The Nine 0 Seven Grill And Oatmeal Memories

Had breakfast at the Nine 0 Seven Grill, which, could you guess, is at 907 First Street, where Sahara Restaurant used to be. The black, white, and red décor is pleasing and features prints of old Benicia. A nice place to be. It’s cash only and is open for breakfast and lunch. Yelp reviews give it a three, four, and five—five being the best possible. You can see the reviews and decide for yourself if they are accurate. Not bad for a new place, though, of course, the owners, Randy and Ann-Marie, aren’t new to Benicia or the food business.

Reports from the group eating there included, “The pancakes are wonderful!” I had a fruit and yogurt parfait which had honey in the bottom. Light on the fruit.

One person had oatmeal and that brought on all our memories of having oatmeal and cream of wheat as children. Even now, on a chilly morning, I sometimes eat it.

“My parents made me eat it until I put so much brown sugar on it, they finally, said okay, you don’t have to,” one woman said.

A story about oatmeal and sagebrush from my father’s generation in the early 1900s goes that they were clearing the land of sagebrush and used it to heat the house. How fast did it burn? My aunt said, “You put it in the stove, go out and get some more, and by the time you return, it’s gone.”

 Once, my uncle, Lee, as a young man mistakenly got some sagebrush in his morning oatmeal and his father made him eat it anyway. It was very bitter, but you didn’t throw anything out. I’m betting oatmeal wasn’t his breakfast of choice when he had a choice.

There are so many art openings in Benicia, it’s hard to keep up, but the one this weekend, “Life on Earth” is worthy of your time. At , the featured artists are sculpturist Lisa Reinertson and painter .

Of Lee’s art, she says, “I work to reflect both the beauty and vulnerability of our world…. My hope is to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary and transport viewers to that still place inside us that is all too often lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life."

The sculptures of Lisa Reinertson are life-size. She was “raised in a family of peace and civil rights activists” according to her biography, and her work “conveys an underlying humanism and concern for the earth.”

The opening reception is this Saturday, June 9th, from 5-8 p.m. at  621 The show opens June 7th and continues through July 8th. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m.