Category: Reviews

Books, Movies, specific events.

Categories
Reviews

Breakfast at the American Legion

American LegionSOLON— The twelve hour weekend work days must be catching up with me, as I slept in until 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning and left home to work at the newspaper before having breakfast. The workload was light, so when I had a half hour before having to depart for job number two at the orchard, I went to the Solon American Legion for a quick breakfast.

I ordered a cup of coffee and three breakfast tacos, which were soft flour tortillas filled with a mixture of egg, sausage, cooked onion and pepper, and topped with cheddar cheese and a mild salsa for $5.50. Two would have been enough, and the total bill came to $7.48 plus tip, which seems like a lot for breakfast.

At least one of the people who opened the breakfast operation a year or so ago was present, indicating continuity. Regrettably, he was outside, idly leaning against the railing and looking bored when I drove up. It was a beautiful morning, but still.

The menu is standard Midwestern breakfast fare of eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers and breads done up in a variety of expected combinations. Almost forgot the meats, which appear to be typical food service fare. Like everything served, the food is made to order and appealing for palates acculturated to small town cuisine.

At 9:15 a.m., three other tables had patrons, with more expected after church let out. The decor was legion patriotic, with service flags mounted on one wall and a variety of other decorations occupying most places on the exposed walls. There was a notice of a flag disposal service and I considered bringing one of my faded and worn flags for disposal.

The legion is a place to grab breakfast from 7 until 11 a.m., and talk with a business associate or friend over coffee. It has been the most popular place to have breakfast in town, but since then a new restaurant opened for breakfast, will have some competition. The menu is not posted on line, and there was a sign indicating the full menu service is now available from 5 until 9 p.m. It is worth checking out if you need a bite to eat in town. The legion website is here.

Categories
Reviews

Nomi’s Asian Restaurant

Nomi's Asian Restaurant
Nomi’s Asian Restaurant

SOLON— The first stop on our restaurant crawl was Nomi’s Asian Restaurant, 101 Windflower Lane in Solon. Nomi is the cook, and most nights her husband is the server at this Asian fusion restaurant. Nomi’s incorporated on Feb. 10, 2009, and by restaurant industry standards, having made it past year one, it seems well on their way to becoming a permanent fixture in town. Our family and friends have been regular customers since Nomi’s opened. It is one of the few restaurants in town that offers vegetarian entrees on the menu, and it is the only Asian cuisine in the area. They have an active take-out business, with a drive through window.

Both my spouse and I currently work on Saturdays, so when we don’t feel like cooking, Nomi’s is our first choice. When we arrived around 7:30 p.m., we were the only customers inside, although the drive-up window was busy. She ordered Vegetable Tofu, a mixture of broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, carrots and tofu priced at $9. I ordered the traditional Korean dish, Chap-Chae, which is clear sweet potato noodles tossed with celery, carrots, green onions and pork, with steamed rice on the side, also for $9. Nomi’s offers a small selection of bottled beers and saki, and I ordered a Tsingtao to accompany the meal. A Golden Dragon® fortune cookie was served when the bill came.

The dining area is simple tables and chairs with three large flat panel television screens positioned in corners of the space, each tuned to different sports programs or stories about fishing and pawn shops. The restrooms were clean and handicapped accessible. The space is efficiently organized given the constraints of a strip mall space. What makes the restaurant is Nomi and the great food she prepares.

For more information about Nomi’s Asian Restaurant, check out their Facebook page, which includes a current menu, here.

Categories
Reviews

America’s Climate Century by Rob Hogg

America's Climate CenturyIn America’s Climate Century, Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg asserts, “climate change is the defining historical issue of the 21st century.” If it is, one wouldn’t know it from listening to people, and that seems the point of the book: to educate citizens of the potential negative effects of human-caused global warming, to persuade about the immediacy of the problem, and to outline ways for citizens to engage in solutions.

As Hogg points out, there is broad consensus in the scientific community that the planet is warming and the cause is related to human activity. As a member of the Iowa Senate, Rob Hogg is one of a very small number of the 150 members in both chambers willing to work on addressing climate change. This book is a plea for like minded citizens to join him. We should.

The book is written by an Iowan to encourage advocacy and this perspective informs the narrative. If you live in Iowa and are concerned about the consequences of climate change, you should consider reading America’s Climate Century. It is a primer of key issues, with step-by step suggestions on how to advocate for political change that will address them.

America’s Climate Century was a quick and engaging read, with personal anecdotes and bullet pointed to-do lists. Whether one knows a lot or a little about greenhouse gas emissions and their consequences in the form of global warming and more frequent and intense weather events, the book was informative and easy to understand.

I found value in reading the book and recommend it to others whether you live in Iowa or elsewhere.

Categories
Reviews

Reinventing You by Dorie Clark

Reinventing You“Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future” by Dorie Clark is worth a read for its useful nuggets of advice and for the perspective she spent years developing and refining. Many of us in the baby boom generation need to be reinventing ourselves to deal with a changing retirement picture and the related need to work long into retirement, both for our economic viability and for social enrichment. Read her book for an insightful perspective that can be useful not only to boomers.

I met Clark at a political workshop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa a few years ago, and found her personal anecdotes about fundraising to be useful and spot on. She was not afraid to tell us to do the hard work, and if one followed her advice, superior results could be attained. I felt similarly when she wrote in “Reinventing You” about the 360 interview, something that in some businesses has become a stale and mechanical process driven by professional human resource managers. She breathed new life into this long-standing process. While what Clark proposes is often hard work, based on my past experience with her advice, I would be willing to try it and hopeful for positive results after reading “Reinventing You.”

Some of what Clark writes is time-tested advice on things like highlighting our differences for competitive advantage and the role of volunteerism during transition. She adds a layer regarding social media which is important to consider. There was plenty of sound new advice in the book on topics that were already familiar.

I found the book engaging and a quick read, offering pragmatic advice as I transition into what’s next. You might too.