Book Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

I loved how fast the novel read, it was easy to follow for the most part and was gripping in all the right ways. I liked how you as a reader wanted to root for Frank and Cora, even though they were kind of the actual worst. Nick never really did anything wrong, but you as a reader still want him to die so Frank and Cora can get together.

 

The whole part where Frank and Cora turn against each other while their fate is being decided after Nick dies in the planned murder/car accident situation confused me a bit as a reader. It added suspense to the story and a bit of a twist to the plot, but they come out relatively unscathed (and 10k richer). Then it comes back to bite them again it seems when Kennedy (I think was his name) comes back and threatens to clean them out in exchange for Cora’s confession. I was confused as to if Cora brought him back as a way to frame Frank or if it was just another part of the plot to draw the reader through the story.

 

I also thought the lady with the cats that Frank ran off with when Cora’s mother was sick could have been done better, she didn’t have a lot of character and Frank didn’t have a lot to say about her in his narrative, even though it ends up being a point of contention between him and Cora at a later stage in the story.

 

In the end, I saw it coming but still didn’t enjoy how it ended. But it seemed that based on the theme of the rest of the novel, Frank and Cora couldn’t live happily ever after, it just wasn’t the plan. The real kicker is the face that Frank isn’t sure if Cora thinks that he purposefully tried to kill her, even though he did indeed love her and was panicking to get her to the hospital to get the medical attention he thought she needed.

 

Overall, the plot – guy falls in love with wrong girl and ends up ending both of them because of that love, I thought was gripping. The story of the characters and their misfortunes was compelling and full of intimate details and description to bring the story to life. Although the characters didn’t have a lot of depth and development in my opinion, the story developed enough to keep a reader entranced for this short story.

Berkshire Hathaway: 50 Years Shareholder Conference

Where else can you go to find a large group of successful business people eating Dairy Queen? The Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders conference in Omaha of course!

The beginnings of the crowd waiting to get in for shopping day reflected in the metal ball. This was an hour before doors opened and the line was probably already 200 people deep.

People from all over the world convene in Omaha for a weekend to hear what the oracle of Omaha has to say, and of course to see the sights! Standing in line on Friday for the shopping day, I met people from all over the world. We spoke to people from Kansas City and from Australia. People came from Asia, Europe, and all over the United States for this conference. All in all about 40,000 people flooded the city of Omaha and went out to go see the sights. Most people I spoke to had seen the Omaha Zoo the previous day and had plans to explore Omaha the rest of the weekend. What a wonderful event to bring people from everywhere around the world to Omaha, Nebraska.

This year we went for the first shopping day, it was packed! I went with the intention of buying Brooks running shoes and I left victorious.

My shiny new Brooks special, Berkshire edition shoes! Check ’em out, they say Berkshire all over them! Can’t wait to hit the gym in these babies!

It is always fun to just walk around and see all the vendor’s displays and marvel in what all Berkshire owns. Tons of fun displays, a large model train displayed for BNSF railroad, and lots of other fun things.

Justin Boots came from Texas with a huge assortment of heavily discounted boots for shareholders!

Coke had a station where you could print your own name on a coke can if you couldn’t find yours pre-printed.

Borshiems had lots of special edition jewelry just for the 50th anniversary!

Warren and Charlie socks from HH Brown

The largest selection of See’s Candy I’ve ever seen! A very impressive booth!

Custom M&Ms for the conference!

Warren and Charlie ketchup and mustard!

You could pretend to be on Jeopardy! (I just took a photo instead of waiting in line)

Crowds fill the Century Link Center as the shopping day continues!

Where you could buy the special commemorative collector’s book for the conference.

A 50th anniversary cutting board from Ginsu Knives.

A map of all the vendors in the Century Link Center

All in all, it is always a fun time to go to the Berkshire Conference, I didn’t listen in on the meeting this year, just enjoyed the shopping and the fun environment that Omaha becomes when these special events come to town!

