On the Town: Two Omaha cigar bars ready to roll

Stogie and a scotch, please.

Sniff, sniff. Cigar smokers smell victory at hand as two new cigar bars — Ravenite Cigar Bar & Lounge and Havana Garage — get ready to open.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission recently approved rules to facilitate a new state law that exempts cigar bars from the statewide public smoking ban.

Under those rules — which are still waiting approval from the governor and attorney general — to become a cigar bar, businesses would have to obtain a special liquor license, install a walk-in humidor (a special room with temperature and humidity controls for storing and displaying cigars), generate at least 10 percent of their gross revenue from tobacco sales (except cigarettes), and would be prohibited from allowing cigarette smoking and selling food. (Tobacco shops also are exempt from the statewide smoking ban.)

Omahan Myria Phaisan said her business, Ravenite, 2615 S. 144th St., is waiting for the thumbs up. The cigar bar will boast an 800-square-foot humidor, a 30-foot rectangular bar, four plasma-screen televisions, several leather armchairs and a pool table.

Think mobster-themed decor: Black and burgundy-wine walls with mahogany trim. Photos on the wall of infamous mobsters, including New York gangster John Gotti. Ravenite was the name of the social club in Little Italy used as headquarters of Gotti's Gambino crime family.

Ravenite, the Omaha cigar bar, will carry Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and Cohiba brands as well as its own brand. Some of the cigars will be named after Mafia affiliates, such as “Lucky,” “Gambino” and “Capone.” A few ladies' cigar lines will also be introduced.

Most people pay about $10 for a fine cigar, Phaisan said. “We'll price ours between $5 and $12.”

The cigar bar will place an emphasis on educating people about cigar brands and pipes.

Also in the works, a lecture series and art auction of Henry Hill's work. Most people know Hill as the wiseguy played by Ray Liotta in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas.” The former mob figure was placed in the federal witness protection program in Nebraska. He has since moved to California. Apparently, he's eager to visit Omaha and other Nebraska spots he used to frequent.

Ravenite is expected to open in late November. E-mail: bluemarkentertainment@yahoo.com.

Across town, the Havana Garage at 1008 Howard St. is still under construction.

Co-owner Chaz Kline hopes the downtown bar will be up and running sometime in December. It'll feature a 150-square-foot humidor with personal lockers for people who choose to keep their smokes locked up. The location will focus on Cuban heritage, by way of décor and specialty drinks such as rum and tequila cocktails.

Kline said the state's smoking exemption enticed him to open the cigar bar. The Havana Garage is an extension of the S.G. Roi Tobacconist shop near 11th and Howard Streets.

“We've been downtown for 35 years,” Kline said of the tobacco shop. “Cigar bars are a niche marketplace. We get customers from all over the country. The world of cigars has really pushed through.”

***

The Kendall Tavern in south Omaha will celebrate its 20th anniversary Saturday with food, drink specials and prizes from noon until close. Information: 734-5997.

The tavern at 6310 Gilmore Ave. is a standout spot because of its extensive collection of Hamm's beer memorabilia.

“Our collection would put most museums to shame,” Nancy Kendall said about the family bar. “It's one of the biggest in Nebraska. We have everything from rotating signs, beer trays, steins, old cans and bottles down to coasters and matchbooks.”

Hamm's is no longer sold in Nebraska, but it can still be found in some states.

“They don't distribute it here anymore,” Kendall said. “Otherwise, I'd serve it.”

The Minnesota-based Hamm's Brewery was widely known for its advertising jingle and bear mascot.

Kendall's parents, Murl and Lil Kendall, bought the bar in 1989, two years after Murl retired from Sears. He was a Hamm's faithful, spending 50 years drinking it up. At his 2007 funeral service, a memorial arrangement was made out of Hamm's beer cans and pool trophies that belonged to him. The tribute piece is still on display at the tavern.