Dining Notes

Last dunks Sunday at the Melting Pot

Sad news for fondue fans: Nebraska's lone Melting Pot will close after this weekend.

Sandy D'Elosua, a spokeswoman for the Tampa, Fla.-based company, said the Melting Pot in Omaha's Village Pointe shopping center would serve its last meals Sunday.

D'Elosua said the closure was an isolated case among the company's 145 locations, most of which are locally owned franchises. She attributed the closure to “financial challenges and an inability to successfully find another buyer.”

She said that employees were notified last week and that diners with unspent gift cards may redeem them at other Melting Pot locations. The nearest to Omaha is in Kansas City, Mo.

The Omaha franchise, owned by Greg Hughes, has operated at 17151 Davenport St. since November 2004.

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Sushi coming to L Street Marketplace

An independent Asian restaurant called Okinawa Sushi is under construction at 12240 L St, Suite 101, in the L Street Marketplace.

Owner Steve Liu said the restaurant, expected to open in May or June, will have a sushi bar and seats for about 80. He said it will feature Chinese dishes as well as sushi and other Japanese fare at modest prices for lunch and dinner.

“People think sushi places (are) expensive,” he said. “But we sell at reasonable prices lunch starts at $6.25 or $6.50.”

Liu said he owns another restaurant Sakura Sushi in the Kansas City area but this is his first in Omaha.

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No Beards for Omaha this year

Omaha inched closer to Beard-dom this year with three semifinalists in the James Beard Foundation restaurant and chef awards: Jennifer Coco of the Flatiron Cafe and Dario Schicke of Dario's Brasserie in the “Best Chef: Midwest” category and V. Mertz in the national “Outstanding Wine Service” category.

Sadly, none advanced as finalists when the nominees were announced Monday in New Orleans.

That may have less to do with them than with Omaha's relatively limited exposure to the James Beard judges: Invited food experts and previous James Beard award winners vote to determine the finalists, and they're prohibited from voting for anyone whose food they haven't eaten. It's unclear how many Omaha-area food experts were invited to take part. But Omaha has produced no previous James Beard award winners. So unless winners from elsewhere had business or relatives in Omaha, it's unlikely they'd have dined at the Flatiron, Dario's or V. Mertz.

Coco and Schicke can still be proud to have been among the top 20 that James Beard judges and the general public recommended as potential “best chefs” from the Midwest region (which consists of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas). And V. Mertz can still be proud to have been among the top 20 recommended nationwide in the wine service category.

The five Midwest best chef finalists are: Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery, Minneapolis; Gerard Craft of Niche, St. Louis; Colby Garrelts of Bluestem, Kansas City, Mo.; Alexander Roberts of Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis; and Lenny Russo of Heartland, St. Paul. The wine service finalists are: A16 and Restaurant Gary Danko, both of San Francisco; Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn.; Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, Colo.; and Jean Georges, New York City. The winners will be announced in May in New York.

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Dye still kickin'

Jon Dye, executive chef at Bailey's, Shucks Fish House & Oyster Bar and Absolutely Fresh Seafood, called from his hospital bed last Friday to tell us that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated. The 50-year-old had an angioplasty last week after what felt like severe indigestion turned out to be a heart attack.

He's on the mend, though he's been ordered to take it easy for a while. After a few days of eating “nothing but plain oatmeal,” he said he had gotten the hint: He needs to exercise more and eat less butter and cream. Don't we all.

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Nibbles & crumbs

Mai Thai, the Thai spot northwest of 144th Street and West Center Road, has added the spicy Vietnamese soup pho as well as a few Chinese dishes to its Thai-centered menu. Owner Preeda Joynoosaeng said the new dishes are made by Vietnamese cook Quang “Phok” Nguyen, who worked previously at Gold Mountain and recently joined the Mai Thai staff.

The Mama's Pizza on North Saddle Creek Road now offers Daiya brand vegan cheese and gluten-free crusts for those with dairy or wheat aversions. Just ask for them when you order.

Sortino's Pizza is giving 10 percent or more of its proceeds from April 13 to the Nebraska chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Owner Sheri Taylor said the restaurant at 7880 L St. has sponsored the fundraiser annually since her brother, Tom Jackson, died four years ago. He suffered from multiple sclerosis.

Crescent Moon, near 36th and Farnam Streets, and its German-themed basement beer hall, Huber Haus, will pay a sudsy homage to spring with their annual indoor-outdoor Bockfest Saturday. The event, with outdoor activities from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature live music, German food, a fire pit and bock beers from August Schell, Sprecher and Spaten breweries. You can even get your bock bier “poked” with a hot iron (to caramelize it). Admission is free; food and drink are extra.

-- Nichole Aksamit

Got restaurant news, questions or tips? Call food writer Nichole Aksamit at 444-1069, or e-mail nichole.aksamit@owh.com. Dining Notes runs Fridays.

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