Omaha, NE: Pool Closed, Ice Machine Ten Floors Below, It Was All Downhill From There

Courtyard Omaha Downtown/Old Market Area

101 S 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Downtown
Phone number: (402) 346-2200
Website: marriott.com/omacy

We got a "discounted rate" for a conference we attended, $94 plus tax and $8/night for parking brought the grand total to $240 for two nights. I guess $120/night is better than their normal $159 to $179 rate for the small room they call "deluxe".

The pool was closed and the ice machine ten floors from our room, so that should tell you something about our stay. The room was nice enough, but they do not even have FS1 available, so I had to watch the Dodgers vs Nationals NLDS game on my tablet over Wi-Fi.

The room was nice enough, but small considering that the receptionist had "upgraded" us as Marriott Rewars members. It was the smallest room on the floor with virtually no view unless you count the massive Hilton across the street.

The hotel is centrally located and you can walk to the overrated Old Market area four blocks away, but when you figure in having to pay for breakfast, the high rate, and extra for parking, this Marriott is not a great value.

CombatCritic Gives Courtyard Omaha Downtown/Old Market Area 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

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Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

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Read Chris S.'s review of Courtyard Omaha Downtown/Old Market Area on Yelp

Title: Omaha, NE: Pool Closed, Ice Machine Ten Floors Below, It Was All Downhill From There:

Key Words: Courtyard Omaha Downtown, Old Market, 10th Street, Marriott, courtyard, Omaha, NE, Nebraska, rewards, 68102, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, hotel, accommodation, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Omaha, NE: Joe's Cool, But Chloe Is "THE BOMB"!

Joe’s Collectibles

1125 Jackson St

Omaha, NE 68102

Old Market, Downtown

Phone number: (402) 612-1543

Joe is a nice guy and plays good music, but Chloe, his dog, is the star of this show.

Not easy to find, Joe's is down a back alley just south of Jackson Street and behind Jackson Street Tavern (see my review) in the Old Market area, so just follow the signs.

Dark and somewhat disorganized, you will find anything from treasures and trash in this massive collection of stuff. Clothes, books, knick-knacks, VHS, 8-track and cassette tapes ... you name it, Joe's got it! And the prices are very reasonable. I paid just 50¢ each for 5 cassette tapes and my wife paid only $3 for two antique books.

The highlight of the visit was Joe's dog Chloe. She sits on top of the counter and accepts hugs and stroking from virtually any stranger. She even wears glasses and poses for photos with customers, having been featured in an October 2016 Omaha magazine ("Encounter") spread. Chloe gives hugs and otherwise accepts all of the affection you can muster, so stop by to see Chloe (she's 12) if nothing else.

CombatCritic Gives Joe's Collectibles And Chloe 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

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Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Omaha, NE: Joe's Cool, But Chloe Is "THE BOMB"!

Key Words: antiques, Chloe, collectible, collectibles, CombatCritic, dog, Encounter, jackson, Joe, Joe's, Joe's Collectibles, magazine, Nebraska, Omaha, review, shop, street, travel, value, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: OOH-RAH! = "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Omaha, NE: Cold French Fries Left Me With Cold Feet About A Decent Recommendation

Jackson Street Tavern

1125 Jackson Street

Omaha, NE 68102

Old Market, Downtown

Phone number: (402) 991-5637

Website: jacksonstreettavern.com

Prices: $$$$

Located just south of Omaha's Old Market area, Jackson Street Tavern was selected for us by the coordinator of a conference we attended, otherwise we likely would not have chosen it ourselves. 

No IPA on tap and no Wi-Fi? Unheard of, but that was the case. Off to a bad start, particularly because the Dodgers were playing in the first game of the NLDS against the Nationals and I wanted to see the rest of the game.

The draft beers they had were $7 or listed "Market Price", slang for "too expensive to list on our menu", so I went with a local bottle of Zipline IPA for $4.50, the least expensive beer on the menu.  I also tried Zipline's Porter and both were cold and good.

"French Dip" ($16)

Also cold were the fries that came with my "French Dip" ($16). The sandwich was about the size of half a Subway footlong with about as much meat (the real thing, not the ones they show you in their commercials). The sandwich was OK, but for $16 a few more ounces of beef and warm fries would have been nice.

"Local Wagyu Burger" ($15)

My wife had the "Local Wagyu Burger", coming with caramelized onion, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and "aioli" on a brioche bun as well as more cold fries. The burger was decent, but not worth $15. A similar burger at Dempsey's or The Burger Stand at The Casbah back in Lawrence would top out at $10 for example.

Read Chris S.'s review of Dempsey's Burger Pub on Yelp

Long and narrow, the space has brick walls (in an old building) and tall ceilings, making the obnoxiously loud patrons even louder and impossible to carry on a conversation with the person next to you. The short blonde hostess who failed to even greet us on arrival was impersonal and unfriendly, showing us to our table with barely a word. Our server was semi-friendly and fairly efficient, the highlight of the night and that is not saying much. Our server did manage to have the nearest TV changed to FS1 so I could watch the end of the Dodgers vs Nationals game, which the Dodgers won 4-3 by the way ... one down and ten to go to the 2016 World Championship ... HOOAH!

