I Miss Omaha!

I mean I REALLY miss Omaha.

This is College World Series week (as though you didn't already know!), and I should be in Omaha. This (psuedo-)annual trip is one in which the planning for the following year begins on the plane ride back. For me, I am never ready to leave when the trip is over - so, I am most gung-ho about going back right when we leave.

I have been talking about this year's Omaha trip since college baseball season started. I caught games in Houston (Rice vs. Long Beach State) and Nashville (Vanderbilt, with MLB's #1 draft pick David Price pitching, versus Florida). I went to the ACC Baseball Tournament in Jacksonville. Heck, I am a college baseball FAN. I planned the trip with my buddy who is heading off to law school in the fall at Louisville. We are both UNC fans, and we always suspected that UNC may make the trip to Omaha with us, but neither of us ever expected Louisville to be there, too. I feel bad for my friend because I bailed out on him at the last minute.

And now I miss Omaha.

I miss the "Greatest Show on Dirt."

I miss my annual steak dinner at Johnny's Cafe. While we are on the subject, I also miss Lo Sole Mio (I would have never expected to find one of the best Italian restaurants around in Omaha!) and the Bohemian Cafe.

I miss the carnival-like atmosphere around Rosenblatt Stadium.

I miss the Henry Doorly Zoo.

I miss the Jesus water people.

I miss getting a free Slim Jim with the local paper every day on the way to the game. Hey - you need the water to wash down SOMETHING, don't you?I miss the brisk walk up the hill - usually in temperatures north of 90-95 degrees - with throngs of baseball fans all hoping to witness some of that CWS magic.

I miss the Titan House. For that matter, I miss all of the rented houses along 13th Street that have people partying from early in the morning until long after the last out is recorded at night.

I miss Zesto's.

I miss staying in the team hotel. One year we stayed in the South Carolina host hotel and one year with LSU. I will never forget having breakfast one morning with the entire South Carolina team. The starting pitcher was sitting about three feet behind me. Cool stuff.

I miss the LSU fans - and the Horns, too. These guys know how to travel. LSU folks all caravan with their giant RVs; hosting large tailgating parties - whether LSU is playing or not - with crawfish boils, jumbalaya, etc. The UT fans have the grills out smoking meats "low and slow" early in the morning.

I miss the eight flags flying over Rosenblatt - the ones that are lowered one at a time, as each team is eliminated from contention.

I miss Harold Reynolds.

I miss the "ball girls" - the ones whose responsibility include retrieving the foul balls hit onto the screen straight back over the grandstand. If the ball is caught - cheers from the crowd; if the ball hits the ground (for ANY reason) - unmerciful boos. One of the great Omaha traditions.

I think Harold Reynolds misses the ball girls, too.

I miss the live organist.

I miss how the whole town embraces "their" event - how when you walk into a restaurant, they don't ask what you want to drink, but rather who won the early game.

I miss the ticket scalpers - they actually seem nice and friendly - and you can still get reasonably priced tickets.

I miss Sammy the Owl - the only real mascot I have seen in all my years in Omaha.

Mostly, I just think I underestimated how much I would miss being a part of it all.

And, if for whatever reason, I am not able to make it back next year, I am going to be really bummed again.

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The REAL Carnival of Dining Out III - Super-Sized Edition

I don't think that there is a big enough apology to account for my extended absence. I appreciate the emails and well-wishes from those who thought I had gone to meet the Great Blogger in the Sky - and the prodding from friends who wouldn't know where to eat, what to watch on television, or how to grab some extra airline miles or hotel points without me.

Without further ado, here are all of the latest entries for the Carnival of Dining Out. Since I have not posted in a couple of months, I am waiving the normal one-per-month rule. Those that submitted an article for each month, will have both posted.

Breakfast/Brunch

Jennifer Miner starts things off with Best Brunch in Chicago posted at Travel Articles. Jennifer wanted to make sure that my anti-sushi bias didn't preclude her participation, so she chose a topic that even a manly-man diner such as myself would approve. Some of these suggestions might just keep me out of Lou Mitchell's the next time I am in Chicago!

KoffieVerkeerd is our first international contributor this month. The Amsterdam coffee bar scene is happening. Early breakfast at Bagels & Beans posted at DaarZijnWeWeer. Of course, it is possible that I haven't really considered the surge in the Euro against the American dollar, but 7 Euros (~$10US?) sounds like an awful lot of change to kick out for a bagel with a schmear and a cup o' joe.

Jul checks in with a stop in one of America's culinary crown cities - Brunch, New Orleans style posted at Veggie Chic. This may well be the first vegetarian-specific submission. Congratulations!