There is nothing like a Dilly Bar at the Berkshire Conference 🙂

Hope you enjoyed this blog- I apologize for the quality of the photos, I only had my iPhone with me at the conference but I hope it gives you a feel of what the shopping day was like! I wish I would have attended some of the other events, but there were so many other things to do in Omaha last weekend there wasn’t time for everything! Enjoy and feel free to comment with any comments, questions, additions to the post! Have a wonderful Tuesday 🙂

Omaha Food: Blatt Beer and Table

Situated right across the street from the home of the Men’s College World Series, Blatt Beer and Table borrows from the former stadium that was the home of the CWS for so many years before. However, this pub like restaurant is anything but a sports bar. Having spent some time in Europe, this is one of my favorite places to grab a drink because they feature a ton of both local brews and  they have a ton of imports as well, including one of my very favorites that is hard to find elsewhere- I’ll tell you about that soon!

Let’s check out the menu- it is reasonably priced, you get a lot of food with any meal and you won’t leave feeling unsatisfied. Whether you pop in for lunch or dinner, or just want some drinks and snacks before a game or event downtown, there is something for everyone.

Starters and soups and salads- I gotta go back soon to try the Beer Cheese soup!

Main plates, sandwiches- I usually stick with the blatt burger as my go-to at this place, but for the blog I wanted to try something else.

And of course, the drink menu!

Every time I stop by the Blatt, which is not as much as it used to be since I no longer live downtown, I always am sure to order my favorite drink- Fruli. I discovered Fruli while I was studying abroad and it was a very pleasant surprise to find that I could order one of my favorite drinks here in Omaha!

A beautiful glass of Fruli

Fruli is a strawberry fruit beer brewed in Belgium. I first tried in a pub near my campus in London, imagine my surprise when I found a favorite back at home! I never thought I’d be able to order my favorite European drinks back at home, so far I’ve managed to find a few of my favorites.

I love the pub style of the Blatt. You walk in and seat yourself and a server will come to help you- there are seats at the bar, high tops, or just tables. In the summer a garage door opens so you can dine almost outside!

Glancing over the menu I decided I wanted to try something a little new, a little fun, something different. I’m not really all that outgoing when it comes to food, so when I try something new it’s a big deal for me! I decided to go with the chicken and waffles. Hand battered chicken and cornbread waffles.

Chicken and waffles!

Dixie-fried chicken strips, jalapeno cornbread waffles with honey orange butter, cracked black pepper gravy and maple syrup. Yum! I’m not usually one for a little spice, but this spice was quite nice!

Close up of the chicken.

The chicken was some of the best I’ve ever had. Lightly battered to perfection, a little bit salty, tender chicken, and a little bit of a kick! I’m not a big chicken strip fan, but holy smokes is this good chicken!

Cornbread jalapeno waffles

After scarfing down all of the chicken, I had room for one delicious and slightly spicy cornbread jalapeno waffle. Fluffy, slightly lemony and delicious!

I would recommend this dish for sure! I usually stick with the Blatt burger when I come here because I love the fries or their handmade salt and vinegar chips! I’m not sure you can go wrong with anything on the menu though, I love this place and I can’t wait to go back. Another great eat in Omaha!

Visit their site at : http://www.blattbeer.com/

Omaha Food: The Flatiron Cafe

The most recent menu at The Flatiron Cafe in Downtown Omaha.

Looking for a New York style, high class, splurge night out in Omaha? Look no further than the classy Flatiron Cafe in downtown Omaha just steps away from the Orpheum Theater in a copycat Flatiron building. Natural light fills the dining area and the staff is all very friendly and knowledgeable about their menu.  An extensive wine list is available as well as a full bar, we always just ask our waiter/waitress for whatever kind of cocktail we are feeling like and our drink comes out a delicious surprise every time.

Fresh french bread with butter and olive oil.

