Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (VillagePoint)

Located in VillagePoint, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (17415 Chicago Street, Omaha) offers Rustic American food to enjoy while catching up with friends or colleagues. Happy Hour is from 4 pm to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday in the FIREBAR and on their impressive patio. Specials include bar bites such as crispy mahi tacos and tenderloin sliders, $2 off draft beer, $4 well drinks and $5 FIREBAR signature martinis, margaritas, cocktails and select glasses of wine. Some of their signature drinks are seasonal so expect great, fresh flavors.

The FIREBAR’s interior is a little dark. Lots of wood paneling, a pretty sturdy fully stocked bar and impressive fireplace make it feel cozy and warm. The patio is very open, perfect for the summertime as it faces away from the freeway. Worth the jaunt out to VillagePoint.

I ordered a Blood Orange Negroni ($5: Bluecoat American Gin, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Aperol and Carpano Sweet Vermouth) which the bartender warned was very strong (more accurately he skeptically asked if I liked strong drinks, because 5’3 140lb women can’t possibly want strong drinks. Insert side eye). Again this signature drink was a seasonal selection, so the blood orange liqueur was a great addition to this negroni (pretend we are in California). I’m more of a whiskey/bourbon girl but this drink slightly converted my stance on gin. Would have liked a touch more Aperol but overall, a great choice.

For my first bar bite I ordered the pretzels and Samuel Adams beer cheese ($5). I’m not crazy about pretzels in general but I love beer cheese. This particular dish inspired the opposite feelings. I really liked how soft these pretzels were and they were a good size. They also weren't drowned in salt. I didn't really like the beer cheese. It gave me a weird aftertaste, but I’m also not crazy about Sam Adams as a standalone beer.

Next were the Cajun BBQ shrimp ($6). These were huge and you get six of them so definitely worth the price. Super juicy as well. The BBQ sauce had a bit of kick to it, would have liked a bit more as it was “Cajun” BBQ. The toast that accompanies it was so delicious by itself, I almost wanted to ask for more.

I give Firebirds 5 smiles. They had a great variety of drinks and I love the seasonal component to many of them. The shrimp were delicious and I love their patio. I excuse the beer cheese since I’m not a Sam Adams lover, someone else may find this delicious. Next time you get off a bit early during the week, consider heading out West for a phenomenal happy hour.

Nite Owl Omaha

Located in Omaha’s Blackstone District, Nite Owl (3902 Farnam Street) is the perfect haunt for after work drinks or late night eats (their kitchen is open until 2 am). Happy Hour is from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday. Specials include sliders, fries and tots, $1 off tap beer and both classic cocktails and rotating house cocktails.

The interior of Nite Owl is a hybrid of updated dive bar and speakeasy. Lots of wood throughout with a focus on their rather large bar. All ordering is done there which may throw you off a bit if you don’t read the menu on your table first (Thank you for ordering at the bar is mentioned everywhere). It was rather dark inside, but they are working on an outside patio which I’m excited for (yay more dog friendly patios at restaurants/bars). They put a lot of care into your drink order and the bar setup allows you to see every step. Food came out hot and pretty promptly.

I went with the Toronto ($6: rye whiskey, fernet branca, demerara) on this first visit which is one of their Classics. Again, it’s apparent that a lot of time went into perfecting these cocktail recipes. The fernet wasn’t overpowering and the finish was perfect. A few of these would definitely get the job done.

I LOVE that Nite Owl offers tots ($3: includes house aioli). I totally expected a small side order of tater tots similar to fast food drive thrus but that wouldn’t cut it at this joint. You literally get a tray full (think high school lunch trays) of hot and fresh tater tots. Just the right amount of salt and the aioli is delicious. Even my friend who prefers french fries liked my tots better. There were so many I got to take some with me and give them the microwave reheat test (they passed).

I also ordered the birdhouse slider ($3: fried chicken, honey-sriracha sauce, southern bacon slaw) which came out on a cool little glass dish. The chicken was crispy on the outside even with the sauce and slaw on top and juicy on the inside. I love the honey-sriracha, not too spicy and reminded me of the hot honey trend I’ve been seeing. Plus how can you hate sriracha on chicken. I am not really a slaw person but it made sense on this sandwich. I would have liked a slightly less rough chop on the lettuce, the slider size just made the slaw pieces seem to be too much.

I give Nite Owl 5 smiles. I will be back to try some more cocktails and for another slider and tot order. I’m also excited to try their regular menu items and spend a warm summer day on their patio with a boozy slushie (coming soon) and my dog.

Horsemen's Park

Horsemen’s Park is located on 6306 Q Street, West of 72nd. Horsemen’s Park is a unique Horse Racing Track and simulcast facility. With live racing 3 days a week and live simulcast coast to coast 7 days a week Horsemen’s has a lot to offer. Horsemen is not only known for its critically acclaimed horse racing, but the inexpensive delicious food. Happy Hour is Monday-Wednesday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, $2 16 oz draws, $2 domestic beers, and my favorite $2 well drinks.  Along with the Happy Hour specials, there's also nightly dinner deals after 5pm. Tuesday is .40 cent wings, Wednesdays $6.95 flat iron steak, Thursdays $1 tacos (or 3 for $2.75), S4.95 nachos, $2 margaritas, and 2 coronas. Fridays are $8.95 prime rib dinner

Walking into Horsemen's all I saw at first was numerous tv's and mini cubicles. Men and women watching the latest races and betting money and people walking around with wads of cash in their hand. I knew this was the place to be. Most of the crowd was middle-age to senior. But I was diggin it.

I so happened to visit Horsemen’s Park on a Thursday. The first thing I tried was the $2 Margarita. I had the option of having it on the rocks or frozen. I chose frozen of course! The plus side they had multiple flavors. If you know me you know I love Strawberry. This margarita, of course, came from a mix, but I couldn’t complain because it was only $2. I would prefer for it to have more tequila but again…its $2 not much room for complaints.

Next we decided to get the tacos. You can either get them hard or soft. We chose both with chicken and beef. The soft chicken taco was a little plain. It would’ve been better if the chicken had a bit more seasoning to it.All I could really taste was the lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.  The hard shell beef taco was plain as well, had to add some salsa to get some taste. We also had the nachos. The nachos came with shredded cheese, beef, and pile high toppings. Overall I give Horsemen’s 3 smiles. I adore the atmosphere and $2 margaritas! But the meat needs much need flavor.