Lincolnite

The Missus and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary with a trip down to Brownville where we stayed at the River Inn Resort -- more a bed and breakfast than a "resort" -- and ran in the Freedom Run. I wasn't sure what to expect from the River Inn. The accommodations turned out to be quite nice, although the RV park adjoining the boat is still a disaster following the flood from a couple years ago. The rooms aren't very large, but you wouldn't expect them to be since, y'know, you're on a boat. The rooms are nicely decorated and well kept. Breakfast featured mixed fresh fruit, eggs, hash browns, bacon, and a muffin. The Missus and I ended up eating with a Swedish family who were in the midst of a driving tour of the U.S. The weather for the Freedom Run could not have been more perfect for the few hundred participants. The course was flat as could be. The Missus and I ran the 10K, a nice happy medium between the other options (5K and 1/2 marathon). The Missus wound up finishing second in her age group. Our pre-race meal the night before was at Hickory Road BBQ [Facebook] in Auburn, about 8 miles away. We had intended to eat in Brownville but everything -- and I mean everything -- was closed, apparently in anticipation of the long list of festivities planned for the Fourth. Hickory Road was packed with locals so we definitely stood out. I ordered the Big Mouth Brisket Sandwich (pictured above), which featured brisket, sausage, and grilled jalapenos. Mmm, it was tasty. We followed dinner with a pleasant walk around town. The River Inn Resort is the second bed and breakfast we've tried. We recommend it. You may recall that we also highly recommend Pine Crest Farms up between Valparaiso and Ceresco. Guys, a friendly hint: take this opportunity to make a phone call and set up a reservation at one of these B&Bs.

Nathan "Shane" Walton was murdered this week, and yet there's surprisingly little reaction from Lincolnites. Local media have mentioned the case here and there. It seems like there would be more hullabaloo over such a brutal assault in the middle of a street. What does it take to get people fired up over a murder? This case would seem to have several factors that would increase local interest: it occurred out in the open on a public street; it was brutal; the victim had a low IQ; the victim had no known ties to gangs nor any indication that he "deserved" this end because of his actions or affiliations. If you have any relevant information for the investigators, please call Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600. Two people (or more) need to face the consequences for their actions. Don't let them get off free.

The Journal Star's Jordan Pascale posted some reactions he has received following Mayor Beutler's State of the City speech. One of them complained about the roads in the Country Meadows neighborhood off 66th and Highway 2. I scoffed. I thought, "What a knucklehead! Those are private roads, not City roads!". I pulled up Google Streetview so I could better see for my own eyes how bad these private roads are. Oops. That's not a private road, and it is pretty bad. It's not hard to see how living in a neighborhood like that might make a person bitter about how local road money is spent. (And for the record I had my neighborhoods confused. Pheasant Run, at 66th and Old Cheney, is the neighborhood with the private roads.)

Mayor Chris Beutler gave his State of the City speech today. It can be summarized thusly: (For best results play from 0:18 to 0:31. YouTube won't let me set those time constraints for you. Sorry.) That's not a criticism of his vision, by the way. He's right: it will take money. Where's it going to come from? For starters, look for that local option sales tax to show up on ballots in the near future.

The lunch previously scheduled for yesterday will now happen today. Meet up at noon at Shen Cafe for good food and good conversation. Please join us!