Included with your meal is a plate of delicious, soft french bread. Served with a lemony olive oil as well as creamy butter, it is an excellent way to begin an amazing dinner- but be careful not to fill up on this delicious bread, it is extremely easy to do!

My “fruity cocktail” that I asked for, it was made with passion fruit vodka and had plenty of zing to it!

When it comes to a salad or starter I chose to upgrade my salad to the Caesar salad with delicious smoked bacon bits and large flakes of Parmesan cheese tossed in creamy Caesar dressing. It is considered an “upgraded” salad but it is worth the upgrade!

Caesar Salad

The menu is pretty solid and doesn’t change all that much from visit to visit, but the specials are often interesting. The special when we visited recently was swordfish which my dad tried and said was delicious. My favorite dishes there are the beef dishes, since this is Nebraska the beef is always excellent. This time I chose the Grilled Ribeye of Beef, served with fingerling potatoes, shitake mushroom, asparagus, veal demi-glaze, and topped with a maytag blue cheese butter. The ribeye is a very generous portion, so come hungry if you want to have a chance to try to finish it! I would recommend ordering it medium or medium rare, but of course it is always personal preference.

Grilled Ribeye of Beef

Lobster- my mom ordered this dish and thought it was to die for, especially raved over the cauliflower underneath the lobster.

Finally, be sure to save room for some desert. Chocolate Mousse, Creme Brulee, Lithuanian tart from the Lithuanian bakery are almost always on the menu along with some other options. I almost always get the Chocolate mousse served in a chocolate bowl with fresh berries and caramel and chocolate sauce, it is an excellent way to top off a classy dinner out on the town.

Chocolate Mousse

Whatever you choose, I’m sure that you will be impressed with the quality and service of this high class restaurant that you would think would be sitting in New York City, not in downtown Omaha. Again, this is a splurge night or someplace to go for a special occasion, not a bargain night out, but worth every penny!

Take a look at their website to learn more and make reservations:  http://www.theflatironcafe.com/

The International Omaha 2015

The International Omaha horse show is paving the way to the World Cup Finals 2017 that will be hosted in Omaha in 2017. There truly is something for everyone who loves horses at this event. This year there was a horse expo area including a “Gallery of Breeds” that displayed horses of every different type for the public to learn about. Volunteers hosted demonstrations showing how to groom a horse or tack up a horse among other things. Vendors were there selling everything from horse equipment to toys and clothing. During the day there were lower height classes that both juniors, amateurs and professionals participated in and at night there were big night classes that truly showcased what showjumping is all about.

The winner of the Local Day 2’9″ Jumper class. The first event of the International Omaha.

Local Day kicked off the event with local  junior and amateur riders having the opportunity to  show in a big time ring for the price of selling tickets to the International. 16 pairs of horse/rider combinations got up bright and early to show at 8:30 in the morning, it was great to see all the up and coming riders get to participate in such a fun event!

Local Day riders walk the course before the class begins.

The winner of the class got to sit in the sponsor’s box for the Grand Prix night class on Saturday and also got some fun prizes and of course a blue ribbon!

2015 was the first year that Dressage was at the International in preparation for the World Cup in 2017.

Thursday night was also the first time that the International Omaha saw a Dressage competition. Each rider completed a test based on their level so the crowd was able to see a few different levels of competition and it was a great introduction to Dressage for the Omaha area crowd. In addition to Thursday night, Dressage classes were held Friday and Saturday mornings before the Show Jumping portion of the competition.

Chloe Heng pilots her horse around a course during the show jumping classes at the International Omaha.

The final element of this show and the most focused on part of the event was the show jumping. The event saw a great number of horse/rider combinations competing at different levels throughout the day, culminating with the Speed Derby on Friday night and the Grand Prix on Saturday night. The day classes were a great time to see both local and international talents performing on a big stage. The International Omaha seemed to be another big success this year and I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for what will lead up to what will be an amazing event in the World Cup for 2017!

