Omaha's Taste of Old Chicago

Review
The fam decided once again it was time to hit the street in search of another good place to eat.  After our great experience with the Reuben, our expectations were high as we searched out our next place.  And we weren't disappointed.  In Old Market fashion, the red brick greeted us and welcomed us inside.  Looking over the menu, I decided to branch out a little bit and try something I never, ever get in a pizza place -- nachos.  Shortly after ordering the appetizer and a Chicago Seven pizza, out came the nachos.  I didn't enjoy the chips as much as I did the rest of the appetizer mainly because I'm not one for greasy chips.  I prefer a dry chip, but they were crisp and came out with a generous amount of meat and toppings.  I would order these again; they aren't my favorite but they are very good.


Right after the fam ate up the nachos, out came the pizza.  This particular pizza has my favorite toppings -- lots.  I always go for the one with the most mostly because I like different tastes, textures, and smells on my pizza.  This particular pizza features Italian sausage, pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, red onions and Mozzarella cheese.  I knew it was going to be good when I saw very little cheese and mostly toppings.  Indeed it was good.

Overall I came away pleased with Old Chicago.  I thought the service was all right.  Although the times I saw the waiter were far and in between especially for a small lunch crowd, at least my drink was always filled.  Plus the food was good and the nachos were a good find.  The next time we're in the Old Market and craving pizza, we'll need to drop by Old Chicago for their nachos and deep dish.




Cost and Big John Rating
$25.98 = Deep dish Chicago 7 pizza and Italian Nachos (without tax)
Ambiance = 8
Service = 7
Taste = 8
Quality = 8
Price Rating = 6.5
Big John Rating = 7.3


URLs
Old Chicago
Menu
Old Market Location

The Best Reuben I've Ever Had at the Crescent Moon

Review

Not only is it the best, but it is also the only Reuben I've ever liked.  Typically the Reubens I've had usually include one or two very strong tastes with a few hints at other things that never really blend.  For example, the rye bread really stands out and no other flavors tease the palate or the sauerkraut is so strong not even the rye bread can stand up to its overpowering flavor.  I expect more from a sandwich.  I don't buy a sandwich just to eat bread or sour cabbage.  I expect a Ruben just like any other sandwich to have a blend of flavors.  Whether it's corned beef or pastrami, I expect the meat to stand up and blend with the other flavors involved and not bow to the powerhouses at play.

That's exactly what I got when I received my Reuben at the Crescent Moon.  Although no one else was there, the service was disappointingly slow and no one acknowledged us until we flagged someone down.  However, none of that really seemed to matter once I got my Reuben.  This Reuben is the original recipe straight from the Blackstone Hotel just a few steps away (which is arguably the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich).  This Reuben features corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss and 1000 island dressing, plus a couple of other secret ingredients, grilled on marble rye.  The corned beef was tender and the saltiness of the beef really went well with the sandwich.  The marbled rye was noticeable but not so strong it overpowered the sandwich and the sauerkraut didn't stand out.  After eating it, I craved the taste the rest of the day.


Although very hesitant to eat this sandwich (I expected it to be like all the other ones I've ever had), I went away very glad that I had eaten it.  Although initially the service was missing, it did get better after we initially flagged them down.  Overall I was very pleased with the experience and want like to go again, especially for the Reuben.


Cost and Big John Rating
$7.15 = Reuben (without tax)
Ambiance = 9
Taste = 9
Quality = 9
Service = 7
Price Ratio = 8.8
Big John Rating = 8.4


URLs
History on the Reuben
Website
Menu

What a Wonderful Invention -- a Cinedine!

Review
This combination offers the greatest potential since the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  Gone are the days of needing to go back for a refill on a beverage or popcorn; now there are waiters that will fill those up for you.  But first -- parking.  Because this cinema resides in a sky rise area, the building itself blends in with its surroundings.  There is a big marquee announcing its location and grabbing the attention of locale passersby.  The parking garage is right close to the theater and allows visitors to park for free for the first three hours.  Of course, though, depending upon the movie it may not be long enough and could require an hours worth of parking.


The third floor contains the theater with the concession stands.  The theater consists of lazy boys with an eating area in front.  The rows are larger than normal to allow the waiters/waitresses to walk back and forth behind each row.  The chairs are quite comfortable; the chairs in the VIP section even more so.


For my order I went with the Blue Burger consisting of blue cheese and mushrooms on a toasted bun.  The blue cheese really enhanced the burger.  Normally the blue cheese is hardly noticeable on the burger; however, here the blue cheese made itself known while not completely overwhelming the burger.  The end result was a very good blue cheese burger.


