Forgotten Cuisine - a follow-up ...

Sorry, no photos in this one. :)

I would like to, if I may, take the opportunity to respond to some of the comments left in response to the Forgotten Cuisine article, from the past and several quite recently. What brought this on was, well, to make a long story long ...

Welcome to the members of Bunny Net! :)

Thanks to Lyle for spilling the beans on where all of these recent hits -- hundreds of them -- several times the usual daily average -- have been coming from!

I will say that one thing on my do-it list is to do a photo walk-through of the Benson neighborhood. I did a recent one on Dundee, and I'll be sure to put Benson on the top of the list.

I'm going to respond mostly to the comments on the places I remember, or at least have some kind of knowledge of. For those who don't see their fave here, I'm not ignoring you, I just don't know of it or remember it.

I want to thank all of you for your comments and kind words. It's very good to know that I am doing something right. :)

Comments are what a blogger lives for, or rather blogs for. Those of us who do the "photo and trivia" blogs typically report one comment for every thousand hits or so. Comments are appreciated, particularly those which support the efforts.

For those of you who enjoyed the article on Omaha restaurants, please browse a bit on this site, as I have a number of things that resident and displaced Omahans may enjoy, covering various thing about how Omaha is, was, and could have been.

Thanks again, gang, and keep those cards and letters coming! :)

Anyway ...

Let's talk about Omaha restaurants ...

>One family restaurant that also survives is the
>Bohemian Cafe... dono if it's a good fit for the
>list but they definitely have good food.

Bohemian Cafe is indeed very good. I don't get there very often, but I've had good meals every time I've been there.

I did a photo walk-through of the 13th. St. area maybe a year ago, there are a few photos of the Bohemian Cafe and the surrounding neighborhood on the page.

http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/02/lucky-13.html

>What a shame to see so many places gone.

Oh! So true! It's a shame to see well-run unique local places struggle and close while cookie-cutter formula restaurants thrive. :( I just don't understand it. :(

Please, gang, if you have any favorite well-run local eateries, patronize them, support them, enjoy them, tell them that you're glad they are there, urge your friends to do likewise, and value them for what they add to the quality of our lives.

>The one's I miss are the three Greek-American
>places used to be downtown. Ambassador, Olympic,
>and Virginia. Ambassador was at 25 and Farnam and
>was oonce the only full service 24 hour restaurant
>in Omaha.

I really don't remember the other two, but in the mid 1970s, the Ambassador was to me and my friends kind of the equivalent of Monk's for the Seinfeld gang. We lived in the area at the time and were in there at least a couple times a week.

What I most remember, however, was the night of a very tragic incident.

One of the owners, the nicest guy there ever was ... often worked the desk by the register, and when you paid he greeted you as if you were the most important customer they had. I don't remember his name.

Anyway, one night, after our gang had eaten and left, he was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight. Incredibly tragic! :(

The remaining partner kept the place open for a while, but after a fire they never recovered. :(

This surviving partner did open a very short-lived "New Ambassador" on north 90th, but it never caught on.

>Also for lunch you had Bishop's Cafeteria and
>Northrup Jones.

I do remember Bishop's.

I think the one downtown lasted until about 1980 or so. It was a cafeteria, but priced ala carte, as opposed to prix fixes for All You Can Gorge, as is the trend today. They either moved or opened up another one at Westroads, and that lasted -- wow, can't really remember, but most likely to around 1990 or so. I don't remember Bishops as being outstanding in any way, but I recall that the food was of a much higher quality overall than Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral.

>Also the Hilltop House in Dundee.

I did a photo walk-through of the Dundee area not too long ago, and I have a few shots of the building (still called Hilltop House) in that item.

http://omababe.blogspot.com/2009/10/village-named-dundee.html

I only remember eating at Hilltop House once. The food was, well, not memorable, as I can't remember what I had, so I guess it was neither outstandingly good nor outstandingly bad. :)

What I >>DO<< remember about Hilltop House was the age of the clientele!

We were both 20-something at the time, and we were by far the youngest couple in there. Decades younger than any of the others! I would have estimated the average age of the other diners to be 60 or so.

>Sorry to ramble on but I did enjoy this and it
>brought back all kinds of memories.

Please, ramble on! :) I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

>Lucky's is still open at times for the bar and for
>special events. They may try to reopen fully.

I was recently told that one of the (former?) owners of Lucky's has now taken over the management of Rick's Boatyard, a fairly new and wannabe-trendy eatery with a somewhat shaky reputation on the bank of the Great Grey-Green Greasy Missouri river. (All set about with fever trees?) :)

>Other great ice cream was Evan's at 35 and Center,

Evans was around shortly after I arrived in these parts, and I do remember them. Their specialty was a very cold and extremely thick malted which you ate with a spoon. Almost as thick as ice cream, but incredibly smooth and creamy. It was served in a large fancy glass which was very cold to the touch.

It morphed into a Goodrich, which is not bad, but a step downward in my not so humble opinion. It then morphed into a Valentinos Take-out, and I'm not really sure what's there now, if anything. I don't get to that area very often.

