The 26th Annual Chocolate Lover’s Fantasy, sponsored by The Historic Haymarket, is on its way!  For the 2012 season, the Historic Haymarket has once again chose CEDARS as their partner for the event. CEDARS has invested over 60 years in the Lincoln Community, enhancing the lives of over 4,500 children and their families annually.

The Chocolate Lover’s Fantasy fundraising event will be held Friday, February 3rd, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Embassy Suites, Downtown. A variety of professional and celebrity chefs join the spirit of the evening to let their imagination and creativity run wild. The evening is tremendous fun for both the chefs and the chocolate connoisseurs.

Between bites, attendees can join in the spirited Silent Auction offering such items as antiques, artwork, a Haymarket Restaurant package, hotel stays and more. Feel lucky? Try your luck by buying raffle tickets for great raffle prizes to be announced.

Tickets can be purchased at lincolnhaymarket.org, or at these businesses: Burlington Antiques, From Nebraska Gift Shop, Ten Thousand Villages and The Mill.

Recent and ongoing developments spotlight the reoccurring vitality of downtown Lincoln:

Last month resulted in a large amount of building improvements and alterations, leading to an investment of $979,450 in downtown construction projects. This includes $360,000 worth of retail enhancements, $500,000 worth of church construction, and $119,450 worth of office/professional building improvements.

Downtown Business News

Tico’s celebrates their 35th anniversary
On the corner of 17th and M sits Tico’s, a restaurant that hints at its Mexican roots with its red clay tile roof and adobe-style exterior. For 35 years, the locally owned and operated eatery has served generations of families with quality food and has encapsulated the notion that diligence and perseverance breeds success.

Tico’s has revamped their lunch and dinner menus a few times over the years as they continue to experiment with new dishes and other ways to improve their restaurant. Following a fire in 2003, Tico’s needed to remodel, and with the remodeling came the addition of Tico’s loft. The loft is a second-floor room that seats up to 64 and can be rented out for business meetings, rehearsal dinners or family gatherings. The room is equipped with a projector screen television, wireless internet and a buffet.

Amidst all the traditional Mexican décor, the restaurant is filled with an aroma of zesty spices and sauces. The friendly wait-staff dressed in black and the dim lighting provides a rather courtly ambiance to Tico’s dining experience.

On Sundays from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm, Tico’s offers a brunch menu. The Tex-Mex restaurant has also become one of the more popular places downtown for happy hour, especially since implementing their new happy hour menu. From 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm each weekday, they have great deals on all lime margaritas and draft beer.
The restaurant has become a staple to the area and the folks there have worked diligently to ensure that it remains so.

Visit Tico’s for a fresh take on Mexican dining and see why it’s become Lincoln’s window to Mexico for the past 35 years.

For a complete listing of downtown businesses, events and residences visit www.downtownlincoln.org. ‘Like’ us on Facebook at facebook.com/downtownlincoln.

by Terry Uland, President
Downtown Lincoln Association
www.downtownlincoln.org
402-434-6900