Omaha Driver Entertainment Guide

HuHot Mongolian Grill is a restaurant chain with franchises in 12 states, including 4 Nebraska locations. HuHot’s has a restaurant in Lincoln, and 3 in Omaha. One is located at 990 S. 72nd Street, another at 710 N. 114th Street, and another at 17660 Wright Street (177th & Center). HuHot is a fun eating experience for the entire family. Guests get to choose their own meats, noodles, vegetables and sauces for grilling by HuHot’s professional cooks. The sauces include mild traditional Mongolian flavors such as Teriyaki, garlic oil, sesame oil, and sweet and sour. Bold Asian and hot flavors are also available, including Thai peanut, ginger, curry, chili oil, kung pao and Szechuan. HuHot is open for lunch and dinner, and their hours of operation may be found on HuHot’s website. My wife and I love this place. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!

Two months ago, I began a city-wide search to find the maker of Omaha’s best hamburger.  The search led me to over 20 different hamburger joints, to a radio interview with Dan Arthur and Michelle Reill on Star 104 FM, and into a better understanding of the people and businesses in our community. These are my findings.

To begin, let me tell you that I am not a food critic. In fact, I am rarely “critical” of anything that resembles food that is placed in front of me.  I eat anything and everything.  In fact, my wife says that I am “tasteless.”  Thanks, dear… I think!!?

However, I do enjoy a good hamburger. And, despite repeated warnings that beef contains growth hormones and antibiotics, I will continue to eat it.  I ask you, “How can being all buff and full of bacteria-fighting substances be bad for you?”

My journey to burger joints in and around metro Omaha began in early November, 2009 with a posted message (i.e. a “tweet”) on the popular social media site, Twitter.com.  I told folks on Twitter that I was looking for the best Omaha hamburger, and I asked for their ideas.  Within 24 hours, I received 31 burger suggestions from helpful, friendly Omahans.  Here is the list of restaurants and their locations: Omaha Driver Burger List. And, being full of bravado (and fluff), I promised to consume them all! In a month!!   Naturally, I added the Twitter folks’ names to my prestigious “know-their-burgers” Twitter-list.

Before making my first burger stop, I composed my evaluation criteria; a 3 point rating scale (1 low, 2 medium, 3 high) in the following categories: Bun freshness, juicy goodness, food warmth, choice of condiments, choice of cheeses, taste, and presentation Wow-factor!  I intentionally excluded cost and time service considerations; but wrote about those aspects in my blog posts on www.omahadriver.com.

Being familiar with several of the burger chain restaurants, and having had their products previously, I immediately assigned their ratings. This allowed me to narrow my attention to those that were the popular “repeat” suggestions – those included Stella’s, Dinkers, Petrows, Louie M’s Burger Lust, and a few others  

And so, the consumption began.  I had a burger daily for lunch or dinner during the month of November and well into December.

Omaha Driver Favorites

After more than a month of feasting, my favorite burgers were <drum roll>:

1. Five Guys at 697 N. 132nd Street
2. Stella’s at 106 Galvin Road S. (Bellevue) and
3. Burger Star at 1222 S 71st Street (South of Pacific)

 Honorable Mentions

• The “Holy Cow” burger at Ace’s Diner (At Harrah’s in Council Bluffs served only on the weekend). It has 4 half-pound burgers, 10 slices of cheese, 8 slices of bacon.
• The “Haystacker” – Served at Dinkers, a great burger topped with an egg easy-over.
• McFoster’s Veggie Burger – Didn’t know you could do that with soy products!
• Wohlner’s Kobie Burger – A great grocery store and a great burger maker.

Located at 817 N. 40th Street, just north of St. Cecilia’s Cathedral, is Lisa’s Radial Cafe.  A family owned business, the Radial Cafe, touts itself as “Omaha’s Oldest Cafe.” My friends and I visited for breakfast. We were initially ushered to a small waiting room, but were seated within 5 minutes. The inside of the diner is small and cozy, with an interesting assortment of Omaha photographs and artwork adorning the walls. The diner was packed, but the customers were diverse and friendly, making the experience enjoyable.  I had ”The Works” breakfast that included scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast and bacon. The portion sizes were large and tasty. I had a minor spill, but the wait staff was on-the-spot to clean things up. The Radial Cafe is on the “Omaha’s Best” list, and it easy to understand why. It is an Omaha “must try”. Happy Motoring!