>Don't forget Goodrich malts. Still the best I have
>ever had.

Goodrich is (or rather was, I think it's slipped in recent years) very good, I must admit, but once you had Evans, you would never go back. Goodrich is not nearly as common as it used to be. Mostly it's now bundled in with other eateries, such as Little Kings.

>Not mentioned on the menu from Oddo's was the
>"Henpecked Henry". Hamburger, cheese, hot dog,
>bacon, and a shredded lettuce, mayonnaise, pickle
>relish sauce.

ROFL! Never heard of that one. The staff there must have had an incredible sense of humor! In the walk-through of 13th (link above), I stumbled upon the site of Oddo's (I'm really not sure if it was pronounced "Odd-Oh" or "Oh-Doe", I've heard both) and if you look at the sign and use your imagination, you can envision rollerskating car hops and loudspeakers blaring out doo-wop! :)

>Also King's with their Cheese Frenchee. Deep fried
>cheese sandwich. There was still a restaurant in
>the 90's that made them. Don't know what the name is.

Kings was around, and quite ubiquitous, when I moved here. For almost-fast food they were very good. They kind of seemed to self-destruct all of a sudden. I understand that one was open in Lincoln long after the chain's demise, but that eventually closed.

The chain which acquired some of the Kings recipes is Don And Millie's, a small local chain with maybe 5-6 locations in the area. D&M's, like Kings, is very good. Plus, they serve beer! :) Nope, you don't order by phone, you step up to the counter. :)

>1. Roses Lodge - great chicken, now closed.

I will never forget the sign on their marquee. "If the Colonel had our recipe, he would be General." :)

Rose Lodge was some of the best fried chicken I can remember. There were several other excellent chicken places in Omaha in days past, all of them I believe now defunct. Just across Dodge and down the block was Dixie Kitchen. Didn't go there much (reason: Rose Lodge was there) but I remember it as being very good as well. Jonesy's on Maple lasted until quite recently. Also Short Stop, mentioned below. Jack And Mary's was another one.

In response to another comment, Rose Lodge was on 78th., just south of Dodge. There was some kind of a reason giving for them closing instead of relocating, and I am at a loss to remember the details.

But wait! There's more!

I have been told, but I personally have not ventured there -- yet, that a small restaurant in Treynor, Iowa, just east of Council Bluffs, has acquired the Rose Lodge chicken recipe and is serving it in a small local B&G, named ... yes, you guessed it, Rose Lodge! It merits a road trip, but that just hasn't happened yet.

>2. Irvington Ice Cream - Best ice cream ever. Now closed.

I have been told -- I don't remember by whom or any more of the story -- that the bloodline of Wells Blue Bunny ice cream, produced nearby in Iowa, shares the heritage with the former Irvington ice cream plant. I'm not aware of any further details.

>4. Tiner's Drive In - long since gone. The "In" Place
>to gather for Burgers, fries and malts. I can drive
>to the old location but don't remember the address.

Tiner's was on Dodge, maybe 44th. or so, south side of the street. It lasted well into the 1970s at least. I remember the drive-in portion was showing age and in disrepair, but what I remember most of it was the delivery service for BBQ rib dinners when we lived in the area. This was, of course, before we discovered the Smoke Pit! :)

>hamburgers at a place at 30th and Fort Sts. called
>"Marshall's." This was the forerunner of "Mr. C's"
>and it remained "Marshal's" or "Marshall's Drive-In"
>until at least 1952.

Hmmmm ... very interesting. I had assumed that the drive-in was built by the Caniglias sometime in the 1950s.

In an unrelated article, another blog comment shares the following:

>The original location was also a drive in that
>the locals called "Horse Meat Harrys". I forget
>the true name.

Marshall's? :) :)

>My understanding is that "Mr. C's," like so
>many family businesses, ultimately closed
>because a younger generation was not inclined,
>or in a position,to continue the business.

That is my understanding too. I do know that the one son was involved with the business, but I'm not really sure of the details. Some say that they blamed the casinos, but I keep hearing that it was really an issue of nobody to assume the lead in the business.

That was the tackiest decor I ever loved! :)

>There was a small brick house between Caniglia's
>and Little Franks and the woman who lived there
>had the right to live there till her death aprx
>1990. She was the wife of "Frank". There was a
>tunnel that led from Little Franks to her house
>convenience for the family to travel back and
>forth to work! Story goes that the tunnel was
>originally built for bootleggin purposes - make
>the booze in the house and transport it sight
>unseen thru the tunnel.

Interesting trivia!

Legend has it that several of the places I've cited in the Forgotten Cuisine article had descended from speakeasies in the days of prohibition, either at their current locations or from former locations.

>It is hard to forget Short Stop in So. Omaha on
>42nd St. They had the best fried chicken around.

Again, one of the dearly-missed South Omaha institutions.

However, you are in for a real treat!

I hold in my hand, a faded stained card, kept in a mayonnaise jar on Funk And Wagnall's porch since noon today, a pirated copy of the recipe for the Short Stop Italian salad dressing. This was handed down from a former employee who transcribed it shortly before they closed, to a friend of mine, and a few minutes ago, to me.

