Although Omaha has many great “Burger” places there is a new place in town.We have been checking out the new restaurants at Midtown Crossing lately and stopped by “BLANC BURGER & BOTTLES” Sat night which was very busy but a short wait.  Thought we would go early and beat the rush but everyone else must have thought the same thing.  The decor is very simple, an eclectic modern feeling if you will but a good feel.   Walking in, you are on  first level with high stool seating at the full bar  in the front part of the restaurant with malts for adults.  Now that’s a different drink.  As you walk down a few steps there is even more seating and lots of large windows to watch the sidewalk people and a view of the park across the street.  The waitress was very courteous and knowledgeable.  After reviewing the menu which includes a variety of burgers including a meat loaf burger, bison burger, fish burger and more, we ordered their classic burger with condiments on the side and the Calamari Fries [which were very good].  Also on the menu are good ole’ malts.  When asked if the chocolate malts are made with vanilla ice cream, the answer was no, because they don’t use malt powder.  They only have vanilla and chocolate ice cream from Ted & Wally’s, a local supplier, now that’s a good thing.  But they were very accommodating when we asked about having a mixture of vanilla and chocolate ice cream blended together.  The malt was excellent and very thick.  There burger’s are normally cooking one way, which is medium to medium rare, so we ordered medium well since it is hamburger.  Upon serving the burger it was cooked the normal way so we did have to send it back for a little more fire.  But they did this without hesitation and returned with the proper finish. Although the burger, at $9 was very tasty their prices seem to be a little on the high side for everything being al-a-cart. For that liquid to wash down the burger and fries not only do they have the normal libations but there is a very large variety of local and national beers, such as Lucky Bucket. If you are taking  in a movie or just walking the area be sure to stop by “Blanc” and check it out for yourself we don’t think you will be disappointed.

STREET CAR WALL

Chapter 2… CONVINCING THE DMPA BOARD

WE DECIDED the Streetcar Wall project was too large for two people to undertake without help. Therefore, armed with good ideas and information about the project, the next step was to present our ideas and convince the DMPA Board it was something for the entire community to appreciate for future years to come.

Knowing there would be costs involved to have the Sculptor and Artist visit the site, create renderings and arrive at a preliminary cost, we asked the Board for money to have this done, allowing us to proceed with all the other details of the project.

Anytime you present a very ambitious project to a group and talk about a large amount of money, the time and effort necessary to make something of this magnitude successful, you will get all kinds of reactions.  Yes, the blank stares, the smiles, the nods and even those who probably thought we had lost it, were all reactions from the Board members.  But you have to remember, these are people who live in the Dundee Memorial Park area and want to preserve its historic value, nostalgia and life style.  The DMPA Board was very receptive and allowed us $500 to get a study of what was needed to obtain renderings, costs and make the project successful.  Although there were some who thought it was a very ambitious project they applauded our efforts and enthusiasm.

With this in hand, we contacted Images in Brick Studios and set a meeting.  Many ideas were discussed including answers to a lot of “WHYS”.  Why this location, why a streetcar, what was the significance to Dundee, history, size of the wall and many others.  Of course when all the whys were answered, a detailed master plan needed to be prepared.  There were so many details to discuss and make decisions on:

1. How would we raise the necessary funds
2. Logistics to get the wall created and moved to Omaha
3. Footings/foundation for the wall and who would do this
4. Electrical for lighting
5. Landscaping design
6. City contacts and approvals
7. PR with neighbors and surrounding Schools, Churches
8. Who to contact for expertise about Streetcars
9. Who could we call on from the association and area to help with their expertise
10. Advertising and media exposure

Yes, there was really no one you could talk with about a project of this size that had been done before so there was a lot of FBTSOYP [Fly by the seat of your pants].

Fund raising began in Sept of 2000.  Although we wrote many letters for grants and donations to various groups, the funds were primarily raised from the residents of the DMPA area. It was necessary to commit to the project with Images in Brick; therefore, the agreement with the DMPA board was the commitment could be confirmed when we had raised approximately two thirds of the necessary funds, of estimated $130,000 estimate for the total project. There were letters send, phone calls made, articles in the DMPA newsletter,  the Omaha World Herald newspaper and presentations at our meeting, about the wall project, and the residents of Dundee Memorial Park we amazingly receptive.  There were donation levels set to ensure donors names to be on a bronze plaque permanently set by the wall. By the summer of 2001, we had reached our goal for the necessary funds to commit to the project, of $85,000.  We had some very generous donations from our residents and a large debt of gratitude goes out to those donors.

Since we had committed to the project it was decided to have a Ground Breaking Ceremony on Sept 22^nd, 2001 at the site where the wall was to be constructed. This was done in conjunction with Dundee Days 2001.  The turnout was much larger than expected with the Mayor, County Officers, City Council Representative, the Artist, the Brick Sculpture and most important, residents of the Dundee Memorial Park area.  It was really amazing to see the support by the community for a project like this which had only been seen on paper.

