in evaluating the sugar content of foods and beverages. With over 900 in-store selections to choose from, as well as expensive and in-expensive offerings, brix markets to a broad spectrum of consumers. Our greeter and assistant, Brenda, was knowledgeable and friendly. We lounged for awhile and enjoyed a glass of wine. Meat and cheese trays can be purchased for approximately $10. Store hours are located under the brix site link above.
Looking for inexpensive auto parts? Try searching for them on eBay. Often you can find new parts on eBay at a fraction of the cost you’d pay through a dealer. Happy Motoring!
Located at 1202 Bert Murphy Avenue (I-80 & 13th Street) is Omaha’s Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Built in 1947 and home to the NCAA Division I College World Series since 1950, Rosenblatt Stadium is one of Omaha’s most well known sporting and entertainment venues. Rosenblatt (or “The Blatt”) is also home to the minor league Omaha Royals baseball team, a triple-A franchise to the Kansas City Royals.
Over the years, Rosenblatt has hosted outdoor concerts, fireworks displays and other events. Sadly, 2010 will be the stadium’s last season. The facility will be sold and demolished to pay for recent year multi-million dollar renovations, and to make way for new stadiums being built in downtown Omaha and in Sarpy County.
Why not attend a game during the 2010 season to share a piece of Omaha’s history, a little bit of nostalgia and the end of an era? Opening day is April 8, 2010. Happy Motoring!
Located at 7902 Towne Center Parkway (Shadowlake) in Papillion, is Fatburger. The first Fatburger opened in 1952 in Los Angeles. Now the restaurant has franchises in 13 states. However, the Shadowlake location is the only one in Nebraska. As shown on their menu, Fatburger serves burgers as small (2.5 oz) or as large (24 oz) as you want. A photo collage of those patrons that have consumed a “Triple King”, Fatburger’s largest burger, covers the restaurant’s walls. The Fatburger menu is not complex; burgers (including veggie, chicken and turkey), hot dogs, fries, chili, onion rings, and drinks including shakes. Keeping it simple allows Fatburger to focus on speed and freshness. My wife and I enjoyed our meals at Fatburger and will return again. Open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 9pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 10pm. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!
February 17th, 2010
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Founded in 1962 by Lithuanian immigrants, the Lithuanian Bakery and the Lithuanian Bakery and Cafe prepares some of the best fresh-baked sourdough, rye and pumpernickel breads in Omaha. They also prepare tortes, kolaches and other delightful pastries. The main bakery is located at 5217 S. 33rd Street in Omaha, while their bakery and cafe (pictured at left) is located at 7427 Pacific Street. The cafe is a great place to stop for lunch or dinner, and to enjoy authentic Lithuanian fare. The cafe also sells an assortment of imported jams, marzipan’s, and chocolates, as well as other foods and products from the Baltic region. Enjoy a knackwurst, bratwurst, or kielbasa sausage plate with potato salad and sauerkraut. I recommend the homemade lentil soup and the grilled tuna melt on sourdough rye bread. It’s excellent. Omaha has a rich cultural heritage, and its fun to experience “old country” treatment in our own back yard. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!
February 13th, 2010
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Located at 17010 Wright Plaza (just off 168th and West Center) is Roja Mexican Grill. Voted “Best of Omaha” in 2007 and 2008 by Omaha Magazine, Roja’s has a prompt, courteous wait staff and some of the finest Tex-Mex food in Omaha. The inside of the restaurant is spacious, with high ceilings and artfully crafted metal chairs. Small fountains of water flow through a trough that extends the length of the dining area. Roja’s has a sizable bar stocked with over 80 different Tequila’s; and, they boast that they to have the largest Tequila selection in Nebraska. The strawberry margarita’s are flavorful. The meals begin with freshly heated corn chips and Roja’s house salsa. The salsa is mildly spicy hot and delicious. The menu at Roja’s has a decent selection of appetizers, soups & salads, specialties, combo platters and desserts, as well as traditional Mexican fare such as enchiladas, tacos and fajitas. I recommend the Roja Caesar Salad and Tortilla Soup. However, be prepared to take some food home because the salad portions are enormous. Dine in or carry out. Roja’s is open daily at 11:00 a.m. Happy Motoring!
Two years ago I accompanied Dr. Lyn Graves and his North Omaha Sudanese Boy Scout troop on an overnight camp out at Little Sioux, Iowa. Lyn had a dozen excited scouts, and needed help with the transportation of equipment, as well as some additional adult supervision.
