The Omaha Lounge

Located downtown, The Omaha Lounge (1505 Farnam Street) is a jazz and blues venue offering live music seven days a week alongside classic cocktails. Happy Hour is everyday from 4 pm to 7 pm and 10 pm to close. Specials include $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 import bottles, $4 well drinks and $5.75 glasses of house wine.

The interior is very intimate with cushy chairs throughout. The bar is located in the back with additional seating. A little dark which adds to the blues lounge vibe. On our visit both the waitress and bartender were new so I tried to overlook how long it took us to get a drink. The late night HH coincides with the last 30 minutes of the live music so there was a crowd when we arrived. The waitress didn’t actually come and id us or ask for our order until the last song of the set. It was another 10 minutes before she brought back my friend’s drink and verified what their well whiskey/bourbon was. Again as she was new I tried to be understanding, however by this point there were maybe six people in this lounge, four of which were already done drinking and didn’t actually need assistance.

Normally I stay away from well drinks but The Omaha Lounge’s wells aren’t the typical Barton’s you find at straight up bars. A whiskey sour with Jim Beam was worth the $4 even though I didn’t care for their sour mix.

The Omaha Lounge doesn't actually have food but you can "order in" from 801 Chophouse or Pickleman's. When we visited someone even had a Godfather's pizza. Would like to see them partner with Jazz Louisiana Kitchen as it seems like a perfect partnership.

Since the music was over and the crowd thinned out we only ended up staying for one drink. Didn’t really want to chance waiting another 10 minutes for another round in a near empty place. Overall I give The Omaha Lounge 4 smiles. Great after work stop for people and since the early HH doesn’t stop until 7 you don’t have to work downtown to catch it.

Also love that they offer live music seven days a week which makes it a great date night spot. Hopefully the service will get better as more of the staff adjust to the job.

Vega (Lincoln, NE)

Located on the second level of Lincoln's Railyard District, Vega (350 Canopy Street, Suite 220) is a gem among Nebraska’s live music venues. With ample space for local, national and international talent as well as a full service bar and restaurant focusing on high quality locally sourced food and drink Vega is also recognized as one of the best spaces for showcases and private events/fundraisers. Multiple screens let you watch sports on game days and an expansive stage and open layout makes it great for live music (I’ve even taken an early morning yoga class here). They have a daily Happy Hour from 5p - 8p as well as Reverse Happy Hour following every show. The special is a standard $1 off every drink. Vega also has daily specials on their menu items Monday - Thursday and other drink specials all day Friday and Saturday.

I visited Vega on a Monday before MNF had a chance to kick off so it was just me and the staff for a while. They were pretty attentive from the start even after two other patrons arrived about 45 mins into my stay. As there were no shows that night they even had “A Year Without Santa Claus” on the big screen on stage (I love Christmas movies). I decided to take advantage of their Monday special while I was there (½ off their gourmet burgers with a side) and ordered The Fleetwood Mac ($5: mac’ n’ cheese, parmesan, smokey bacon & fresh basil) with a side of fries. I was very excited as Vega uses organic grass fed local beef and other locally sourced ingredients. The burger and fries were presented very well. The fries were hot and crispy, but I do wish they would have had a bit more sea salt. The burger was a bit dry which I attribute to it being well done (I rarely order burgers anything but medium well but wasn’t asked or given that option) and the actual beef didn’t seem to be seasoned. I was disappointed that the mac and cheese wasn’t “gourmet” but more Kraft boxed. I could barely taste the bacon which was another let down. As basil isn’t the strongest flavor in the pantry it didn’t do much to save The Fleetwood either.

I also ordered a Jamie & Ginger ($4.59: Jameson whiskey & ginger ale) which is nearly impossible to mess up. I did appreciate that Vega had actual ginger ale and that it was a tall. I also appreciated that the HH special includes everything, not just rails or beers.

Overall I give Vega 2 smiles. I would definitely come back to catch a live show or for a private event. The drink specials would probably peak my interest again but I’m not sure how many other menu items I would be apt to try after my burger experience. I did thoroughly enjoy the venue however.