JEFF KORBELIK / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, November 24, 2005 6:00 pm
The new One Eyed Dog Saloon in Eagle may remind diners of Brewsky’s in Lincoln, for good reason. Owner Dan Buckley once worked at a Brewsky’s for six years.
“I learned a lot from those guys,” said Buckley, who gave up his office equipment business to open the restaurant in the small town east of Lincoln.
There are several similarities between the One Eyed Dog and Brewsky’s, from the giant fold-out menu to the variety of food available on it.
One Eyed Dog — you gotta love that name — hangs its hat on that menu. It’s here you can find entrees ranging from burgers to steaks to pizza to broasted chicken.
“The broasted chicken has been a big thing,” Buckley said. “I’ve never had it before, but I’ve found it’s fairly popular in small-town bars.”
One Eyed Dog, located in downtown Eagle where Mr. Henry’s used to be, has been up and running as a bar since March and as a full-service restaurant since summer.
Buckley credits a Waco bar owner for coming up with the name. It comes from the floppy, one-eyed stuffed dog that serves as the bar and grill’s mascot. It sits behind the bar and is pictured on the front of the menu.
Buckley, who recently moved from Lincoln to Eagle, bought the building in November of 2004 — the same month voters in Lincoln approved a smoking ban in the city’s bars and restaurants.
The coincidence isn’t lost on Buckley, who allows smoking in the bar area, but not the dining room.
“That was one of the reasons for the purchase,” he said. “No one has ever complained about the smoke in here.”
Buckley spent four months gutting and renovating the building before opening. One of the many improvements includes bringing the antique, stained glass bar up from the basement. It really dresses up the place.
The dining room is a work-in-progress, as is the basement, which Buckley hopes to turn into a banquet hall for parties and receptions.
Right now, the dining room, which is separate and distinct from the bar, is spacious, but lacks any character because the walls are blank. Buckley’s plan is to fill up the walls with old photos of the town.
I stopped in Sunday night for dinner and ordered from the menu instead of taking in the buffet. Most Sunday diners head there for the broasted chicken buffet, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Prime rib and pasta are featured on Friday and Saturday nights.
The menu, instituted by kitchen manager Dennis Conway, is big. There are five steaks, nine sandwiches, four salads, six seafood entrees and six burgers, including a 4-ounce veggie (one of few vegetarian dishes), and a Mr. Henry burger, a tribute to the old restaurant.
Prices range from $5 to $8 for the burgers and sandwiches and from $10 to $20 for dinner entrees.
The popular broasted chicken comes as two-piece ($6.95), three-piece ($8.45) and four-piece ($9.95) entrees. The Sunday buffet is $9.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids.
Dinner entrees include soup and salad bar, vegetable and choice of potato or rice.
I went with the fish dinner ($9.95), a breaded pollock fillet served with lemon and tartar sauce. My companion had a medium-rare 16-ounce T-bone ($19.95).
The salad bar featured typical items: tossed salad with iceberg lettuce, potato and pasta salads and coleslaw.
One Eyed Dog welcomes reservations. I recommend them on the weekend.
Please note: This isn’t a place for a quiet, romantic meal. When full, the dining room is loud. We were there with a party of 27, and the room was humming.
But if you’re looking to get away from town, the One Eyed Dog is a nice alternative. Picky eaters are bound to find something on the large menu, which really does remind me of Brewsky’s.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
One Eyed Dog Saloon
540 S. Fourth St., Eagle
Atmosphere: Casual
Specialty: Steaks, sandwiches
Payment: Cash, checks, major credit cards
Hours: 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-midnight Sunday; kitchen closes at 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; pizza available until close
Phone: (402) 781-2739
Notes: Parking, reservations welcome, no smoking in dining room, alcohol, daily lunch and dinner specials, children’s menu, Sunday broasted chicken buffet (5-9 p.m.)