Omaha Food: Salt 88

Salt 88 is a relatively new branch of the “88” owned restaurants in Omaha. Located off of Maple street near the west Omaha branch of Hiro 88, this eatery is likely to surprise your taste buds and delight your senses.

Pictured above is the dinner menu for Salt 88, you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose but I will highlight some of our favorite choices from the menu. There also is a very reasonably priced happy hour menu that is sometimes available for some different choices.

The dining area has a very modern chic feel with sleek furnishings and large feature photos and an accent wall. There is a modern bar with televisions playing mostly sports games, so virtually mixing almost a sports bar type feel along with an upscale dining experience. The only problem I had at all was that when the dining area is completely full there is quite a lot of noise and it can be a little difficult to hear table mates, but only in maybe one of our visits to this restaurant has this been a problem, so don’t be too concerned.

Warm, fresh mozzarella. What could be better? If you are trying to cut some calories they will do a gluten free version with cucumbers instead of bread. The mozzarella is obtained locally and then warmed fresh just for you! The fresh bread that comes along with the cheese is to die for and if you’d like some more you can ask, but the cheese is fine alone as well, so if you run out of bread don’t fret! The best way to eat this cheese is to flip the bowl and then cut slices, otherwise you might need some scissors to serve this ooey-gooey and delicious buffalo mozzarella.

White sangria, possibly my favorite sangria in town. Very sweet and refreshing and perfect for a warm summer night or even a way to bring warmth to your taste buds even on the coldest of Omaha winter days.

Another fun drink we’ve tried is the Pink Elephant, a martini style drink that is also very tropical and refreshing. Worth a taste if you like a sweet drink!

Green salad (comes with the entree dishes). This is very similar to the salad you will have at the Hiro 88 restaurants. Great fresh greens, cucumbers and tomatoes garnish this salad. There are a variety of dressings available but I prefer to combine for the “party in a bowl dressing” of carrot and ginger and sesame dressing.

Another great way to start the meal, salted edamame (soy beans). Reasonably healthy and not very filling is a great way to snack before the main dish, could be instead of a salad or in addition to. A very reasonably shareable portion is given.

This dish pictured above is for sure the main event here at Salt 88. Plank fired Scottish salmon, melt in your mouth salmon with a woody taste. Served with grilled veggies and served on a wood board that the salmon was cooked on. This is their signature dish, but they do not brag a lot about it but if you ask about it your server should know a lot about the dish! The fish is fresh from a local market and the freshest you can get in Omaha, if you even kind of like salmon you should definitely give it a try.

Penne Asparago. An excellent pasta dish with asparagus, peas, chicken, and mushrooms all tossed in a light cream sauce. A new favorite of mine, very light and easy to eat even though it is a heaping portion I found myself almost cleaning my plate. This is a dish you could share if you’d like, but also not big enough that you could never eat it alone.

Lo Mein & Spicy Fish. My dad got this, it’s got muscles, shrimp, and swai all in a marinara sauce. If you like seafood and a bit of flavor this is the dish for you. Also a huge portion and comes gluten free! (There is a gluten free menu if you request).

Warm chocolate cake, basically a huge chocolate lava cake. Served warm and with a great chocolate sauce poured over the top, this is a great finish for the chocolate lover in the group, and this for sure is a great dessert to share.

Salted caramel gelato- there is a bit of something for everyone here and if you’d like something a bit less than a giant chocolate cake there is always a choice of gelato flavors to choose from.

There are also a few other choices, mostly cheese cakes, they all sounded delicious, I’m sure you can’t go wrong!

 

To top off the meal everyone is given free cotton candy! The flavor changes from time to time and it is always fresh and delicious!

To learn more about Salt 88 and what they offer please visit their website at: http://salt88.com/ 

I hope you enjoyed my latest edition of my Omaha food blog, can’t wait to see where I eat next that is just too good not to share with the interwebs!

