New Restaurants in Omaha
posted by snekse

A new feature here on GFC. We'll be tracking new restaurant openings on this page, so be sure to bookmark this spot if you care to keep in the know. Well be adding new spots at the top and deleting old ones from the bottom.

Hollywood Diner (Open early June)
90th & Maple

Twisted Fork Grill & Bar (Open in May)
10th & Howard St.

Baby Blue Sushi (Open in April/May)
168th & Center

Jimi D's Food and Spirits
6303 Center St.

Sweet Georgine's Bakeshop (website)
6109 Maple Street
402-884-3330

OMai Vietnamese Restaurant (April?)
180th & Center

Chatty Squirrel Café and Bakery
96th and Giles (La Vista)
402.933.2787

Burger Star (website)
72nd & Pacific
333-STAR (7827)

HuHot Mongolian Grill
72nd & Pacific

Jumbo Buffet
14040 Arbor St.
402-697-1688

Ming's Star Chinese Restaurant
4646 Dodge St.
402-551-0383

Twisted Cork Bistro
10730 Pacific St.
402.932.1300

Ellis’ Fish and Chips
4001 Ames St.

Mia Latte Café
1901 Farnam St.
402.345.8839

RELATED LINKS:
Omaha Restaurant Closings
Omaha Restaurant Websites
Omaha Restaurant Reviews

Labels: NEWS, OMAHA, OPENINGS, RESTAURANTS

Nebraska Brewing Co opening Nov 17th
posted by snekse

I confirmed with Paul Kavulak that The Nebraska Brewing Company will open to the public this Saturday. Their opening brews will include the Nut Brown Ale, Belgian Wit, Hefeweizen (EOS), IPA, and an Irish Red. The Cardinal Pale Ale will follow within the week (they didn’t want to rush it off of the dry hopping that it is going through) A Holiday Ale will be offered right around Thanksgiving and they’ve got their Brewer’s Choice roadmap all planned. You can read a little more about these beers, the food they'll be serving and get additional news updates through their website .

If you get a chance to check them out this weekend, let us know your initial thoughts on the place.

*** UPDATE ***
Beginning November 25th, the brewery will be offering brunch on Sundays from 9 A.M. until 1 P.M .

Also, The Nebraska Beer Blog provides an early review of Nebraska Brewing Company's opening beers.

Tags || NEBRASKA BREWING COMPANY | OMAHA | RESTAURANTS | OPENING | BEER | PAUL KAVULAK | more... |

Labels: OMAHA, OPENINGS, RESTAURANTS

Meet the Nebraska Brewing Company
posted by snekse

Coming Soon: Nebraska Brewing Co

When I first heard about Nebraska Brewing Company opening in Papillion, I had serious doubts about the place. I've been to too many "brewery-restaurants" that seem to wade in the mediocrity pool and rarely impress. I had doubts until I met Paul Kavulak, principal owner of Nebraska Brewing Company.

Paul is a man after my own heart. An information technology professional with a thing for history and beer. And as I found out, a bit of an obsessive fanatic like myself. He doesn't just like beer; he's been home brewing for 15 years. In 1992, a co-worker introduced him to the craft and just a year later he entered his first competition with a Scotch Ale and won a People's Choice award. Paul was one of the original members of the OmaHops Homebrew Club and was the club Secretary for awhile. So this isn't just someone thinking a brew pub could make them a lot of money, this is someone who *really* loves beer.

This also isn't just someone who loves beer who happened to one day think "Man it would be cool to own a brewery". This has been a flame in the back of his mind for at least 10 years. As a matter of fact, Kavulak and ~~some of his OmaHops friends~~ were to be the owners of the Jones Street Brewery when it closed, only to be thwarted by a last minute change in the terms that didn't agree with his analytical mind [CORRECTION: The other people involved with the attempted purchase were Dean Dobmeier (the brewer at Jones Street Brewery) and Bill Baburek (Cresent Moon)] . That logic-over-passion thought process is yet another reason I am excited for this place to open. The research and planning that has gone into this opening is impressive to say the least. It won't guarantee success, but it certainly helps.

Finally, you may have asked yourself "Does Omaha need another brew pub?" While I've always thought there was room for another brewery in Omaha, I never really felt there was a need for one. After talking with Paul, I did realize that there are a few spots in Omaha the do NEED one, including Papillion. The next question is, how will NBC be different? I found the answer to this very interesting. One of the reasons Kavulak stopped competing was because he always brewed beer for his own tastes which meant that sometimes a Porter or Lager he brewed wouldn't fit within the " style guidelines " for that particular brew, thus big point deductions which kill your chances to really compete. A perfect example of that is when he entered the same Scotch Ale that won the People's Choice award into a different competition only to have it score poorly due to the 12% ABV - far outside the upper range of 10% for even the strongest Scotch Ales according to the judging guidelines . Showings like this took some of the fun out of competing, so he decided to stop and just brew what he loves. He will strive to keep that philosophy while trying to find that delicate balance with broad appeal. I also found it interesting that Kavulak, being the history buff he is, wants to bring back some of Nebraska's rich brewing tradition which was wiped out for the most part during the prohibition. I believe Omaha has room for a brewery like this.

So I bid an early welcome to the Nebraska Brewing Company.

RELATED LINKS:
The Nebraska Brewing Company
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Nebraska Brewing Company (Foodaphilia)