FLIP + CHING

More Omaha Food

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

As we are getting ready for our trip to Colorado next week, I’m reminded that I still haven’t caught up on posting about our Omaha trip a couple of months ago.

Here are a couple of pics from Centi, a gelato shop in the Old Market District. Brian had the chocolate absolute flavor (obviously) and I had the taro flavor (purple one).

We also went to check out Lisa’s Radial Cafe. It is this diner that is kind of like a hole in the wall but had really rave reviews. It wasn’t in the best part of town but all the positive reviews outweighed Brian’s usual paranoia and we ended up going there for breakfast one morning.

The restaurant is popular with both locals and tourists alike and, having read all the fantastic reviews online, we were not surprised that there was a 30-45 minute wait when we arrived.

I think part of the appeal of the restaurant is that they offer your usual diner fare at very reasonable prices, which you don’t really find in some of the fancier areas of town like the Blackstone and Old Market districts. I think this was the cheapest meal we had during our entire trip.

And now for some food pics…

I feel like we ate a lot on this trip. Another restaurant we had the pleasure of trying was Twisted Fork Grill & Saloon.

Here are some more food pics…

Alright, that’s it for this installment. Come back next time for more on what’s going on in our lives. I’ll try to keep you all better updated going forward. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

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Jackson Street Tavern

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

The Jackson Street Tavern in the Old Market District of Omaha is one of several restaurants we got try while we were there for Brian’s birthday last month. The Old Market District is really neat. It reminds me of Wichita’s Old Town but bigger. And they have carriage rides there.

Brian and I walked around a bit after dinner and found ourselves at Fairmont Mercantile Hollywood Candy Treats & Amusements. It’s a cool, little retro candy shop with kind of a flea market vibe inside.

Not only did they sell retro candy there, but they also had all sorts of novelty items like these fun signs.

Brian and I had a ton of fun browsing the store and walking our dinner off. I highly recommend checking this place out if you’re ever in Omaha’s Old Market District.

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Breakfast at Early Bird

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

One of our favorite things to do whenever we travel out of town is to try new places to eat — places we don’t have at home. Early Bird in Omaha’s Blackstone District is one such place. It was recommended by our server at Blackstone Meatball the night before. It did not disappoint!

I am usually the more adventurous one of the two of us so I decided to get the El Gordo burrito as a bowl. It was amazing. I kind of wish there was somewhere here in Wichita I could get this. I would totally go back and get this again, in a heartbeat.

Brian got your classic bacon, eggs, and hash browns. That’s kind of his MO. He usually orders basics that you can pretty much get anywhere. His go to dinner at most places is chicken strips. LOL.

Anyways, the food was good and the service was friendly. It was a great start to our first full day in Omaha.

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Let’s Talk About Balls

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Ching under Travel.

There was a huge hailstorm on our first night in Omaha.

The hail was HUGE! Biggest I had ever seen.

The sound was so loud as it pounded the roof and side of the house. It totally freaked Saki out. She still has PTSD from that major thunderstorm in Rockwall when a tree branch broke the window in our bedroom in the middle of the night.

Balls were kind of the theme of the day. Earlier that night, before the storm rolled through, Brian and I had dinner at the Blackstone Meatball in the Blackstone district. It was a good thing we ate when we did because we finished dinner and got back to the Airbnb early enough that the hail hadn’t started yet.

It’s a neat little restaurant that specializes in — you guessed it — meatballs. Brian and I started with their meatball flight so we could sample the various types of meatballs they offer.

For my meal, I ended up getting spaghetti and meatballs with the pork meatball.

Brian got a meatball sub with a classic meatball with the spicy diablo sauce and waffle fries.

I think we must have been there during happy hour because I got a refreshing cucumber cocktail. It was yum!

Actually, the food was really good and were pleased with our choice for dinner. The only thing we didn’t like was the vegetarian meatball. It was cold and tasted gross.

Other than that, the rest of our meal was great and the service was great. We highly recommend checking out this place whenever you find yourself in the area. Until next time!

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Brian’s 50th Birthday

Posted on July 20, 2024 by Ching under Events, Family.

In keeping with Brian’s aversion for leaving the country, he decided earlier this year that he would celebrate his 50th birthday in Omaha, Nebraska because he has always wanted to visit their zoo. I had heard of the Henry Doorly Zoo as being one of the top 5 zoos in the nation so I wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. I just wanted to do something more exotic or go to an all-inclusive resort like what we did for his 40th birthday. During the months leading up to his birthday, I gave several reasonable suggestions but he would not be dissuaded. At one point he was like, “You’re trying to hijack my birthday!” I told him I was simply giving him some ideas and providing options. He insisted, “You can do whatever you want for your birthday but, for my birthday, I get to do what I want.”

And thus, our plans to spend the weekend in Omaha was solidified. Omaha is a wonderful city and we had a great time. Arguably, not as good a time as I would have had if I were drinking unlimited free cocktails all day but Brian was on meds around that time and couldn’t drink anyway so we probably wouldn’t have gotten any bang for our buck as I can’t drink that much by myself anyway.

Here’s a highlight video I made of our time at the zoo.

While we were there, we found out that the Henry Doorly Zoo touts itself as the #1 zoo in the world. A title they achieved a couple of years ago and have held on to since so they have been #1 for two years running. It’s an impressive feat considering all the impressive zoos in the US alone.

The next day we went to check out Lauritzen Gardens. It’s nice but our local Botanica is just as nice and far more walkable. Anyway, I much preferred Botanica.