Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
New downtown bar is all about options
114 N 14th St
Lincoln, NE
(402) 435-8117
The newest bar in town features quick service, a knowledgeable
staff, and possibly whiskey tastings coming soon. But while
quick service and a knowledgeable staff are great things to
have, they are not the main draw to this trendy new nightspot.
Jakes is about options. It features 18 beers on tap, over 40 tequilas,
about a dozen gins,and an ample variety of rums and vodka. They also
have the first genuine absinthe to gain approval for legal U.S.
distribution since 1912, Lucid.
The whiskey selection is extensive, ranging from the common Jack Daniel's
old no.7to the ultra premium Johnny Walker Blue Label blended scotch.
There are even some rye whiskeys for those who enjoy them. Perhaps what
I found the most impressive was Jake's house infused spirits. These
spirits range from a tequila infused with jalapeños and green peppers
to an infused vodka used to make Jake’s version of a Bloody Mary.
If you prefer beer to cocktails, Jake's offers plenty of suds too.
Despite not having the domestic lagers; you can probably still find
a beer you will enjoy. Jakes has familiar brews like Boulevard, and
Guinness, as well as a number of craft beers, like Goose Island’s
Matilda and Imperial Brown Ale, North Coast's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout,
and New Belgium's La Folie, a wood-aged biere and part of the Lips of Faith line.
The lips of faith are small batch craft beers with limited distribution.
.
Jake's has a great selection of beers, and an amazing selection of spirits.
Do I recommend stopping into Jake's for a quick one? No.
I recommend you stop in for a few, and don't be afraid to try something new.
After all, Jake’s is all about options.
- Bob Lacy
Monday, September 7, 2009
District 9, apartheid parable
Last night was the first time in quite a while that I dreaded seeing a movie. I sat in the darkened Lincoln Grand theatre, twirling my pen and nervously tapping my feet, waiting for a sparsely attended late night showing of District 9 to start, hoping against hope that the movie would be terrible.
I needed to rip a movie to shreds. It’s not that I like ripping movies, it’s just that I think writing glowing review after glowing review makes me come off soft. No such luck. District 9 was good, not as good as Inglorious Basterds, but good enough to make me look like a chump with a rubber stamp once again.
District 9 is the latest scion of producer Peter Jackson, whose movie lineage includes Hot Fuzz and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The plot of the movie is introduced documentary style. A race of mysterious creatures, later given the malevolent nickname “Prawns,” appear in a giant spaceship hovering over the city of
A series of interviews begins a sweeping social commentary as seen through the eyes of Wikus Vander Mewe, a sweater-vest wearing apparatchik working for a shadowy organization of private military contractors known as MNU. From there the movie progresses from a documentary account of Wikus pushing around impoverished prawns to a full-scale cinematic style science fiction movie, complete with some pretty nice special effects. Think Blair Witch Project (but not an unwatchable piece of trash) meets Kafka’s Metamorphosis, meets Independence Day, and you’ll have absolutely no idea what this movie is like. Really, you should just go see it, it’s good. I give it three and a half stars.
- Tim Duey
Friday, September 4, 2009
Inglorious Basterds a glorious success
I’ve never considered myself a critic. But, in the spirit of the Ledger, I have endeavored to become one. That said, my first review has been a little late in coming, and I’m certain it will come out a little rough; as first attempts often do. But, luckily for me, Quentin Tarantino made my job easy this time.
The inaugural movie review for the Lincoln Ledger is, now, and shall be until the demise of our site, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards. The Movie is about an American squad of soldiers, led by Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine, who terrorize Nazis behind enemy lines during WW II. But, Inglorious bastards is so much more than an ass-kicking Tarintino style blood bath. It is a terrific story, one that Tarantino has been working on since before Kill Bill Vol. 1. IMDB
While Tarantino doesn’t get so bogged down in the plot that he dilutes the suspenseful action packed nature of his film making style, his characters aren’t wholly one dimensional either. One of my favorite aspects of this movie was how Tarantino would briefly bring out the human side of his Nazi victims before revealing them to be bloodthirsty hard-hearted charlatans.
Overall, this is one of Tarantino’s best efforts. There is enough brutality and stylized production to keep Tarantino’s fans happy, but the movie also has an original and engrossing plot. The surprise ending alone is enough to make this movie worth anybody’s eight bucks. I give Inglourious bastards 4 out of 5 stars, it was a great flick.
- Tim Duey
