Just inside the door of the new<B> </B>Italian Gardens restaurant in Little Italy, on the gold, green and faded red Art Deco-style terrazzo marble floor, is a big crack.

The crack remains from the time in 1934 that someone dropped a bomb into the Italian Gardens nightclub and blew the front to bits.

The club was to open as a post-Prohibition speakeasy the next night, but the blast - likely connected to the murder of one of the city's most infamous bootleggers - put an end to that.<B> </B>Instead, it opened as a restaurant a few months later.

The damage is a reminder that the Italian Gardens of Omaha has quite a storied past, owner Jeff Camp told me.

During two recent visits, I found at least a little of what might have been there in 1934: A cozy, welcoming atmosphere; huge, hearty portions of Italian food; and some of the best and friendliest service I've encountered in a long time.