At 57 years of age, I hadn’t camped out in many years. But, I remembered fondly my own scouting camp out experiences, and the care my leaders took to impart some knowledge and life skills at those outings. As I was collecting snacks to take to the camp-out, I decided to collect one variety of every nut in the grocery’s produce isle, do some research, and to tell a story about each kind of nut to the scouts. Of course, the scouts got to sample each variety. Surprisingly, several of the young men had never experienced the taste of a PEANUT!
My favorite nut story was the almond. Did you know that most of the almonds we eat are grown in Orange County, California? And, that every year during February and March the largest pollination event in the world occurs, as honey bees from 38 U.S. states are shipped to California to pollinate the almond groves?
Scientists estimate that nearly half of the U.S. honey bee population participates in the annual event! After the Nebraska winter of 2009 – 2010, I wish I was a honey bee!! In any event, we had an amazing camping weekend. I had fun and made several new friendships. Now I’m proud to say that I’m NUTS about scouting.
It costs approximately $137 per to provide financing for underprivileged scouts. This year, I’ll personally be providing my financial support. Won’t you join me in sponsoring one or two scouts? Send me a Direct Message or an email if you can help out this year. Happy Motoring!
Located at 7602 Main Street, at the top of the hill in old Ralston, is Scorz Sports Center, a bowling and entertainment facility. Scorz has a spacious bar area and Time Out Cafe’, which serves assorted sandwiches with your choice of fries or a side salad, as well as pizzas and appetizers. The Scorz facility has both open and league bowling. In addition, the facility can be rented for birthday celebrations, office parties and other events. Happy hour is held Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday nights Karaoke nights! Visit their website for their telephone number, for a complete list of their hours of operation, prices, and a list of the other services Scorz provides. Happy Motoring!
Eileen’s Colossal Cookies makes some of the best cookies in the area. Eileen started baking cookies in her Hastings, Nebraska home in 1982 and now has cookie franchises throughout the midwest, with two Omaha locations and one in Papillion. The Omaha locations are: 144th & Center, and 72nd & Pacific; the Papillion location is 8410 S. 73rd Plaza (73rd and Giles). Eileen’s cookies are delicious! Chocolate Chip, Snicker-doodle, M&M… need I say more. Eileen’s has several wonderful flavors from which to choose. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pick up a box for your family, for co-workers or for the Omaha Driver! Yum. Happy Motoring!
Located at 4931 S. 72nd Street, just South of “L” Street, is the Sanders ATA Black Belt Acadamy. If you, a friend, or family member are interested in learning more about self-defense, the Sanders ATA Academy may be well-suited to your educational needs. A member of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA), the academy teaches Karate as well as Taekwondo, a martial art that originated in Korea that focuses on positive behaviors such as non-aggression, respect and mental discipline. The Omaha Sanders ATA Acadamy is open for classes Monday through Thursday in the evenings, and on Saturday mornings. Both youth and adult classes are available. Just call (402)733-2359 or email SandersATA@aol.com. Happy Motoring!
Located at 2121 S. 73rd Street, one block north of Mercy Road on 73rd Street, is one our family’s favorite Omaha steak houses, the Drover. The Drover is well known for its famous “Whiskey Steaks”, that use the Drover’s original and secret whiskey marinade. The inside of the restaurant is dimly lit with rustic dark wood decor. The Drover has several small alcoves with tables and seating, providing privacy for small groups. The Drover has a small cocktail lounge, as well as a small buffet salad bar with traditional, but somewhat limited, salad selections. The salad plates are “chilled.” The Drover has several seafood menu items on their menu, and they are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and nightly for dinner after 5 p.m. This Spring after the potholes are filled, have your mechanic check your vehicle’s front-end alignment and wheel balance, it’s been a hard Winter. Happy Motoring!
After a brief stop at the Crescent Moon with my co-workers, Chris and Zach, my wife Jodeen and I headed to Village Point in West Omaha to check out brix. Located just off N. 170th Street, brix is a one-of-a-kind wine, beer and spirits store that offers a wine bar lounge area, learning events, and casual shopping. Pronounced “Bricks”, the establishment takes it’s name from the measurement scale used in evaluating the sugar content of foods and beverages. With over 900 in-store selections to choose from, as well as expensive and in-expensive offerings, brix markets to a broad spectrum of consumers. Our greeter and assistant, Brenda, was knowledgeable and friendly. We lounged for awhile and enjoyed a glass of wine. Meat and cheese trays can be purchased for approximately $10. Store hours are located under the brix site link above.