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of the nifty Civic Plaza coming to 13th and P and the durn thing isn't even built yet. It has been associated with miscommunication, misinformation, missed deadlines, and missed opportunities. And now there's a new chapter to add to the saga. The City wants to include a sidewalk cafe along the east edge of the plaza, along the wall of the building that currently houses Bison Witches. That sounds like a great idea until you consider that it involves $100,000 in City money paying for improvements to a private business. Plenty of folks are fired up over the proposal. The $100,000 would come from City keno funds and it would go toward construction of the outdoor seating area and for fixing up the ugly wall on the Plaza's east side. The keno funds are designated for "special" projects. Given the importance the City has placed on this plaza, there's no doubt it fits the bill. The trouble, of course, is that the money is almost literally going into private pockets. Granted, the City does benefit. The more active the plaza is, the better. And tidying up that horribly ugly wall can only be a good thing. Yet there are oodles of spots around town that would benefit from public monies paying for private improvements. What makes this spot so special that it deserves $100,000? Deena Winter wondered out loud if Monte Froehlich's bailout of the City a few years ago has anything to do with it. Froehlich owns the ugly wall and the building it's a part of. Frankly, considering how much of a disaster that situation was, scratching Froehlich's back wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. That doesn't make it right, but public dollars have been used for worse purposes. I'm less worried about the $100,000 than I am about the precedent this continues. This proposal is a last-minute extension to a project that the public had already assumed it had signed off on. We thought we were good to go, yet now the City says "Hold on! For a few more dollars we can do even better." Can you think of another situation where that has happened lately? How about those two extra parking garages down in the Haymarket? This trend should concern all of us. We're being sold on projects at one level, only to have additional pieces tacked on later. That's not to say the "extras" are bad. More parking in the Haymarket is a good thing, as is a more attractive Civic Plaza environment. But after a while you have to start to wonder. It's possible, for example, that the City is deliberately leaving these things out of early discussions in order to help sell the projects. It's also possible that the City is lousy at planning and these add-ons reflect things that should have been part of the original proposal. Take the ugly wall. Did nobody consider that having that ghastly backdrop might be a liability to the Plaza? At this point I'm just ready to get the Plaza done. It should be something we're excited about -- and it was, at one point -- but at this stage it's becoming a punchline. Worse, this latest proposal means it may become a symbol of politically-motivated handouts (even if that's not what's really going on). I would love to hear what you folks think about it.

UPDATE: Shen Cafe is closed today, Monday July 1, for "unexpected maintenance". We will try again tomorrow, July 2.

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Please join Deena Winter and me for lunch at Shen Cafe at noon on Monday. It's an informal gathering of Lincolnites and folks from Twitter. Or maybe it'll just be the two of us. You never know with these things. Deena, for those of you who don't know, is a former Journal Star writer who currently works for Nebraska Watchdog. She has a passion for covering a variety of local and statewide issues. She describes herself as a "cowgirl flunkie who's written for the Northwood Gleaner, Bismarck Tribune, AP, Denver Post, Lincoln Journal Star & now Nebraska Watchdog in Lincoln". I hope you're able to join us! It's always a blast seeing and meeting you folks.

I'm not going to leap to any conclusions about the work release inmate who, it appears, was responsible for the crash Tuesday night that killed Joyce Meeks. Few details have been released, and I'm sure much more investigation will go on. That's all expected. What I don't presently understand is why the Department of Correctional Services won't release information about their own policies about work release inmates. It makes sense that they won't release information about the driver or why he was behind the wheel; that's all pertinent to an ongoing investigation. But general policies are public information and they should be released immediately, if not made available permanently via the web. Even if the policies were followed, and even if the policies are perfectly sane, the act of "hiding" them does nothing but increase mistrust among the public and, importantly, the media. In general, information is good. Sitting on important details just makes people nervous. I wish more individuals, organizations, and government bodies would understand that.

Hey gang, I'm back from six days in lovely Des Moines, Iowa. I joined a delegation of 19 referees and assessors from Nebraska at the Region II Youth Championships. I had previously attended the tournament several times as a referee, but this year I went as an assessor. That means I got to sit around and watch some of the best young referees in the region officiate some of the best youth soccer in the region. Weather delays aside, it was a very fun time. Now I'm back and ready to get back to posting around here. ... Just as soon as I figure out what went on around here while I was gone.

A few days ago I mentioned that TEDxLincoln is accepting applications to speak at its November event. It's not the only event in town, however. Ignite Lincoln is also accepting speaker applications. The Ignite Lincoln event is on August 29. Ignite Lincoln uses a unique format for its presentations. Speakers are allotted exactly five minutes and twenty slides, each lasting fifteen seconds. It's a fun format that keeps things moving and is suitable for a wide variety of topics. Ignite Lincoln is also accepting applications from local nonprofits which will have a chance to win $5,000 at the event. Unfortunately the timeline is tight; nonprofits only have until June 28 to get their applications in.

