MOBILE 'INFERNO' TO ROLL IN OMAHA SOON
Dante Pizzeria Napoletana plans to launch a mobile oven at outdoor events this summer. It's half the size of the wood-burning oven used in the Shops of Legacy restaurant, which is to say it's about the size of a small car and must be pulled on a trailer.
Chef-owner Nick Strawhecker is calling it “the Inferno.”
He said he expects to fire it up and roll it out near Rosenblatt Stadium during the College World Series and to make it available for private parties and catering gigs starting in late May.
“We'll do pizzas and whatever people want,” he said.
In photos from Mugnaini Inc., the California-based manufacturer, the same model created for a Canadian pizzeria looks like an igloo with a chimney on wheels.
Strawhecker said he doesn't expect it to have regular trolling hours, like a soup or taco truck.
And he'll need a little notice for catering: Since it's wood-fueled, there's no “on” switch.
“We have to light the oven the night before,” Strawhecker said. “And then you drive down the street with it burning.”
Strawhecker said he saw similar mobile ovens in California recently and decided he had to have one.
“We're really excited about it,” he said. “It's supposed to come next week.”
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KOREAN LUNCHES FOR THE TIME-STARVED
Korea King added what may be the city's only Korean lunch buffet last week.
Owner Ema Morlan said the buffet features the same authentic Korean fare (with a sprinkling of Chinese dishes) that she offers on the regular menu.
It's offered from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for $6.99.
Morlan launched the restaurant, at 4719 S. 96th St., southeast of 96th and L Streets, as China King; she changed the name and menu to reflect her Korean heritage about a decade ago.
She said she added the buffet as a quick option for diners who need to hurry back to work. “Korean food is time-consuming (to prepare), and people have too short a time at lunch,” she said. “So far, people really like it.”
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NEW NAME AT INDIGO JOE'S
Omaha's Indigo Joe's is now Traditions Food, Sports and Spirits. Tim and Marna Raburn, who launched the Indigo Joe's franchise at 74th and Dodge Streets in 2006, decided to part with the nationwide chain and do their own thing.
Marna Raburn said Traditions is still the same style of eatery: a family restaurant and sports bar. She said the switch allows them to customize the menu for Omaha tastes.
“Our customers had been asking for a year for boneless wings, and we weren't allowed to do it,” she said. “So that's one of the first things we added. ... Right now, the food's mostly the same. We're still transitioning, but we want to try to be a little different.”
The number, 502-2777, remains the same. The new website is www.TraditionsOmaha.com.
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A GALLERY OF CHANGES NEAR 108th & Q
Maru Sushi Korean Grill is in the works in the former Han Kuk Kwan Korean restaurant in Galleria Plaza. That's the strip anchored by Valentino's on 108th Street between L and Q Streets. Owners were not available, but construction was in progress this week at 5032 S. 108th St., and signs said it would be “coming soon.”
Just a few doors to the south, Abelardo's Authentic Mexican Food has opened at 5044 S. 108th St. Owner Abelardo “Abel” Gonzalez said it opened April 15 and is open 24 hours a day. The number is 932-8728. There will soon be another Abelardo's. Gonzalez said he operated the Alvarado's Mexican Food franchise at 3420 N. 90th St. for nine years and is turning that location into an Abelardo's this week. He said he is no longer affiliated with Alvarado's.
And on the north side of Valentino's, Billy Mac's at 5010 S. 108th St. has closed.
Reached Tuesday, owner Bill McKenna said he closed the three-year-old restaurant at the end of 2009. He said he continues to offer catering, with the use of another kitchen. The old number, 934-3434, rings through.
His McKenna's Blues, Booze and BBQ near 74th and Pacific Streets was seized by the Internal Revenue Service in August 2006 for nonpayment of taxes. New owners reopened it. And McKenna opened Billy Mac's in early 2007.
McKenna said the IRS didn't have anything to do with the closure of Billy Mac's. “It's just a business decision I made,” he said. “The catering I can do all by myself.”
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CLOSED, BUT BRIEFLY
Jams is closing next week. But fans needn't worry: It's only for three days.
Owner Mark Hoch said the restaurant will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to allow for some structural repairs in the kitchen fun stuff such as plumbing and flooring and will reopen Thursday.
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CHEF SHUFFLES
Omaha chef Glenn Wheeler will succeed Clayton Chapman as executive chef at Spencer's for Steaks and Chops.
Wheeler and general manager Brad Marr confirmed this week that Wheeler will join the staff Monday. “He has the same sort of skill set and already does some of the things Clayton does, so we're very happy to have him onboard,” Marr said.
Wheeler, whose résumé includes Liberty Tavern and the former Bomba Dia and Wheeler's in Dundee, recently parted with Taste. Chapman is leaving to launch his own venture, the Grey Plume, in Midtown Crossing this fall.
Timber Dining Room at Lied Lodge and Conference Center in Nebraska City is seeking a new executive chef. Nick Maloney, who had been there for the past three years, left about a month ago.
It would seem a prime gig, as the Arbor Day Foundation-owned eatery draws from the orchards and gardens on-site.
Mark Derowitsch, spokesman for the foundation, said a national search is under way. “In the meantime, we're still enjoying chef Nick's menu,” Derowitsch said. “He surrounded himself with a great staff. The food's as good as it always has been.”
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MORE HOURS TO MUNCH AT PITCH
Pitch Coal-Fire Pizzeria in Dundee has extended its hours. It's now open for lunches Tuesdays through Saturdays, starting at 11 a.m. It continues to serve dinner nightly, starting at 4:30 p.m.
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TWO MORE MAKES THREE FOR FIVE GUYS
National chain Five Guys Burgers & Fries plans to open its second and third Nebraska locations in the next few months.
Evan McKean, a managing partner, said the second will open at 8540 S. 71st Plaza, near 72nd Street and Giles Road, in Papillion on May 17 or 24, depending on construction. The third will be southeast of 74th and Dodge Streets, in the former Pearle Vision spot at 7345 Dodge St. It's expected to open in late June or early July.
The first opened last summer near 132nd Street and West Dodge Road.
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WORTHY OF A TOAST
Nebraska Brewing Company's Hop God won bronze in the American-Belgo category at the 2010 World Beer Cup, held April 10 in Chicago. The Papillion brewpub describes the beer as an American IPA-style beer with some “delicate and fruity aspects” more typical of Belgian beers.
Nebraska Brewing was the only Nebraska brewery to place at the competition, which involved 3,330 beers in 90 categories from 44 countries.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The sisters who own Piccolo Pete's and their cousins, the brothers who own Caniglia's Venice Inn are doing a steak battle this spring for the Travel Channel's "Food Wars." See the full story we reported Saturday in the "related news" links at the top right of this page.
-- Nichole Aksamit
Got restaurant news, questions or tips? Call food writer Nichole Aksamit at 444-1069, or e-mail nichole.aksamit@owh.com. Dining Notes runs Fridays.
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