Multicultural Dining Experiences

Forget that processed "just add boiling water", 10 cents-a-bag "meal" from your college years. Newcomer Mystery Critic will show you where to find MC's Favorite Ramen Shops in the US posted at Mystery Critic Reviews of Best Restaurants.There is a definite west coast bias here, but I suspect that the west may well be where the best ramen can be found!

My good buddy, Kiki Maraschino (one of the all-time great nom-de-plumes) got her blog off the ground and sent in Que Rica! posted at Here, Eat This! (I also think her original blog name was a winner - if not G-rated!). Kiki has a great writing style, so you should definitely check out the rest of her work. Now. Go.

Dhana from Fresh Kitchen dropped in with a non-restaurant dining out experience at the local Thai temple in San Francisco. Dhana claims this to be the best Thai food outside of Thailand! And, since pictures are the way to my heart....well, I can't hotlink to the pictures, so you will need to click on the article to see them for yourself.

I will readily admit that I have never dined in a Ghanaian restaurant. Come to think of it, I don't know that I have ever SEEN a Ghanaian restaurant. If I were looking for one, though, I can think of no better place in the States than Berkeley, CA. Koranteng Ofosu-Amaah tells us aboutA Taste of Africa posted at Koranteng's Toli.

Fine/Upscale Dining Experiences

First-timer snekse writes about a new restaurant in one of my favorite cities - Darwin Bistro - Omaha, NE posted at Gastronomic Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soup. I am in the midst of planning my annual trip to the College World Series, and I may have to include Darwin Bistro on my list of potential dining options.

Repeat offender Steve Madsen gives us the latest on the Seattle dining scene with Twenty-six Dinners - Market Street Grill posted at South Bank Projects. I have participated in the Dine Around Seattle promotion when out that way in the past. It seems as though that special runs about the same time of year my business takes me to Seattle.

s'kat tells me that there aren't a lot of options in Newport News, VA, but Create Bistro is one of the best. She must know that I am a sucker for food photos, too - and that calamari looks delicious! Check out the rest of her posts, too, at s'kat and the miscellania.

From the "Maybe someday... Department," Sagar Satapathy presents Top 10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the World posted at Credit Card Lowdown. I guess for some restarantuers, this is a list that they would AIM to make. Congratulations, Mr. Keller, et al.

Counters, Cafes, Joints, Huts, and Shacks

belledame222's premier post, Fetch me my axe: "Well, let's have lunch. Everything looks better after lunch." is self-described as "New Yorker-style, first-person piece about an accidentally transcendent experience in a small seafood restaurant." I can't top that. Check out the rest of her work at Fetch me my axe.

Roderick Russell sends the first post from the great State of Connecticut! Traveler Food and Books posted at NOUMENON :: Art, Ideas, Culture & Capricious Opinion. Our run on vegetarian-friendly dining establishments continues. Taking advantage of my slacker status, Russell also brings us the first submission from New Hampshire, with Cold Mountain Cafe Review.

That's going to about wrap things up for this month's edition. My punishment for not posting for so long is that I don't get a link. But, check back periodically, or subscribe to the feed using the button at the top of the page, because I will have some new tales of my own travel coming up soon. In the past few months, I have had the opportunity to visit New York City upstate New York; Nashville, TN; and Jacksonville, FL. Who knows? I might even write about some of those trips!

Submit your articles to the next edition of the Carnival of Dining Out using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Trip Log, Day 6; Omaha

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

One of the biggest lessons that I learned from typing this trip journal is that I really need to do a better job of daily writing when I am on vacation and then just put it into proper format and add pictures. On the other hand, this is a great way to relive a wonderful vacation, so maybe it is not so bad that I am still writing about my Omaha adventures almost a week after the College World Series ended (unhappily, I might add).

This shaped up to be a weird day. One of the things that we tossed around for an agenda prior to the trip, was the idea of seeing the early game in Omaha, then driving back to KC to see a game between the two worst teams in the majors (Pittsburgh was in town), catch one more meal in KC, and fly out the next day. The scheduling gods were not with us, though, as the "early" game was scheduled for 4 pm local time. There would be no chance to see any part of that game, and then make the drive to KC for a 7 pm start. Instead, our new plan would be a late lunch at the famous Johnny's Cafe, and then a day and evening of baseball, with evening food consisting of ballpark fare.

