Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
I have a confession: Until a few months ago, I had never been to Johnny’s Cafe.
Calling yourself an Omahan without having eaten at its most classic steakhouse is borderline sacrilegious, but I had a good reason to delay. I was waiting for the ideal dining partner.
Enter Austin, a college buddy from Missouri with a quality that’s either a rare superpower or an undiscovered genetic mutation. When he finds a food he likes, he doesn’t get full. Like ever.
I have witnessed his depthless stomach sink a sushi boat, annihilate a two-foot-long lobster roll and drain a small pond of pho. I’m convinced he alone killed Red Lobster’s endless shrimp promotion.
But steak is Austin’s favorite. When he saw that Johnny’s allows diners to add heft to their cowboy cut of prime rib at $2.75 an ounce, his only question was, “How many do you think they’ll let me add?”
He settled on 48 ounces and a side of fries — a conservative order for someone who had once downed a 78-ounce prime rib with belly room to spare. The server who brought out the mighty hunk of beef remarked that it looked like a full pot roast.
Austin’s not a speed eater like hot dog champion Joey Chestnut, but he polished off his three-pound steak before I could finish the standard 11-ouncer. He said he would’ve added more ounces had he known it would be that good. And let the record show, he saved room for dessert: a slice of chocolate caramel cake.
Clearly, Johnny’s is an Austin-approved eatery, but if you’re wondering what Omaha’s preeminent food writer thinks, you’re in luck.
Sarah Baker Hansen took a trip to the steakhouse Frank Kawa built for the latest edition of her “Steak Town USA” series. I might have to go back without Austin just for the onion rings.
You can read Sarah’s review of Johnny’s here (or click the second photo above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
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The North Saddle Creek Business Improvement District board discussed delays in its streetscape construction project, with a walking tour planned to assess progress and address missing parking spaces. Members also discussed holiday lighting, landscaping maintenance and snow removal. The 2026 budget will be presented for a vote next month. Read the full summary here and the full meeting notes on the Documenters website.
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— Leah Wambui Keinama, Nebraska Journalism Trust
When I lived in Seattle, I got into bouldering on and off at a local climbing gym — very original, I know. Stereotypes be damned, one of my many childhood dreams was to climb Devils Tower in Wyoming, and it’s exhilarating to scale a wall. I’m out of practice now but trying to get back into it. At the recommendation of Documenters boss Leah Keinama, I tried out MW Climbing in west Omaha over the weekend. Leah was right: It rules.
There are a ton of routes that apparently change often, plus a cafe that serves Archetype coffee. Much respect to the more experienced climbers who appeared to be posted up with their laptops and taking breaks to climb — may I be cool enough someday. I did, however, sip a tasty Americano between absolutely crushing the easiest routes. There’s also a weight room and yoga classes, which I hope to check out sometime soon. Thanks for the excellent rec, Leah!
— Sara “The Rock Jock” Gentzler, Flatwater Free Press
Amid rising energy demands, OPPD’s board is considering reneging on its plan to stop burning coal at a North Omaha power plant in 2026, The World-Herald’s Julie Anderson reported. The utility originally planned to stop burning coal at the site two years ago, but the board delayed the transition as power-hungry data centers came online. North Omaha activists say the plant has likely contributed to high rates of asthma in the community, while Nebraska’s attorney general has argued the coal generation is needed to keep electricity rates low. (You may need a subscription to read the World-Herald story.)
Former President Joe Biden made one of his few recent public appearances at a Democratic fundraiser in Omaha last weekend, The Nebraska Examiner reported. Biden’s speech criticized his successor, saying President Donald Trump has taken a wrecking ball to the Constitution.
A newly unsealed affidavit alleges that a former Bellevue police officer charged with creating child sexual abuse materials bullied a 17-year-old until the victim send him nude photos, WOWT reported. Ex-officer Ryan Agustin allegedly admitted to having sex with the victim.
Omaha billionaire investor Warren Buffett reflected on his life in Omaha, his business career and the plan for donating his fortune in his Thanksgiving letter to shareholders. Buffett, who will step down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO at the end of the year, said he feels good at 95 but knows Father Time is undefeated and will catch up to him. He reaffirmed his support for CEO-to-be Greg Abel, urging shareholders to have faith in him, the Associated Press reported.
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