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Lost Restaurants Of Omaha

Update: I’ve been adding author appearances & locations to purchase the book. Scroll down to find them!

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I’ve written a book, you guys, and it’s now published!  “Lost Restaurants of Omaha” was published by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press on Oct. 30, 2017. 

Lost Restaurants of Omaha - A collection of stories and photos from some of the most beloved restaurants that have closed in Omaha

This has been a labor of love for over a year. I’ve interviewed a number of families and friends connected to some of Omaha’s most beloved restaurants; scoured hundreds of newspaper stories, magazines and books; and one time, chatted on the phone with Alexander Payne during my son’s 7th birthday.

True story.

Research group at Louie M's Burger Lust
This is what book research looks like at Louie M’s Burger Lust. Louie Marcuzzo’s grandma opened Italian Gardens in Little Italy, a restaurant that was bombed right before opening.

There are some incredible photos in the book, too, and I want to express my appreciation for the folks at The Durham Museum Photo Archive, who not only helped me search for photos properly, but helped make it affordable to secure the rights to use the images. You can browse their archives, too, and even reprint photos for your own use. 

Researching this book made made me realize how connected restaurants are to this city’s history. Many of the restaurants in this book were open during my lifetime and, yet, I never dined there. My hope is that what I’ve written will recreate some of those dining experiences for those who did make it to those restaurants, and inform the rest of us what we missed. Writing this book spurred the Old School Omaha dining series on this blog where I visited some of Omaha’s oldest restaurants, because I don’t want to realize too late that I missed visiting a gem in my own city.

Where to buy “Lost Restaurants of Omaha”

The following list is for online and Nebraska-based booksellers. Please call ahead to make sure the book is in stock before making the drive locally:

Amazon

Arcadia Publishing

Barnes & Noble – Crossroads and Oak View locations

Big G Ace Hardware, 3203 Osborne Drive W., Hastings, Neb.

Books-A-Million

The Bookworm

Costco, 12300 Dodge St.*

Costco, 8250 S. 125th St., La Vista, Neb.*

Douglas County Historical Society gift shop, 5730 N. 30th St., #11b

The Durham Museum gift shop

Fairmont Mercantile, 1209 Jackson St.

Indie Bound

Landmark Stores, Lincoln, Neb.

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters in Omaha

Nebraska Historical Society Museum gift shop, 131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, Neb.

Sam’s Club, 9851 S. 71st Plaza, Papillion, Neb.*

Sam’s Club, 3221 Manawa Center Drive, Council Bluffs, Iowa*

Sam’s Club, 13130 L St.*

*May be seasonal; books were available at Christmas

Upcoming Appearances

2019

April – Book Club at The Bookworm

Previous Appearances

2018

Jan. 12 – Cosmopolitan meeting, 7:30 a.m.

Jan. 13 – Facebook Q&A with Omaha History Club, noon

March 11 – “Omaha’s Delicious History: Stories From Lost Restaurants of Omaha,” speaker at Douglas County Historical Society’s Second Sunday Series, 2 p.m., Metropolitan Community College Fort Omaha Campus

May 17 – Omaha Business Men’s Association

May 31 – Southwest Omaha Kiwanis

2017

Nov. 2 – Tune in to KMTV Channel 3’s “The Morning Blend” to hear me talk about the book. The show airs from 9 to 10 a.m.

Nov. 3 – Tune to Star 104.5 FM morning show with Chris and Terri. I’m pre-recording an interview with them and anticipate it airing the following morning.

Nov. 4 – Omaha Public Library’s Read It & Eat Culinary Conference (I’ll be doing the Q&A at 12:15…the conference is all about sweets, you guys, and there will be food samples. You need to go!)

Nov. 12 – Forgotten Omaha monthly meeting at DJ’s Dugout, 5 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

Dec. 9 – Book signing at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Crossroads Mall, 1 to 3 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

Dec. 10 – Book signing at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Oak View, 1 to 3 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

Dec. 16 – Book signing at Sarpy County Museum, 2402 Clay St, Bellevue, Neb., 1 to 3 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

Dec. 17 – Book signing at The Bookworm, 2501 S. 90th St., suite 111, 1 p.m. Books will be available for purchase. Other authors at the book signing will be Gretchen Garrison (“Detour Nebraska”) and the author of “Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (Landmarks)”

Stay tuned for updates on local stores to purchase the book and more author appearances!

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Terry Nichols

Monday 24th of August 2020

Did Tiner's make it in your book?

Kim

Tuesday 25th of August 2020

Tiner's gets a mention in the chapter about Todd's Drive-In.

gloria

Monday 17th of July 2017

Curious, is Deano's Greek Village included in your book?

Kim

Tuesday 18th of July 2017

No, that one wasn't included. I have a list of quite a few restaurants that didn't make the cut for various reasons.

Paula Ishii

Friday 14th of July 2017

Where will your book be sold?

Kim

Friday 14th of July 2017

It should be available in major book retailers and Amazon, and hopefully, locally at stores like The Bookworm.

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