We got to Johnny's (4702 S. 27th St.) a little before 2 pm (good thing, too -- their lunch service ends at 2!). Johnny's is an old cattleman's hangout, just outside the Omaha stockyards. Greeting you at the entrance is a larger than life photo of Jack Nicholson, grinning ear to ear (naturally) in that way that only he does. Nicholson filmed "About Schmidt" here, and, even as shy and demure as he is, apparently had his arm twisted into taking a photo for the wall. The dining room is decorated in what can only be called 1950's chic - a dimly lit room with big leather chairs and booths. The server, a robust midwestern woman, takes her time greeting the table, but she is always moving. You definitely feel like you have taken a step back in time. Lunch is served with a somewhat pared down menu, but they note that dinner steaks are available for lunch, as well.

We both had our hearts set on two things - the filet and the hash browns. Our server told us that the hash browns would be an upcharge for the lunch-sized 6 oz. filets, but come as an standard side to the 9 oz. dinner cut filets. Hmmm...more steak? OK. As for the photo, no there is not a mirror splitting the middle of the table - but, when you know what you want, why order something else? Split open, there was a significant difference between my buddy's medium rare and my medium. Actually, I would be amazed if these guys EVER had a steak sent back. The hash browns lacked the crispness that I prefer. I recall them being a little crispier the last time, but I am not sure if I ordered them that way, or if at dinner time you just get better hash browns? I am not much of a wine drinker, but their house Cabernet was delicious, and I thought a bargain at $4.75/glass. The bread plate is pretty pedestrian, but the spread that was served with the bread was cottage cheese-like, and pretty tasty. Suuficiently stuffed, and wallets emptied ($70 lunch for two), we made off to Rosenblatt.

The beginning of the first game was lightly attended, so we were able to walk right in again (no general admission line) and secure decent seats behind home plate. Today's session was two games long, so unless you had the desire to see one of the two teams playing the early games, you didn't need to arrive particularly early. Knuckleheads like us, on the other hand, were able to get good seats! My favorite thing about Tuesday in Omaha is that it is "Elimination Day!" Both brackets have both of their teams with one loss play each other. Since this is the double elimination part of the tournament, the losers go home. The first game was Cal State Fullerton against Clemson. Two of the top seeds in the tournament, who had each lost a game to North Carolina. I thought this was going to be a great game - two of the top teams, and each looked better than at least three of the four teams in the other bracket. It was a shame that someone would no longer be playing after this contest.

The reality didn't live up to my self-promoted hype. The game was sloppy and long. It took over four hours before Fullerton came back and broke the hearts of these guys sitting behind us. As a matter of fact, it was the second or third longest nine inning game in CWS history. What that meant for us was sheer baseball overload. We'd seen enough. I wasn't looking forward to sitting through a 50-minute break to see Oregon State-Miami, a replay of the lone blowout in the entire CWS. It seemed Miami would have it in the bag (hmmm...have I been RIGHT yet?). Instead of catching the late baseball game, we could just grab one more good meal in Omaha, and that is what we decided to do.

The Bohemian Cafe is another of the legendary Omaha restaurants that most people just assume you hit when you tell them that you went to Omaha. I had never been there - heck, I wasn't really sure that I liked Czech food, but what the hey...I'll give it a shot. The recommendation that we got was to order the duck and pilsner. I like duck and I like beer - should be a winner. Again, we walked in the door just about as the place was closing. I wouldn't think that a Tuesday night in Omaha would be all that hopping, but 9 pm seems to be when the whole town shuts down. We were seated, graciously, and next to us was a father/son duo who had clearly made the same bee-line for the place as we did from the stadium. They must have had better seats or a better parking spot, because they already had their food. I also let the sight of their meal talk me out of the duck.

I ordered the jaeger schnitzel, sort of czech veal cutlets in what tasted like a very thick marsala sauce. It came with a cup of their chicken and dumpling soup, which was fabulous and two of the thickest and tastiest dumplings I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. My buddy stuck with the roasted duck, and was not disappointed. The Pilsner Urquell is served on draft in a frosty ceramic mug. Homemade bread accompanies the meal, but there is enough carbs in those dumplings to get anyone with even the slightest sense of watching their carb intake to take heed. For the first time on this trip, I could not finish the meal. I couldn't come close to finishing this meal. I left a whole dumpling, some of the veggies, didn't touch the bread, and it was even tough to finish the beer.

Needless to say, this was the perfect ending to a great trip. The flight the following day left little room for anything but a wake-up and a drive south to the KC airport. Fortunately, we were back in first class on the way home, so even though MCI-ORD (O'Hare) offered little more than a bag of pretzels, our flight from ORD-MCO would at least give us a similar snack to the flight up. Refer back to the first post in this trip report if you must, but this is a great vacation for any true baseball fan who has had it with the typical spoiled professional athlete!

