I think it's the cold weather. Whatever the cause, I've had food on the brain a lot lately. And since I've been cooped up inside more than usual these past two months, I've lost track of what's going on around Lincoln's food scene. How 'bout we catch up?
The only buzz I've heard lately is that the Mexican restaurant inside the gas station at 16th and Old Cheney has closed. I've tried to think of the name of that place for two days now, but no luck so far. Anyway, if that rumor is true, I'm sad to see that place go. I didn't go there often, but I loved talking with the owner when I ate there. The good news is that I've heard the replacement is a cheese steak joint. I love a good cheese steak. Can anybody confirm that (a) the Mexican place is closed, and (b) that a cheese steak place is going to replace it?
There's been lots of buzz about Granite City lately -- and not good buzz. Last Wednesday The Missus, Robbie, and I went to GC for supper. First the good news: the food was great. A solid B+, I'd say. But that was the only good thing I can say about our experience. The service was terrible. The food took well over 30 minutes to come out of the kitchen; servers were clueless; one poor gal tried to deliver food to the wrong table three times; and so on. It was bad enough that the manager came over to our table unprompted and apologized. That would have been fine, but he didn't actually offer to do anything about it. He just stuttered and stumbled a lot, hung his head low, and ... left. No "What can I do to fix this?". No "Here's some free food". No "Here's a gift certificate so we can get it right next time". But that was just our experience. Since then, I have heard from two other people who had nearly identical experiences within two weeks of our visit. This wasn't a one-off deal as I had hoped. It appears there's something bigger going on. I'm inclined to call it a management failure.
A rumor a while back had Five Guys coming to Lincoln soon. I sure hope so. Ever since I ate at the Omaha location a couple months ago I've been craving their burgers and fries. I don't normally crave burgers or fries. Five Guys hooked me.
That's all the buzz I've got for now. Slim, I know, but like I said, I haven't left the house much over the past couple months thanks to a busy work schedule and some home improvement projects. What's the latest food buzz from you folks?
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I think that mexican place was called mi guadalajara. I think? And I was getting gas there just the other night and saw a new sign that said something about cheesesteaks - - So I would think its safe to say that is what’s going to replace it.
The Toast, a coffee shop and sandwich place in the Highlands area (could be Fallbrook, I’ve never actually been there) has opened a satellite location in the main floor lobby of the office building at 1010 Lincoln Mall. That’s right across from the City/County building at 10th and K.
Good sandwiches and coffee. They also have soup and salads.
My colleagues used to eat/drink at Granite City at least twice a week. 18 months or so ago, quality of service dropped so badly, so consistently that they abandoned it completely. They’ve been back a few times in the past year in hopes that it had improved, but no such luck. Food is the same, prices are the same, service is embarassingly bad. The establishment is efectively dead to them, which makes them sad because it used to be their second home.
For a different option on the North side, I’ve been really happy with the Hog Pit on 14th and Superior. Twice now the rub has been a little heavy on the ribs, but the brisket is the best in town in my opinion.
I’ll have to try that Toast in Fallbrook. We go to the YMCA out there now and it looks cool. Kind of out of place, but maybe new shops will open around it.
The new eatery at 16th & Old Cheney is Cheesesteak Grille. It just opened yesterday and I’ve heard it is good from a few people headed down there on opening day.
I hope the rumor you heard a while ago about Five Guys was correct. I was performing in Washington DC back in September, and our hosts introduced us to Five Guys, and I loved it. When I read your post about the Five Guys rumor, it was then that I learned about the Omaha location. So I had that a couple of weeks ago when I was up there. I really hope we get one here. That’s some good stuff!
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