The food was good and the service even better.  I went there with 5 other people and pretty soon the waiter noticed we were drinking more than the average crowd and brought us out pitchers of soda to replenish our drinks when they hit bottom.  He ended up bringing out several pitchers.  Ultimately we had more than enough to drink and the service was some of the best I've ever had.  I'm already looking forward to my next trip out.


Cost and Big John Rating
$8.95 = Blue Burger without tax
Quality = 8
Service = 9
Ambiance = 8
Taste = 9
Price Rating = 7.2
Big John Rating = 8.3


Notable URLs
Midtown Cinedine Menu

Ted and Wally's Ice Cream Shack

Review

Located in the historic Old Market District of Omaha, this is one of a few distinct exceptions to the customary red brick design so prevalent in this area.  It looks like a dive especially when considering the juxtaposition of this building with the others, but it really offers some good ice cream.  The inside is decorated with old ice cream making equipment, an old soda machine, and several paintings on the walls.  The menu is written with a dry erase marker on a white board and items are erased once something sells out.  Because their menu is in a constant state of flux (they rarely have the same menu items day to day), ordering "the usual" is virtually impossible.  This can be considered either a pro or a con depending on if I'm craving something in particular (which does happen on occasion) but really comes in handy if I want to try something new (which usually happens).

An old ice cream maker decoration
sits right next to the ordering counter.

Off of today's menu I tried the lemon cheesecake and the cinnamon nutmeg.  I thought I was going to like the lemon cheesecake and dislike the cinnamon nutmeg, but just the opposite happened.  The biggest complaint I had with the lemon cheesecake is the lack of tartness.  The only way to tell that it was a lemon flavored ice cream is from the yellow coloring.  If it wasn't for the yellow coloring, I would have mistaken it for vanilla.  As it was, my tongue couldn't tell the difference.  However, my experience was completely different with the cinnamon nutmeg.  I was originally worried that the nutmeg or cinnamon would overpower the ice cream, but instead it was a subtle combination that went well with the creaminess of the ice cream.  This was one of two flavors that we purchased by the pint and really enjoyed eating for a few days to come.


In short, Ted and Wallys is one location on my short list of places I always visit when in Omaha.  In fact, this last time I was here there were 11 of us and everyone enjoyed the ice cream of Ted and Wallys.  It's definitely something I will go to again when in Omaha.


Cost and Big John Rating
$3.94 = Two Scoops with tax
Quality = 9
Taste = 8
Service = 8
Ambiance = 8
Price Rating = 8.9
Big John Rating = 8.2


Notable URLs
Facebook Page

Rolling Out the Red Brick Matt

 Review
From the outside, the Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill looks like an old warehouse.  It's actually a grocery store that was later turned into a restaurant.  Although originally built in 1883, this interior has been renovated to suit the needs of a bar and grill.  The building is a historic landmark and really provides a great atmosphere.


Upon arrival the place was packed.  Without a seating hostess, we eagerly awaited a table to clear and jumped on the first one that did so.  Although the seating was packed, there wasn't too many people waiting to sit (whereas when we left there was a large crowd waiting to be seated).  The busgirl cleaned off the table in record time and soon we were ordering our drinks.


Because Creighton University was playing a game at the Qwest Center, they only offered us a smaller version of the menu.  Essentially they wanted to make sure they could get as many people through as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, my brother and sister-in-law had gone over the full menu beforehand and each craved a different item from the full menu that wasn't on the smaller one.  When the waiter came over to take our order my brother asked if he could have one the other burgers to which the waiter said no.  So my sister-in-law asked for an Omaha Burger with onions, mushrooms, and horseradish (which makes up the Matt burger that she wanted) and my brother asked for an Omaha burger with Blue Cheese and Caramelized onions (which makes up the BlueJay burger) to which the waiter responded, "Ok.  You got me.  I'm going to go back there and the chef's going to say, 'Why'd you let them order stuff that wasn't on the menu?' And I'm gong to say, 'They're too smart for us!'"  So we ended up with what we wanted after all.

For mine I ordered The Matt Pig Sandwhich (one of their specialties) which consisted of slow cooked smoked pork and topped off with picnic slaw as well as BBQ sauce on the side and fries.  The pork was pretty good, very tender and had good flavor.  The bun was a little harder than I'd like but it wasn't too noticeable because of how much meat they put on there.  The fries were average fries.  They also offer an additional cup of soap or side salad for $2 or you can substitute out the fries for sweet potato fries or onion rings for $1.50.


Overall everyone enjoyed their meal and look forward to coming back, not just because of the great service but also because of the good food.  You may want to avoid coming just before a CU game, though, because it does get very packed.  Other than that it's a great place to go.


Cost and Big John Rating
$7.95 = The Matt Pig Sandwich and fries without tax.
Quality = 8
Service = 9
Ambiance = 9
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.0
Big John Rating = 8.5


Notable URLs
The Old Mattress Factory
Their Menu