Check current projects by Images in Brick on their blog

Keep checking our Blog for the next chapter in the Streetcar Wall….. “The Journey Continues”

Check our blog regularly to read the next chapter and be sure to become a fan of Midtown Living Omaha on Face Book and sent it to all your friends.

A Dining Experience

The Ahlvers Group recently had a wonderful dining experience at the newly opened Grey Plume Restaurant located in Midtown Crossing.  Yes, Midtown Crossing is definitely going to be a destination in Omaha.  Some long time friends called wanting to go out to dinner and the girls said, “Let’s try something new.”  Knowing Alex Adkins, the manager of the Grey Plume, we decided that would be our choice.  And a great choice it was.  Since the restaurant and its cuisine were new to Omaha, so were their waiters and waitresses who were very friendly, informative and knowledgeable about the menu.  There is even a menu to explain the menu, rather unique.  I would say it was a learning experience.  It is definitely a true Green Restaurant.

A very warm and receptive feeling is the ambience felt when you enter the restaurant with views of the sidewalk to watch people as they walk by.  The seating is quite comfortable and plush and dining at tables with white linen, uniques plates and contemporary flatware creates a very relaxed atmosphere.  As you look around, everyone seemed to be enjoying their experience with good food and drink.  This is what dining out is all about, Good Friends, Good food and Good Wine.

The menu is definitely different from the typical Omaha restaurant, but a must try on your list of places to dine.  I am definitely the “meat & potatoes” guy but enjoyed The Grey Plume experience very much.  Try the Waygu Beef entrée’, the sauce it absolutely to die for.  And be sure to ask for their special dessert of the evening.

Oh, don’t forget to ask about their coffee roasting machine, it looks like a train engine but the coffee is served in a French Press stainless pot and very hot and very good for after the meal.

Here is an excerpt from their website:  www.greyplume.com

“Seasonally-driven, contemporary cuisine from locally-grown produce and livestock.  The life-cycle of food begins even before the seed and should always end with an emotional connection.  Understanding the journey to the plate evokes a deeper appreciation and respect for the meals we share.  We seek to inspire and elevate the way Omaha thinks about food through culinary excellence, the promotion of local foods and growers, and a commitment to community.”

Click on the link below to view a recent article from the Omaha World Hearld….

http://www.thegreyplume.com/press/press TGP 2010 12 09 OWH A Big Helping of Sustainablility.ipg

Let us know your comments and don’t forget to tell Alex you read about The Grey Plume in the “Midtownliving Blog”

Street Layout for Streetcar Wall

  

Rendering for Streetcar Wall

 

DUNDEE STREETCAR WALL PROJECT:

Chapter 1

The Dundee Memorial  Park  Association, known as DMPA, is the largest voluntary  Homeowners association in the Omaha area.   The Dundee area is a beautiful well preserved historic area of Omaha, where residents take great pride in ownership.  Not only of their property but of the entire area.  If you have a major concern for the DMPA area just see how many people show up at the next city council meeting or make phone calls and talk with their neighbors.  This is what DMPA is all about.  A wonderful neighborhood,  not understood unless you have lived there.

It all started with an idea in 1997 when Jerry Ahlvers was President of DMPA and wanted to have DMPA make a statement in Omaha not only in the present but well into the future.  In talking with his wife Hedy they discussed how there were many little islands and common areas in the area and how wonderful it would be to create a “signature project” for all of Omaha to enjoy and appreciate for years to come.  Traveling to other cities, such as Kansas City and Washington DC, where fountains and sculptures were very prominent and thought this is what should be done in Dundee.  They arrived with an idea of a Street Car project on the corner of Happy Hollow and Underwood, the exact location the Dundee Streetcar line turned around and headed back downtown in the early 1900’s.  What a great way to commemorate the heritage of public transportation to moving residents from the DMPA area to Downtown and back.

 We started to research the land on which the project was eventually placed.  Thinking it belonged to Brownell Talbot School we weren’t sure it would be possible to place a large project on that piece of ground, but after further evaluation it was learned the parcel belonged to the city.  If fact, it was in a previous master plan of the city as a park, so we thought this would be a possibility.  Then with the idea of a massive project we tried to decide how it should be built, with what type of materials, the width, the height and what about landscaping.

“Where to begin was the question.”

A few years prior to this, we had a fireplace façade fabricated to replicate an old ornate piece to fit in with the ambience and charm of our 2 ½ Story Prairie style home in Dundee. In order to get this made, we had actually gone to the studio to see how the process worked and how it would be made.  At that time the name of the company was Brickstone Studios located in Lincoln, NE.  We thought this might be a starting point and contacted Jay Tschetter, who had expanded into the brick media developed Images in Brick, and had done several large projects around the Midwest, Tennessee and Florida.  After talking with Jay and reviewing brochures and pictures of his work we knew we were on the right path.  Jay was a master mason and very talented in the brick media with a partner and design artist by the name of Susan Horn, who were both wonderful to work with.  If you would like to see some of the projects they have completed you can go to their website at www.imagesinbrick.com   I think you will be as impressed with their work and genius as we were.