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Trip Log, Day 5; Omaha

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

At this point in the trip, life is very good. I am in Omaha, for the College World Series, and my team is 2-0 and holding some serious chips heading into the midweek games. Having been to Omaha previously, I have developed some favorites. Knowing that this trip was short on time here, we had a finely planned operation to make sure that we hit all the favorite places, and still make the ballpark for a decent number of hours.

This day was to be prime ballpark day. We got an early start because the area surrounding the stadium is something to simply soak up. I wanted to get some serious soaking time in. Merchandise tents line 13th Street, stretching a solid mile in front of the stadium. Vendors hawking t-shirts, pizza slices, and aluminum bats all stake out their spots, while religious groups hand out bottled water, the local paper is given out free, and supporters for legalizing gambling in Nebraska all try to mark time with passers-by. It is an all-out street carnival, with a serious baseball theme.

We entered the ballpark around noon for the game scheduled to begin at 1 pm. By now, I had developed a stroke of hunger. In planning our day, we planned to grab "something light" at the ballpark, and gorge on a meal in between the two games. The food scene at Rosenblatt is something to behold. It is a veritable food orgy, and for stadium food, is surprisingly affordable. After doing a bit of a recon mission, I decided on a salt pretzel ($3). This was a huge mistake. I don't know if the problem was just the time of day, but it was awful. It was soft -- too soft, as though it had not even been baked. The salt, applied upon ordering, was excessive. I ate about half and tossed the rest. Blech. The food that I had previously had at Rosenblatt had always been very good. They have an excellent chicken fingers platter for about $7 which comes with four chicken fingers and more fries than most can finish. The nachos are always a hit with fans, as are the onion blossoms and funnel cakes (which seem to come from an outside vendor).

There is always a confluence of food smells in and around the stadium -- the burgers, sold inside, are grilled out in the open (don't see that anywhere anymore). Outside the stadium, Omaha Steaks sells their products, as does Famous Dave's BBQ. One of the more baffling treats to be considered a hit in Omaha is Dippin' Dots. Yes, it is hot, and anything cold is a welcome respite. But, I have never seen any place as crazy for Dippin' Dots as the midwest, and Omaha, in particular. They advertise themselves as "The Ice Cream of the Future," but it seems as though the future has been coming for a long time. I doesn't even look the least bit appetizing to me, but folks scarf this stuff up.

Eight flags representing the teams in Omaha fly over the centerfield fence. One of the new traditions at Omaha this year is the lowering of the flags for the eliminated teams. After Oregon State beat the University of Georgia in a pretty poorly played game, UGA's flag joined the Georgia Tech flag as those flying at half-staff.






Our late afternoon meal (again, I would only call this dinner at the AARP Early Bird specials in Florida) was at a place we discovered our first year in Omaha, Lo Sole Mio. Back in 2004, we were sitting in the upper reaches of the grandstand, chatting with a local family. We told them of our ballpark adventures and mentioned that it was our first time in Omaha. They asked us where we were planning on eating in town, as we had mentioned that food was an equal part of our ballpark journeys. We, of course, asked for their suggestions. The woman in the group turned to me and asked if we liked Italian. I kind of shrugged my shoulders, as if to say "sure, but why would I come to Omaha to eat Italian?" She told me that she could refer me to the "best Italian meal I have ever had." I gave her the raised eyebrow, and politely told her that I grew up on Long Island, and have had a pretty good fair share of decent Italian meals. She conceded, but still offered that it would be the best Italian I would have in a solid 300 mile radius. Fair enough - and we had the afternoon free, so we checked it out. Well, the lady was right....it is VERY GOOD Italian, and it has been part of our regular stops since then.

On this trip, I (the less adventurous eater of the two of us) ordered the chicken marsala and my buddy ate the Pasta Con Pomodori Secchi, a dish of sun dried tomatoes, grilled chicken and some veggies served over pasta. Both meals were enormous. Unfortunately, we didn't have a fridge in our hotel, so leftovers would be a waste. Successfully, gorged, it was time to head back to the ballpark.

The evening matchup was one that we really looked forward to. University of Miami against mighty Rice U. Since UNC was in the other half of the bracket, I felt like it was OK to root for Rice - besides, the last time we saw Rice in Omaha, they brought their mascot, and I was able to get my picture taken with the Rice Owl! Since they were the only team to bring a mascot that year, they were able to secure my support. That was the year Rice won the championship - the only championship in their school's history.

More basbeall...and some really good steak in the next post!

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