The Nebraska Foster Care Review Office has put out its quarterly report and it's worth a look. As the Journal Star summarizes it, some data are moving in the right direction: fewer children are in out-of-home care, and children are spending less time in temporary "shelter care" situations -- basically limbo between home and a more long-term foster care placement. That's the good news. Here's (some of) the bad news: oodles of children have been out of their homes for two years or longer, and most of those children are under the age of twelve. These aren't trouble-making teens, in other words. These are young kids spending a significant chunk of their lives in impermanent situations. The implications for their mental, behavioral, and social health are profound. This issue hits home for us here at 625 Elm Street. When we adopted Joey he had spent a total of roughly three-and-a-half of his eight years in foster care. Keishor spent his first 20 months in foster care, lived with his bio mom for a year, and then was in foster care with us for 1.5 years before we adopted him. The FCRO report identifies some worrying statistics indicating that African American and Native American children are far more likely to spend more time out-of-home than other children. The question is why. The Indian Child Welfare Act is an obvious contributor for Native American kids. But there's an easy-to-identify, much larger issue that covers pretty much every other explanation: poverty. When I talk to people about foster care, one of the frequent complaints people have is that the bio parents just don't seem to try very hard to get their kids back. There's a kernel of truth in that complaint, but it's largely based on an extraordinarily naive understanding of poverty. Not that I'm an expert on the topic; I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of the things I've witnessed. Lack of education and/or mental health problems play important roles, as does what might be termed "poverty culture". Whatever the cause, the fact is that many things just take longer for people in poverty. That includes getting kids back into the home. Complaints are the length of time children spend out-of-home make me worried. I worry that one of two things will happen as policymakers rush to improve numbers: children will be shoved back home before the home is ready or they'll be taken away before parents have had adequate time to fix their problems, all because a page turned on a calendar somewhere deep in the bowels of the DHHS offices. If you think I'm exaggerating, if you think that DHHS wouldn't possibly do something so arbitrary, you clearly haven't dealt with the office very much. So although I do want kids to spend less time in limbo, all parties must be treated fairly. That includes the kids, of course, but also bio families and foster and adoptive families. The solutions need to encompass everybody or they're simply not going to work. Fortunately I'm aware of a couple private efforts here in Lincoln to work on just those sorts of problems. I hope they work out. The one I'm most familiar with is still in its early stages, but I will definitely post more information about the effort and its results at a later date.

A restaurant's name can communicate all kinds of things, deliberate or accidental, about what awaits customers. The name can describe the joint's formality (or lack thereof); the type of food it serves; how the food is prepared; and even the quality of service you will receive. What, then, are we to make of the name of one of Lincoln's newest restaurants: LeadBelly? The word "lead" makes me think of dense, heavy food that will have me waddle out in misery at the end of the meal. And the combined words "LeadBelly" resemble potbelly -- not a look I'm going for. And yet early reports about the restaurant were positive. Very positive, in fact. This isn't a Valentino's Buffet-style stuff-yourself-til-you-hate-yourself kind of experience, they said. Buzz about the food and the atmosphere reflected something quite different from that. I had to try this place.

