Northwest Beacon

Gueorgui Platchkov – owner of the Lighthouse Bar and Grill at the corner of 156th Street and West Maple Road – was born and raised in Bulgaria. After graduating from high school in California and finishing his degree at Creighton University, Platchkov worked for a few years at companies like Wells Fargo and Mutual of Omaha, but figured out that the corporate world wasn’t for him.

“I’ve owned the Lighthouse for about a year and a half now. It’s a lot of work, but there’s nothing like being self-employed,” said Platchkov.

I went there on a Friday night with a couple of friends; it was a slow night. The atmosphere was very laid back like what you might expect from a typical neighborhood bar. I asked Platchkov what sets his place apart from all of the other hole-in-the-wall establishments in Omaha. “We have great food here. The wings are excellent. But it’s also a place where everyone knows everyone. It’s a nice neighborhood bar with a sports bar feel: a little more casual than a place like Buffalo Wild Wings.”

I can vouch for that. The bartender on duty that night seemed to know everyone who walked through the door and they have something like 12 T.V.’s situated throughout. I didn’t get a chance to sample the food, but the food items on the menu look appetizing – charbroiled wings, melts, salads, and a 9-ounce New York strip steak among them.

To me, nothing really stood out about the Lighthouse Bar and Grill, but maybe this was its finest quality. Let me explain via example.

Two young couples walked in together and sat at the bar. They looked like young professionals. The bartender, who is busy leaning over the bar in conversation with another customer, greets them casually; her body language suggests that she is good friends with them, but sees them often enough not to get worked up about it.

As they settled in at the bar and ordered drinks I thought to myself, “Nice. I should be able to get some good intel from one of these couples.” Talking to the patrons is always the surest way to figure out what the best and worst features of an establishment are. They can tell you everything you need to know, sometimes without even speaking.

I had a few more words with my friends and then decided to introduce myself to the nearest couple – I noticed that they were playing a video game on a touch screen monitor. This might be a good icebreaker. As I got closer I could see that the screen was filled with naked ladies in compromising positions. Oh, whaaat?

They were working together, nonchalantly touching the screen as each and every new woman popped up. “It’s called the matching game,” said the young woman. “Two pictures pop up, side by side, and you have to pick out the things that are in one frame but not the other.”

I half-heartedly asked her where they were from as I was becoming caught up in the game. “We’re from around here. We come to the Lighthouse on most weekends because it’s right around the corner.”

This couple was really good at the matching game. I tried to help, but only slowed them down. I mean, how do you help someone who knows more about breasts and thighs than Colonel Sanders? I took their looks of disappointment as an exit cue.

The bottom line is that the Lighthouse is a place where you can play the matching game and feel totally comfortable about it. It probably isn’t a place that you want to go out of your way to frequent, but if you’re in the neighborhood, you should check it out.