So (sim sallah bim), I hold in my hand ...

(Well, I did actually have it in my hand, but then she remembered that she had it in machine-readable form, so therefore I cut and paste.) :)

Short Stop Italian salad dressing:

1 Cup Sugar
2 T Salt
2/3 Cup Water
1 1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar
1 T Parsley
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
Capers (I use a couple of Tablespoons)
Mix the above and let sit at least 1/2 hour.

Then add:

1 Cup oil
Stir and refrigerate. If oil gets thick let set out 1/2 hour before using.


>Current place is Joe Tess which was on Diner's,
>Dive etc.

You will notice that there are no Long John Silvers or Red Lobsters within a 5 mile radius or so of Joe Tess. There's a reason for this!

>Omaha has always had the best in eateries.

Yes, I think that could be one of the great tautologies of life, up there with the Pope being Catholic and bird doodoo falling from the sky. :)

>I also recall a place called the "Blackstone" had
>great fare.

When I arrived here, the Blackstone Hotel was probably the classiest hotel in Omaha, and they had several eateries, including the Orleans Room and the Golden Spur. I was acquainted with several Blackstone employees in days past, and they all told the legend of the Reuben Sandwich, which they say was first served at the Blackstone, and named after Reuben Kulakofsky, one of the founders of Central Market, a long-standing downtown grocer with short-lived branches in the 'burbs.

There was apparently a dispute, IIRC an employee jumping ship, and the Rose Bowl, a long-closed bowling alley in the Dundee area, challenged Blackstone, claiming that the Reuben was indeed first served there. I don't know. I didn't have a dog in that fight at the time. :)

>Also a great drive through like Mr. C's only in
>west Omaha at about 83rd and Dodge called Todd's.

The Todd's I remember was a short-lived reincarnation of the original on north 72nd. in the mid 1970s. "Todd's Is Back" with photos of the original, such as a block long line of cars waiting to get in! It must have been quite the place in its heyday.

>And B&G's, still operating at 78th and
>Dodge. Loose meat sandwiches to die for.

That particular sandwich has always been known to me as the "Tavern Sandwich", a delicacy indigenous to the Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin area. For those who don't know of this, it's often described as "a sloppy joe without the slop", basically loose ground beef, in natural juice with seasonings and maybe some LOSM thrown in.

Those from Iowa often know it as the Maid-Rite, after a chain of fast-food stands serving the sandwich. It appears that the sandwich is rarely seen on this side of the Missouri River with B&G's being one of the few places in Omaha which serves it. There is actually a Maid-Rite in Omaha. Finding it will be an exercise for the student. :) (Hint: Look in a gas station outside of a supermarket.) :)

The B&G variety has a bit more of an onion flavor than does the Maid-Rite.

For a few years, some DQ drive-ins served a Maid-Rite clone.

But seriously, B&G is one very unique place which I need to patronize and support more often. Once when I was in the one owner shared the story of how they began as a small DQ type drive-in at the confluence of Cass and Dodge. They had photos of the original at the time. They originally specialized in root beer and soft-serve ice cream, but their version of the Tavern became their best selling product. They then moved into the Beverly Hills Plaza shops and have been there for several decades.

>What about Kenny's on 72nd & Dodge. ... It was
>a great place to take the family.

That's one I had almost forgotten, I admit. I was only there a few times, but enjoyed it. I'm not sure why they closed, but I doubt if it was due to low patronage at that corner.

>It's too bad our children will not know good resturants.

They can, and they should, but only if we encourage them, and set the example by patronizing and supporting the well-run locally-owned independent joints!

The next time the family wants to go to Applebee's or Chili's or {fill in any of several}, why not suggest Gorat's or Anthony's or Piccolo's or La Casa?

>Ahh! Cantoni's! 70 cents for spaghetti and a
>salad--in the 50's. 90 cents if you wanted two
>meatballs.

Cantoni's was one of my faves, but, LOL, I don't remember prices that low!

I was acquainted with the long-time hostess, the late Peggy Rossiter, and got to know the Marchello brothers, Gene, who was usually in the kitchen, and John, who usually acted as maitre d'.

I remember one night that they were saying that the booth immediately to the west of the main entrance was for many years the throne of the late Lou Cantoni, who continued to keep an eye on things long after he ceased actively working.

>The sauce was not to be topped! One could buy
>a quart of the sauce on the way home from work

The sauce was very tasty but very unusual, even for Omaha Italian places. It was a rare flavor, and I've only tasted a few others similar to it. The sauce at the Ambassador was somewhat similar. It was on the mild side, and not as sweet and not as tart as most Italian red sauces.

They admitted to me one night that one of the secrets to the sauce was that they ground up the last night's leftover prime rib to use as the meat in the sauce.

The only sauce I've tasted in recent years which is similar to Cantoni's sauce is the "ground beef meet sauce" served on pasta at Giordano's in Chicago. That's about the closest I can think of.