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LeadBelly Contemporary American Pub is located at 8th and Q in Lincoln's Haymarket. You'll recognize the location. It has been the home to no fewer than a half dozen failed restaurants over the years. It's a location with baggage, yes, but also one with incredible potential. Potential that's increasing substantially with the impending opening of nearby hotels and, of course, the Pinnacle Bank Arena. LeadBelly's approach is both more traditional than many of the earlier attempts in this building, and curiously eclectic. Perhaps the best thing they've done is add outdoor dining with a new patio on both the east and south sides of the building. The experience is, unfortunately, quite noisy right now thanks to nearby construction, but the beepbeepbeep of backing construction vehicles won't be there for too much longer. The interior is classy, with black booths and a variety of conversation-encouraging tables. The front room features a bar and televisions, while back rooms instead offer tables and booths. It's cozy without feeling too crowded. Don't come for a quiet meal, though. Conversation volumes do get a bit high. I have visited LeadBelly twice, once on a Saturday night and once for a Monday lunch. The restaurant was busy both times. On the Saturday evening we arrived around 6:30pm. Oddly, a sign encouraging patrons to seat themselves greeted us at the door. I don't know if that's a regular thing or if it was due to something like a temporary shortage of personnel. Later in the evening a host was managing seating; perhaps it's seat yourself until the tables are filled? Once we sat at a booth toward the back, we were quickly greeted by our server and offered drinks. On our lunch visit we snagged a table outside. It took a good five or ten minutes for somebody to come along and clear off the glasses and such left over from the previous patrons. The wait wasn't very encouraging, but neither was it surprising; a relatively new restaurant is going to face that kind of hiccup on a busy lunch service. Overall service ranged from fine to very good on my two visits. In both cases the servers were friendly, upbeat, and energetic. They offered recommendations and they were able to speak knowledgeably about most of the items on the menu. Drinks were refilled as expected and the usual "how's everything going?" questions came at appropriate intervals. Other tables appeared to be receiving a similar level of service. My largest gripe is that our Monday lunch took much too long to come out of the kitchen and, thanks to the slow table clearing at the start, the whole experience dragged a bit. I don't want to be rushed, of course, but weekday lunch service generally needs to be snappy to get folks back to work. LeadBelly's menu (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3) is, as I said, both traditional and unique. They offer nachos and salads and burgers and tacos and sandwiches. Pretty typical stuff. Take a closer look at the descriptions in the menu. Intriguing, right? I can't cover the entire menu but I can spotlight a few dishes. The Missus tried the grilled cheese ($7.99) and the tomato soup ($3.49 / $4.49). She described the tomato soup as good, but not necessarily anything to write home about. The sandwich, on the other hand, was a delicious combination of parmesan, provolone, tomato, basil, and garlic aioli on a toasted baguette -- a definite step up from the Velveeta on wheat I make at home. I went a far less traditional route. While browsing the menu I couldn't help but get drawn in by the Full Leaded Jacket ($11.99). I had to try it. It's a burger on a cinnamon roll bun topped with cheddar, chili, queso, sour cream, and jalapenos, and served with corn chips. As with all of LeadBelly's burgers, you can choose from ground chuck, chicken breast, or a veggie burger. I opted for the veggie burger and it was fantastic. The overall Full Leaded Jacket experience lived up to my expectations. It's a bizarre meal, one consisting of an appetizer, entree, and dessert all on one plate. But somehow it works. It's not the sort of meal I plan to eat every time I visit, but I would definitely have it again. On my next visit I forced myself to try something very different from the burger. This time I went with the chicken tinga "flatcar" ($10.99). A flatcar is like a taco or tostada served on a crisp corn tortilla. Mine featured chicken, lettuce, and blue cheese. It was served with mild salsa and a side of black beans. It was a slightly messy, but tasty, meal, nicely sized for lunch, but perhaps a bit on the small side for a full dinner. The tortillas were a nice variation from the usual sort of tortilla used for tacos. The beans, though not particularly remarkable on their own, complemented the meal quite well. I wasn't alone for lunch that day. I was joined by three fine fellas, @9130khz, @LiquidRetro, and @IMFletcher2. And somehow I came out alive. Fletch opted for the huevos ranchero burger ($8.99). He was intrigued by the idea of a fried egg on a hamburger. In addition to the egg, the burger features salsa, romaine, and sour cream. It came with a combination of crinkle-cut and waffle fries on the side. He enjoyed the hamburger and I'm pretty sure he plans to put an egg on every burger he eats from now on. LiquidRetro sent me this information about a recent trip to LeadBelly:

On Friday June 14th I ate dinner at LeadBelly with my family for the second time that week. Parking in the Haymarket was difficult as the parking garage was already full at 6pm. If going later than 6pm to LeadBelly be prepared to wait. Despite being very busy our service was good. He was very enthusiastic and kept the water glasses full! I took a gamble and ordered the Fish and Chips ($10.99) after reading several online reviews recommending them and it being a LeadBelly favorite on the menu. The gamble paid off, with what was some of the best Fish and Chips I have had in town. They were served piping hot, the breading was thick, and super crispy. The menu said it was battered in New Castle beer but I couldn’t really detect the beer flavors. The tarter sauce was a homemade mayo based that had what tasted like a bit of garlic and onion added in. It was great for the fish as well as the fries. The fries were a mix of waffle and crinkle cut that had a special seasoning on them. They were good and the ratio of waffle to crinkle was fine for me. My only suggestion would be to include another piece of Fish and or a different vegetable side. The grilled sweet corn side that was included was overcooked and a bit mushy. Overall if you like Fish and Chips, it’s a must try at LeadBelly.

All that being said, does LeadBelly have what it takes to break the string of restaurant failures in that location? I think it does, and I think I'm basing that on more than just short-term buzz. The improved outdoor seating, unique menu, and Haymarket expansion all work in LeadBelly's favor. Their largest challenge at this point appears to be strengthening their service by ensuring customers are greeted well and that food comes out of the kitchen quickly, especially at lunch. If they can do that, LeadBelly may be the first to say that they've finally found a winning recipe at 8th and Q.