The Cellar

6913 "O" Street
Lincoln, NE

Open until 7 pm on Sunday, 11 pm on on Monday through Thursday, and 1 am on Friday and Saturday

The Cellar is a Lincoln classic: it's dark, it's a little dingy, it should be smoky. An aptly named place all around. I've always thought the Cellar was a nice place to have an after work drink or two, but I recently had the opportunity to visit on a Saturday night. I went with a couple friends to check out their Karaoke night (every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).

You have to walk through the liquor store part of the Cellar to get to the lounge part. It's a fairy intimate place (there's like 8 or 9 tables plus the bar stools). One of the things I've always enjoyed about the Cellar is their chairs, their comfy, rolly, dirty, old chairs... mmmmmm... You gotta love a place where every chair is an easy chair. The drinks do what drinks are supposed to do. The prices are pretty standard (a Stoli was $3.75).

What I really enjoyed about my Saturday night at the Cellar was the karaoke. Weird, huh? Of course there were the usual tone deaf people singing the country hits of the 90s. I heard a truly horrendous rendition of "I Did it All for the Nookie." But there were some singers that were far beyond karaoke league. There was a dude that looked like James Tayor, but sang like Dean Martin. There was also his friend who sounded just like Frank Sinatra. Seriously. They did a rendition of "Got My Mojo Workin"; James Taylor guy played the harmonica-- he actually played the harmonica during a karaoke song.

All the karaoke-ers ended the night huddled in the small smoking area in the back and had a big drunken love fest. What a magnificent night.

Top 5

What are your favorite bars in Lincoln? Almost a month overdue, here are my top 5 of '05:

1. O'Rourke's. I think O'Rourke's will be my favorite bar for the rest of my life. Sure it's got its problems-- the bleach smell, no table service, a somewhat lackluster selection... But it's the little things that keep people coming back. For example, when you wait in line at the end of the bar to get a drink, there's always some gnarly old man that wants to strike up a conversation (if you're nice enough you might even end up with a free drink). Speaking of free drinks, the bartenders have been known to give regulars a free drink every now and then, which is one of the reasons why I'm a regular. Plus, they've got the best smoking lounge in town. Love ya O'Rourkes! *wink*

2. Duffy's. Duffy's and I have a love/hate relationship. I often find myself storming out of there, swearing to never return. But I can't resist the familiar embrace of Duffy's for long, and I always come crawling back. You can always count on great music and great table service at Duffy's. I know many people who would disagree with me, but that's the way I feel.

3. Sportscaster's (70th and Adams). I know I know. This is an odd one. I have to give a nod to old 'casters because I probably drink here more than anywhere else. It probably has more to do with its proximity to my place of employment than anything else, but I like to think it's because of the crazy cheap beers and incredible service. They also have huge bins of free fried goods on Friday afternoons. Just ignore the huge TVs and you'll have a great time.

4. Cliff's. Like Runza or Misty's, this bar is so Lincoln. Native Lincolnites visiting from out of town always seem to want to meet at Cliff's. There's a reason for this. That reason is called The Kamikaze.

5. Yia Yia's. This is the only place to make both of my top 5 lists, so there must be something to it. Yia Yia's is the best place to get really really good beer, but you pay price for them (like 6-7 dollars for some of them). The best time to visit Yia Yia's is in the summertime when the Girls Gone Wild bus is parked outside of Micky's. Who can beat a St. Peter's Cream Stout and a free show on a breezy summer evening?

Honorable mention goes to:

Bricktop- for 80's night.
Marz- for their sweet-ass decor.
Barrymore's- for their Moscow Mules.
The Lancaster Lounge- for being so effin' old school.
The Watering Hole. Wings baby. Wings.

Voda

About 8 years ago, there was a bar in the space now occupied by Zen and the Art of Martini Maintenence called Rogue's Gallery. They had a lot of gimmicky stuff like Sniqueur's martinis and Cosmopolitans made with cranberry liqueur. Cheesy? Yes. But to a 21-year-old girl discovering the joys of hard booze, the place was a Mecca. One evening, I invited my dad to meet me for a drink at Rogue's. They were featuring a couple infused vodkas at the time (strawberry and vanilla I think) that both Dad and I really enjoyed. Both the vodkas and the bar are long gone, but Dad's memory lingers on. Every time someone even mentions the word "vodka," he brings up this story.

Okay, fast forward 2 cats, 1 husband, 1 house, 1 grown-up job, and 8 years later. I've drunken my way through this town (and a few others), and my taste in drinks has become somewhat more sophisticated. I still love vodka though. So imagine my delight when I walked into Voda (Russian for "water"), Lincoln's newest bar devoted to my favorite alcohol. It's a fairly small place, attached to the back of Iguana's. If you want to avoid all the frat boys and girls, enter through the alley on 14th street between "O" and "P." The atmosphere is very sleek and modern and features cool lighted panels that change color behind the bar. The friendly bartender showed me the menu, which featured (whoo hoo!) infused vodkas. Since I am a big fan of Pimm's and soda with a cucumber slice, I chose a cucumber infused vodka and soda. The drink was a bit on the small side (probably about 5-6 ounces) and the price was a bit on the big side ($4 plus $1 tip), but the vodka did not disappont. My friends (who ordered White Russians) were jealous.

Smoking sitch: This place (along with O'Rourke's) has one of the best smoking gardens in town. They have several small, yet powerful heaters kickin' it on the ceiling and lots of nice high top tables to sit at. Actually, Voda's smoking garden probably has O'Rourke's beat, because there's an actual wait staff that comes out and takes drink orders.

Overall, Voda is the type of place I'll definitely return to for one drink after a nice dinner, or before a night of drinking at one of "O" street's more frugal establishments. Or maybe I'll just give Dad a call and see if he wants to take his favorite daughter out for a drink (or 6).