Lincolnite

Business is booming at the College of Hair Design, so they are expanding to a second location. The location next to Menards and Wal-Mart seems a little odd to me, but hey, what does this bald guy know about hair anyway?

By popular request, here are snapshots of Smokehouse Deli's menu: Outside | Inside

I am ashamed to admit that I have lived near 48th and Highway 2 for over three years, but it wasn't until Saturday that I first visited Smokehouse Deli (between Cappy's and Midwest Seafood). I will go back. Soon. I was hungry after reffing two youth soccer matches, and I needed something to fill my belly because I had two more soccer matches to ref later that evening. Barbecue sounded good, so I narrowed my choices to Paul's (48th and Pioneers) or Smokehouse Deli. I'm normally hesitant to try anything new -- especially when my other option is as tasty as Paul's -- but on Saturday I was in the right mood, I guess. The moment I walked in the door I knew I was in the right place. One smell told me all I needed to know: I was going to like this place. I was feeling indecisive, so I asked the woman behind the counter what I should order. She didn't completely bail me out, but when she pointed to a tasty looking rack of ribs, I took the bait. There was no way I could finish 14 bones, but I figured I'd have the rest on Sunday. When I told the woman I had never been to Smokehouse Deli before, she tossed in 3 smoked wings for free. Add in a few containers of their whiskey bbq sauce and a half-pint of beans and I was good to go. When I got home I tore into the meal with enthusiasm, and boy oh boy it was just as good as the smells had promised. I can't believe I have lived so close to something so delicious for over three years and I've only once taken advantage. Shame shame. Smokehouse Deli is primarily a take-out joint, so don't go in expecting to hang out there. Get your grub and go. Oh, I also asked if they do good business on Husker game days. They do. So good, in fact, that they recommend getting your order in by Tuesday to ensure that they'll be able to cover your order. The first Husker game is this weekend. Why don't you give them a call at 420-7675 and taste their meats for yourself?

Niles Ford is Lincoln's new fire chief. He begins work on October 1. What would you like to ask or tell him?

The 2007 One Book, One Lincoln selection has been made. Chosen was The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, the non-fiction tale of ... well, you read the subtitle. I have never participated in OBOL, but The Missus tries to read some of the nominees each year. Upon reading the winner announcement this morning, she laughed. "They picked the one book I had absolutely no interest in reading," she said. Apparently one of the early descriptions she read included the scary adjectives "epic" and "long". She figured if the number of pages was one of the book's primary selling points, it wasn't a book she cared to read. Do any of you plan to participate in OBOL this year? Have you already read The Worst Hard Time?

It is becoming a bit of a cliche, but Lincoln still has some of the cheapest electricity in the country, at $61.00 per 1,000 kWh. To celebrate, I'm going to knock the AC down to 68 and turn on every light and appliance in the house.

It isn't the most exciting video of Robert, but here's a clip I recorded yesterday:

Heard today that the building on the west side of 13th and L that used to house the short-lived Ma Lou's and M13 Sandwich Shop has been sold to new owners. Coming in 2008? A coffee shop and bakery. If true, this will be good for me as it is right on my daily commute to work.

Lancaster County Corrections Director Mike Thurber wants to house as many as 100 inmates outside of Lancaster County, due to overcrowding at existing facilities. Why don't we just export all of the inmates? Then our new tourism campaign could tout that Lancaster County is "criminal-free"! Would any of you amateur (or professional) criminologists or sociologists care to take a stab at the problem's root causes and possible solutions? Clearly the County thinks a new $94 million jail would help. What other options are there in the mean time or instead?

I didn't even realize O Asian Garden (27th and O) had closed, but apparently the space has been acquired by the credit union next door. So much for my plan to give O Asian a try this fall.

Lincoln's new fire chief will be announced today at 1:30pm. To refresh your memory, the candidates are:

• Robert Brown, chief of the Stafford County Fire and Rescue (Washington, D.C.)
• Niles Ford, deputy fire chief in Fulton County, Georgia (Atlanta)
• Mark Rohlfing, assistant fire chief in Omaha

Jake "Weird Expression" Cake is promising to take the winner of his /identify this bug/ photo contest out to lunch in Downtown Lincoln at either Oso, Yia-Yia's, or Roost.

I don't know if former Lincolnite Alex Svoboda deserved harsh treatment by North Providence (Rhode Island) police officers. Maybe she whacked one of them with a drum stick, and maybe she reacted poorly when they took offense at the whacking. But come on, officers, does it really require a rough take-down and knee inversion to subdue a small woman at a peaceful demonstration? Whatever happened to "minimal necessary force"? Anyway, I have watched a lot of videos of similar incidents. Sometimes the protester is obviously at fault, sometimes it's the cops, but usually all of the parties involved are to blame thanks to hot heads, overreactions, and swelled egos. It's too bad nobody had a video camera. Note to police departments: Want to secure easy convictions? Always record video at these events. Note to protesters: Want to secure an easy victory in your civil suit against the police? Always have several video cameras on hand. There, now that everybody is watching each other, we can all get along. I digress. None of that is what this post was supposed to be about. There will be a support rally on Sunday. The LJS is silent on the date and time, but the Nebraskans for Peace blog says 12:30 on the north steps of the Capitol.

I love how the LJS picked a menacing pose for their close-up of a bat in an article about bats and rabies. Two bats in Lincoln have positively tested for rabies so far this year. I don't want bats in my house, and I certainly don't blame people for getting nervous when they manage to get inside. But have you ever been near a bat? They're cute little guys. Like little mutant mice. I mean that in a good way, though it doesn't sound real positive, does it?

Sure seems like there have been a lot of restaurant-related posts lately. As an unapologetic consumer of mass quantities, I think that's a good thing. Here are two more restaurant notes for you: First, I noticed that Five Willows (48th and Pioneers) is advertising that their restaurant is coming soon. I want to say that I once heard it would be a vegetarian restaurant, or at least very vegetarian friendly. I might be imagining that, though, so don't hold me to it. No word on a date. Second, Vincenzo's is opening a seafood joint in the Haymarket called Crabby Bill's Sea Food Shack. I place the likelihood of "I Got Crabs from Crabby Bill" t-shirts at 90%. Edited: Oops, I'm a doofus! I forgot to add these notes that Swid was kind enough to send my way:

• Taco Bueno on N 27th opened on Saturday - the downtown location will probably open sometime next month;
• De Leon's has opened another location on 48th & Vine (next to the former Godfather's/future Jimmy John's);
• Roost Gourmet Sandwiches is now open;
• Cliff's is open in their new location;
• The State Theatre is offering free admission to college students August 24-30.

Thanks, Swid!