to the operator of Bob's Country Fixins, which operated out of a much smaller location just south of the Burlington Station. In the mid 1980s, the Nisi family sold the original Sparetime building on 5th. I best remember the Sparetime when it moved back to Little Italy to the original location. :)Īs I said, I don't remember the Sparetime on the Strip. I really don't remember the Sparetime on the Strip, but the evidence tells me otherwise. between Dodge and Pacific streets was known in the 1960s and 1970s as 'The Strip', no, not for casinos, but for clubs and restaurants. I distinctly remember the Sparetime at the original location in the late 1970s, but those in the know tell me that they moved to 72nd., and a Mexican restaurant opened at the old location, until, yes, the Sparetime moved back! As I researched things, I found far more references to a Sparetime 'On the Strip' on south 72nd. and Pierce, right in the heart of Omaha's Little Italy. The Sparetime I remember was the one at 5th. The Sparetime Cafe, operated by the Nisi family, has a long history in Omaha. Dixie Quicks was featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives program. The building, however, is better known for a latecomer to the restaurant scene, Dixie Quicks, which occupies the westmost portion of the building, a portion not occupied by Cantoni's. The Marine Room, their party and overflow room, is now a tattoo parlor. The Marchello brothers remained in the catering business into the 1980s. It reopened briefly as a Mexican restaurant, closed again, then opened again briefly with their former Italian-steakhouse theme, and then closed for good. It just closed one day at short notice, sometime around 1977. This was a true family-operated restaurant, operated at first by Lou Cantoni and family, and later by the Marchello brothers. I became acquainted with the hostess, who recommended it to me, and I visited semi-regularly until its demise. The first restaurant of this type I remember very well was Cantoni's, which stood for years at the corner of 19th. I'm using some photos other than my own, collected from various sources, as well as various ads, to illustrate what is long gone. I'm also doing something I never intended to do. Let's take a few minutes and reflect of the cuisine long departed. The typical entree came with sides included, unlike the Morton-Chris ilk of today, with a house salad in a garlic-rubbed wooden bowl, and, of course, a side of pasta. These were not unlike the Sicilian red-sauce places back east, but featured more steaks, chops, and seafood to an extent, as well as the traditional Italian specialties. What I first remember as what I would call 'Omaha Cuisine' was that which was featured by countless independent Omaha steak houses, most of them operated by multi-generation Italian families. The one thing you do think of when you think of food in Omaha is steak! Omaha is in The Beef State, and has a long history with the meatpacking industry. Unlike other major cities, Omaha doesn't really have its type of pizza, borrowing from many others (okay, okay, maybe Godfathers, but that's really a brand, not a style!), nor its type of barbecue, borrowing from Kansas City, Memphis and others. The Runza? Well, sortakinda - uh - no, not really, actually. you really don't hear the expression 'TV Dinner' anymore, do you?) The TV Dinner, maybe? Uh-huh, TV Dinners were invented here! (Hmmmm. The Reuben sandwich, perhaps? Two Omaha institutions (or more) claimed to have invented it, neither of which survive to back up their claims. When you think of Omaha cuisine, what comes to mind? (Update: I posted a follow-up to this article on Friday, March 12, 2010, responding to some of the recent and not so recent comments received here. A vintage Club 64 menu has surfaced! Read All About It HERE.) (Benson fans may appreciate a walk-through of Benson's central business district, HERE. (Update March 18, 2012: Second chapter is now on line HERE.)

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