Omaha Food: Little Espana

Have you ever returned home from an amazing trip overseas or elsewhere having eaten the most amazing cultural food you’ve ever had in your entire life, just to realize you’ve been placed back in the Midwest of America where everything comes out of a freezer or a plastic bag and then onto your plate? Imagine a tiny bit of Europe nestled in the heart of Omaha, in Rockbrook Village is the latest edition to the traditional Spanish Tapas restaurant Espana, “Little Espana”.

The new Tapas bar features a modern feel with elements from the Benson counterpart evident throughout the building, exposed brick walls and large art pieces give the dining area a modern yet comfortable vibe. A modern looking bar greets you as you walk in the door with an entertaining light feature underneath the surface so the bar is constantly changing colors.

Large canvas prints cover the walls as if to mimic an art gallery, and it works. The beautiful images and wall art give you a glimpse into the Spanish culture while you indulge in the traditional Spanish Tapas.

The tiles on the ceiling reminded me of the Espana in Benson and gave the whole room a warm and sophisticated feel. The same familiar Spanish music fills the space bringing you more and more into feeling just like you are sitting at a Tapas bar in Barcelona or Madrid.

This space also features a patio for outdoor dining with a covered space, the management also plans on having live entertainment in the very near future.

Alright, enough about the space. You get it right? It makes you feel like you are in an upscale modern cafe and sitting in a neighborhood Tapas bar in Spain at the same time! Onto the best part, food!

Sangria. We asked for a sample of the white and the red sangria when the waitress asked us what we would prefer for a drink, so we got to sample each! I would recommend the white sangria to anyone who likes a more sweet drink, and the red for everyone else. I’m all about the sweet drinks, so of course I got a glass of the white! Sangria is available by the glass, half bottle and bottle, so perfect to share if you’d like!

Having been to Barcelona and trying out a Tapas bar there as well as tasting their sangria, I can say that this is authentic sangria and the only thing I’ve found even close to what you can get in Spain!

There is a full bar menu and a TON more drinks to choose from than in their Benson location, I’m sure they are all wonderful, but I just love the sangria!

Onto the actual food! The two locations have slightly different menus, this location in Rockbrook Village is designed to be a quicker experience. Instead of the made from scratch when you order paella and it taking 45 minutes this location has fewer paella choices and they only take 15 minutes to make.

Espana prides themselves on making their food from scratch, so everything is homemade and it makes the food that much better (and better for you). Tapas come out pretty quickly after you order and are served on these fun stacking plates, perfect to share (or grab your own dish before anyone else can!).

On the menu there is truly something for everyone. Spanish salads (enough for a meal), Spanish sandwiches (something new, I debated trying one but I always end up getting Tapas), some basic entrees (chicken, salmon, steak, mahi-mahi), cold and hot tapas and of course a few desserts.

The first of the tapas that we shared was the new fried manchengo cheese in a whiskey sauce. Absolutely to die for, the sweet whiskey sauce complimented the cheese and the light batter on the cheese so well you could just gobble up the whole plate (but I would recommend sharing so you can eat some other things besides just cheese!)

The second of the new tapas we tried was the Pig’s Ear. I’ve never had pig’s ear before so I was curious, and the menu mentioned that it had fried egg on top so I couldn’t resist trying it (because if it has egg on it, what can go wrong?) This is another dish I would recommend sharing because there is a TON of food hidden underneath those two eggs! Little strips of lightly battered pig’s ear, the waitress recommended that we break the yolk of the egg to use that as a sauce for the pig’s ear and that was an excellent recommendation. The dish was a little salty, but not in a bad way at all. Just a warning for anyone who is on a low salt diet, this is probably not the best choice of dish for you!

My personal favorite from childhood til now, patatas fritas. Fried diced potatoes covered in the best aioli sauce ever. When I was younger this used to be a dish I would get and I would ask for extra of the aioli sauce because it is so sweet and delicious. I still love this dish and the potatoes are great to soak up any extra sauces from any of the other dishes you may have ordered. This is also a dish best shared as the aioli is rich and filling!