La Mesa Mexican Restaurant is a popular Omaha chain with 5 metro locations. Our family has typically eaten at the 84th and Tara Plaza location in Papillion. La Mesa’s food is good, but not memorable. La Mesa provides free corn chips and salsa appetizers, but the salsa is very mild. I prefer salsa with a little more kick to it. Their menu includes traditional Mexican dishes. The Nacho Fajitas is a popular entree choice. They also provide dine-in and take-out options, as well as catering services. La Mesa offers a large selection of Tequilas and Margaritas from which to choose. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!

Located at 40th and Franklin Streets in the Orchard Hill neighborhood of North Omaha is a half-acre vegetable and herb garden plot called City Sprouts. Since 1995, City Sprouts has provided garden plots and education on gardening techniques to families living in the community that do not have their own garden plots, and that have a desire to grow their own food, form relationships with their neighbors, and enhance the beauty of the community.  Two gazebos nestled amongst the garden plots, provide respites for those gardeners wishing to take a break from their labor of love, working the soil. City Sprouts hosts events through-out the year, but their primary fundraising event is their annual gala which will be held Sunday, August 22nd, 2010.  Last year’s gala was held at Lauritzen Gardens. However, I’ll provide additional details as they become available. Get involved as a City Sprouts gardener or volunteer, and Happy Motoring!

Located at 14808 Echo Hills Drive, in Millard, is Dusek Photography. Dusek’s provides professional photography services for individuals and families, for special events such as graduations or weddings, for Little Leagues and sports teams, for childcare/preschools and more. My wife and I believe it is important to have family photos taken at least once a year, as a gift to friends and family. You should check out Dusek’s impressive photo portfolio. The Dusek professionals have several outdoor locations that they use for their photo shoots, or you can make an appointment for their in-home (basement) studio. Just call Kim to make an appointment, at 402-934-4397. Enjoy your photos and Happy Motoring!

Located at 701 N. 40th in midtown Omaha, is St. Cecelia Cathedral. Begun in 1905 and consecrated in 1959, St. Cecilia Cathedral is one of Omaha’s most historic and recognizable architectural achievements. St. Cecelia’s is also the seat of the Omaha Archdiocese. The church’s website says the architectural style is “Spanish Renaissance Revival”, and it is easy to see the Spanish and Mexican influence in the design. Every winter, St. Cecilia’s hosts one of most spectacular floral displays in the Midwest, that it is open to the public. The 2010 event will be held the weekend of January 30-31; with Saturday hours: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday hours: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is a donation. Mass times may also be found on their website. Happy Motoring!

Located inside the Marcus Midtown Crossing Theatre (3201 Farnam Street), on the fourth level mezzanine, is Vue Lounge. The Vue provides a spectacular, open, lounging space with an unobstructed view of the midtown. It is the ideal place to gather for drinks and conversation before or after a movie. Buy a glass of wine or a drink and carry it wherever you wish inside the Marcus facilities. For a real treat, try the CineDine experience, with private menu and drink service at your movie seat/table inside the theater. You can order your tickets on the web, and pick them up at one of the convenient kiosks in the theatre lobby. We love the Vue, the Glo, and Marcus Theatres. Happy Motoring!

Lansky’s has three Omaha locations. One at 50th and L Streets in Omaha, another at 1131 N. Broadway in Council Bluffs, and a third location at 3909 Twin Creek Drive in Bellevue (at 36th Street and Highway 370). Lansky’s is well known for its Philly steak sandwiches and for its pizzas. I think Lansky’s pizza sauce has a sweet tangy taste to it.  Overall, the food is very reasonably priced. We had a group of 30 at Lansky’s and were very satisfied with the service. They provided a dining room for our group free of charge, saving us a lot of added expense. Lansky’s has an extensive menu that also includes pasta, calzones, soups, salads and desserts. I really like their newest location in Bellevue. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!

Located at 6949 S. 108th Street (108th and Harrison Streets) is Rotella’s Italian Bakery. A fifth generation bakery business that began in Calabria, Italy in 1850, Rotella’s has built a reputation based upon quality and service. Established in Omaha in 1921, Rotella’s specializes in fresh, nutritious breads and rolls. Rotella’s operates a outlet store at their bakery, where fresh-baked rolls, buns, hoagies and specialty breads such as Ciabatta bread may be purchased. Our family tradition is to order Rotella bread bowls from the outlet store and to serve an assortment of soups before attending Christmas eve worship services at church. It is so much fun to eat the tasty bowls! Our grandson’s food allergies include both milk and eggs. Amazingly, Rotella’s breads do not rely on these products. We love the smell of fresh-baked goods at the bakery. Check out their outlet store & Happy Motoring!