Why you should visit Omaha

In Omaha, I searched for Warren Buffett and found him.

I bumped into a cardboard cutout of the billionaire businessman at Gorat’s steakhouse and counted several rubber duckies wearing his signature spectacles at Hollywood Candy. He appeared on T-shirts at True Blue Goods and Gifts and in a glass exhibit case at the Durham Museum. Surveillance cameras probably caught my U-turn outside his house.

To my delight, Nebraska’s largest city indulged my fan-girl tendencies, which extend beyond the Oracle of Omaha. In the food world, I have long gushed over vegan darling Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who runs Modern Love, but after a visit to the Grey Plume, I made room on my plate for its Nebraska-centric chef, Clayton Chapman. For every Jun Kaneko, the Omaha-based Japanese ceramics artist, I discovered a Celeste Butler, a self-proclaimed “quiltapreneur.” Even a bridge named Bob earned my affections.

Go

▪ Immerse yourself in all forms of creative expression – care to sculpture dance? – at the Union for Contemporary Art. The community-spirited center holds exhibits (“Where We Land” opened Friday), workshops and special events such as potluck-dinner discussions with artists. During a tour of the studio spaces, meet the co-op creators and ask away. Butler, for one, is happy to explain her quilting techniques, which incorporate thread painting, washed denim and snow. Afterward, graze the Abundance Garden, an urban U-pick.

▪ Look up, look down, look all around the Durham Museum and marvel at the 13-foot-tall chandeliers, patterned terrazzo floor and soda fountain that still sells malts and phosphates decades after the historic Union Station that it occupies halted rail service. Downstairs, explore vintage trains and an encyclopedic collection spanning from the Omaha Indians and Lewis and Clark to the first African-American pro quarterback and the invention of the Swanson TV dinner. Note: The “Tornado Shelter” sign is not part of an exhibit.

▪ The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge doesn’t go by formalities: You can call it Bob. The 3,000-foot-long walkway, which soars and sometimes sways over the Missouri River, crosses the state line into Iowa. After you complete the 0.9K Bob marathon, snap a selfie and go collect your prize – a bumper sticker – at the Omaha Visitors Center (1001 Farnam St.).

Eat

▪ At The Grey Plume, Clayton Chapman is fidgeting at the farm-to-table restaurant. The chef/owner wants to make his menu more Nebraska and less everyplace else. To reduce imports and waste, the staff creates its own herbal liquors, colas and tonics as well as condiments, jams, bitters and charcuterie.

▪ Stash your cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and – role-reversal time – let the famed vegan chef cook for you. Moskowitz opened Modern Love in 2014. The plant-based dishes skew toward comfort: Wrap your taste buds around the Modern Cheeseburger, the Mac and Shews or the Fully Loaded Noochos. Meat-eaters can distract their inner carnivore with Seitan Wings or Surf and Turf, which the staff updates seasonally. For dessert, no udders were harmed for the ice cream sandwiches.

▪ At least once a week, Warren shows up at Gorat’s to dine on a 22-ounce T-bone at his preferred table, in a former cloak room. Gorat’s isn’t just a celeb magnet, however, it’s also a survivor. Of the about 50 Italian family-run steakhouses established in the city, only three still survive. When Gene Dunn took over in 2012, he restored the interior to its 1940s glory and updated the menu with salads and sandwiches. But the slabs of meat stayed. “The main fare is steaks,” he said, “from Omaha Steaks.”

▪ For nearly a decade, Stella’s Bar & Grill, which turned 81 this year, has dared diners to vanquish the Stellanator. Only 30 have succeeded; nearly 600 have failed. Guests have 45 minutes (plus 10 minutes to digest) to python-mouth six patties, fried eggs and cheese slices, 12 bacon strips, lettuce, tomato, fried onions, pickles, jalapenos and peanut butter on a bun – with an order of fries. The victor wins a T-shirt, a place on the Wall of Fame and a free meal; the loser earns a spot on the Wall of Shame and a bill for $35. For less-adventurous appetites, try Stella’s Staple Burger, which comes with cheese, bacon and a fried egg. Add toppings at your own risk.

Shop

▪ The staff goes on “guitar safaris” to hunt down the uncommon instruments sold at Ground Floor Guitar. Some recent finds: a 1990s Peavey, a Paul Reed Smith model with a Brazilian rosewood neck (note: you’ll need proper documentation, because the wood is protected) and a white Airline, the twin of a guitar beloved by David Bowie. Musicians can practice in the rehearsal room (free for first-timers), though some visitors grab a guitar off the wall, pull up a chair and start jamming in the main “concert hall.”

▪ At Hollywood Candy, inhale deeply. One scent du jour was Bavarian-glazed nuts, though on another day, the fragrance might be Fruity Pebbles bark, chocolate-dipped bacon or PB Surprise, an in-house concoction made of peanut butter, butterscotch and milk chocolate. In addition to the sweet-tooth kitchen, the shop lines its shelves with the candy of our ancestors, such as Squirrel Nut Zippers, Nik-L-Nip Wax Bottles and Big Hunk. For a sugar break, wander into the adjoining antique mall. Most of the items are for sale, with a few exceptions: the owner’s Pez collection, for one, and the piano Lady Gaga borrowed for her “You and I” video.

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Why you should visit Omaha."