These little sliders are one of the new tapas at this location, they came with fries (not pictures) and I believe they were pickled vegetables, I did not try this dish, but my mom raved over how good it was, so I believe this is a winner as well- and it could make a whole meal if you aren’t all that hungry! (Sharing is not necessary for this dish).

Some beautiful sourdough bread that came with the meal to soak up any extra sauce we might have.

And finally my all time favorite of the tapas- Empanadillas de pollo. Chicken in little pouches, with some sort of amazing flavoring on the inside served with spicy aioli dipping sauce. I’m making myself hungry just looking at the photo, this is my all time favorite and I never share! The combination of flavors just explode in your mouth. This is my favorite of the hot tapas and I almost always get it! (perfect to not share!)

Overall, this was an excellent dining experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere different to go on date night or for family dinner or even for a nice lunch. Service was excellent, we took our time eating and never felt rushed, there was not too much noise level and it was easy to converse with your table. Prices are reasonable but not cheap, however the quality of the food is worth paying a more than you would for a chain restaurant.

I look forward to visiting this more convenient location more often, but I’m sure we will always go to the Benson Espana location as well.

I hope everyone enjoyed my first Omaha Food blog and I look forward to sharing my culinary experiences throughout town with you again!

For more information please like Little Espana on Facebook or visit their beautiful website at: http://little.espanaomaha.com/

As always, photos are property of Julianna Zieno photography and can be purchased, if interested please leave a comment.

The Corky Canvas: My First Experience

Mimosa Morning!

I’ve never claimed to be an artist, but I do love to paint and I love art and I also love mimosas, so what could go wrong with a morning of painting and drinking mimosas? Ever since the first “painting and drinking” place (as I call them) opened I’ve wanted to go see what it is all about, but I just haven’t made time to go until I planned a bachelorette party for my friend and we planned it as the beginning event of the day.

We chose ‘The Corky Canvas’ in Midtown Crossing in Omaha for our location and the class was scheduled to start at 10:30 and go until 12:30. For $35 you are provided with paint, canvas, brushes, a mimosa and instruction on how to turn your blank canvas into a piece of artwork!

 

Our class was completely full and there was a wide variety of age groups in the room, people out just for fun, people celebrating birthdays or special events and then our group celebrating our Bachelorette! Our instructor gave clear directions and we were told how much paint to get, what brush to use, when to mix our paint and what shapes we should be making on our canvas to create our piece of art!

They played music while we worked and it served as background noise and a tool to keep the class moving, so when the music stopped everyone knew that there was going to be a new instruction and that we should be done with the step we had just been told to do by that point.

It was interesting to see how everyone was making the same piece of art but each person made their work uniquely their own. Although paint color is recommended at the beginning there are other colors available in case you want to be creative and use a different color combination and although you pay to be instructed to make a certain painting you may paint whatever you wish!

At the end it was interesting to see how other people did the painting, and I wish I would have used my creative juices at the beginning as well and I could have had a more unique piece of art, but I still like my little dandelion and I plan on hanging it up in my new apartment in the fall!

The Corky Canvas is a full bar as well as a painting studio, so halfway through they have a break that they call “Drinking and Drying” where you are invited to go get another drink (but you can get up at any point and get another if you wish).

At the end of the session they invite you and your group to pose on their stage for a photo which they will post on Facebook for you to view, and they took one with my phone too! They also took a few shots while we were painting that they posted on their Facebook page as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and I hope to come back again soon! The Corky Canvas has two locations in  Nebraska, one in Lincoln and the one we went to in Omaha! You can find a calendar of their upcoming classes on their website: https://www.corkycanvas.com/

I hope you enjoyed my review and I hope everyone is able to go let their creative juices flow for a few hours sometime soon!

Also keep in mind that you have to be 16 to go, but they have special classes for kids age 6 and up on some Sundays!