"Chloe" - Joe's Collectibles (Behind Jackson Street Tavern)

CombatCritic And Chloe Give Jackson Street Tavern A Measly 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

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Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Read Chris S.'s review of Jackson Street Tavern on Yelp

Jackson Street Tavern
Title: Omaha, NE: Cold French Fries Left Me With Cold Feet About A Decent Recommendation

Key Words: Jackson Street Tavern, Chloe, jackson, street, tavern, Omaha, Nebraska, Old Market, old, market, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: SNAFU ="Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

TravelValue: India - Must Read ... Must Watch ... If Traveling To India

I spent four months in India from October 2014 to February 2015, traveling to all parts of the massive, diverse, and beautiful country.

Are you planning a trip to India? Then you might want to read my hotel, restaurant, attraction, and destination reviews on my blog, CombatCritic's TravelValue: India, and check out my playlist of 9 videos on CombatCritic TV

India Playlist: TravelValue: India

Or you can watch my seven most popular videos right now:

Varkala Bus Dancer

Kerala Elephant Festival - 50+ Elephants

The Beatles Ashram

TravelValue: Rishikesh

TravelValue: Dharamsala

Secret Buddhist Ceremony

Walk The Kora (Dalai Lama Temple) 

With CombatCritic

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Yelp - "Elite '14/'15/'16"

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Must Read ... Must Watch ... If Traveling To India

Key Words: video, blog, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, review, reviews, guide, definitive, hotel, attraction, Yelp, India, YouTube, Dalai Lama, dalai, lama, Dharamsala

Lawrence, KS: Up High, Down Low ... Pie Five Is A No-Go

Pie Five

2500 Iowa Street

Lawrence, KS 66046

Phone number: (785) 551-7170

Website: piefivepizza.com

Prices: $$$$

On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in my office in Saudi Arabia at 5pm when my assistant told me to turn on the TV. As I did, the second plane hit the twin towers and I knew our lives would never be the same.

Fifteen years later to the day, I decided we had to try Pie Five because I had never heard of it and it looked interesting. In this case, my life would in-fact be the same. Great idea, so-so execution. Skimpy with the "all you want" ingredients and small (10") pizzas for $7.50, about the size of my outstretched hand and we all know what Donald Trump says about the size of a guy's hands.

For an extra $3, I got a salad which was decent, but also skimpy on the carrots, onions and tomatoes, and a fountain drink. You can get dessert or cheesy breadsticks ($1 extra) instead of salad if you like for a $3-$4 upcharge.

A cheap meal, do not expect to be too impressed by the quality or quantity. As my Italian grandma would say, it was "mezzo-mezzo" (so-so). Lawrence's KU students will probably love the place because they can eat for cheap and quantity, rather than quality, is more important when money is in short supply.

CombatCritic Gives Pie Four 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie

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Read Chris S.'s review of Pie Five on Yelp

Title: Lawrence, KS: Up High, Down Low ... Pie Five Is A No-Go

Key Words: Pie Five, pie, five, pizza, pizzeria, KU, university, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

CombatCritic's Favorito Recipes: Great Chili Rellenos ... Olè!

Ingredients:

Rellenos

4 Large Poblano Chiles
1 Pound Queso Fresco (Cheese)
Toothpicks
3 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Cup Oil

Tomato sauce

4 Medium Roma Tomatoes (Halved)
1 Cup Water
2 Garlic Cloves (Peeled and Chopped)
1 Tablespoon Chicken broth powder
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves

Directions:

Rellenos

1. Heat grill to medium.
2. Grill and char the chiles on both sides. 
3. Once blackened put in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat out moisture. 
4. Remove from bag, slit down the middle, and remove seeds. 
5. Stuff peppers with the queso fresco and use toothpicks to hold together.
6. Separate egg yolks from the whites. 
7. Add egg whites to a large bowl, reserving the egg yolks.
8. Beat egg whites with electric beater until fluffy. 
9. Add flour and egg yolks, mixing thoroughly.
10. Add oil to a frying pan (medium heat). 
11. Dip the stuffed peppers into the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides. 
12. Remove from oil and place on serving platter.

Tomato Sauce

1. Add tomatoes and water to small pot (medium heat).
2. Simmer until soft, stirring in garlic and chicken broth powder.
3. Add the 1/4 cup oil to a frying pan (low heat)
4. Stir in flour to make roux (flour and fat) mixture. 
5. Cook the until browned, then add tomato sauce. 
6. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add oregano.
7. Pour tomato sauce over chile rellenos on serving platter.
8. Eat!

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Title: CombatCritic's Favorito Recipes: Great Chili Rellenos ... Olè!

Key Words: Chili Relleno, chili, relleno, rellenos, recipe, Poblano, pepper, Mexican, Mexico, Spanish, food, recipes, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog