Break Bread

Job Security

2009-05-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

All of this rancor about the economy and how horrible the last few months have been got me thinking about jobs in general, and my own job in particular.

I know I'm a hard worker and I'm doing what I can to bring glory to my department and my company, etc. However we all know that when it comes to layoffs, you never know what might happen.

So, I've decided I'd approach this concern in the following way: if you're a hard worker, just keep working hard. Don't work harder or less hard than you would if you weren't worried about the whole economic situation. If you do good work, then either a) you'll be fine because you're ahead of the curve anyway or b) you'll get canned for whatever inexplicable reason, and you'll move on to another job because, since you're a hard worker, you'll find a job pretty quickly anyway.

If you're not a hard worker, you can either a) work as hard as you _believe_ someone in your position should because you want to do at least enough to keep your job (whatever that means), or b) keep up the status quo because you're better off spending the time between now and when you get laid off without the stress of worrying about whether or not your job is safe.

Hmm, not very optimistic, I guess ... but unfortunately optimism is over-rated.

Drinks at Chloe for Scott's Birthday

2008-09-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Scott's birthday and Lucy and I headed over there around 11:30PM to celebrate.

I love Chloe - it's a great little bar with a French brasserie feel (and although they do serve food, it's not something I've tried yet). We were able to score a corner area with a few couches and plopped ourselves down for drinks and conversation.

All in, it was Scott, Courtney, me, Lucy, Nate, Kyle and Cory. We closed the place down ten minutes before 2AM and had a great night overall.

This weekend is going to be pretty hectic, with meeting with florists for the wedding, a barbecue in Malibu, drinks with friends, grocery shopping (all Home Depot and BB&B jokes aside), lunch with the family for Korean Thanksgiving, and dinner at Pizzeria Mozza and likely drinks afterwards.

In any case, check out Chloe, either for drinks or food. It's a cool place with a laid-back vibe and definitely something to hit up for a relaxed night out.

Chloe

1449 2nd St.

Santa Monica, CA, 90407

http://www.barchloe.com

Westwood vs. Culver City

2008-09-11T18:57:00.001-07:00

So, we're moving.

My company is moving from Westwood to Culver City.

Not the "good" part of Culver City where there are now awesome restaurants, wine bars and art galleries. No, we're south of "Ladera Heights" (which I just learned is the name of that hill-y part of La Cienega Blvd.) in a sort of commercial zone.

If I sound annoyed, that's not the case at all. The building itself is actually really nice and I have a cool little office with enough space for potentially a small couch and a dorm-sized fridge. It's just leaving the awesomeness that is Westwood Village and all of the cool restaurants, necessity stores (like Rite-Aid, banks, etc.) and the like.

I'm sure it will take a bit getting used to, like if I forget to bring food it either means I starve or I'm forced to take an hour and a half lunch break OR the fact that my gym is no longer across the street from my building (and from what I've heard, 24 Hour Fitness is no Equinox).

In any case, tomorrow is a short day due to the move and this weekend is pretty jam-packed with things to do and take care of ... so Monday might prove interesting with all of the discombobulation from having to go to the new building, getting set up and exploring the area. I'm sure at least one of my employees will get in late simply from getting lost.

Here we go!

Bacon Flow Chart

2008-09-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is amazing.

Working Late

2008-09-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but my work day is filled with distractions: meetings, questions from the team, meetings, calls with business partners, meetings, and ... you guessed it, meetings.

Let's take today for example. I had eight meetings totaling 5.5 hours from 11AM all the way to 6:30PM. WTF?! I realize that it's something I can change (block out my calendar, be an ass and just decline, etc.), but many of these meetings are either a) actually important or b) require me being there to answer any questions.

In any case, I find that the morning hours are usually unproductive when it comes to actually getting "work" done since I'm usually responding to emails and catching up on today's headlines. Since apparently I'm in too many meetings to actually get work done during NORMAL business hours, I'm at my best when I'm working late.

It's really quiet in the office right now, and if my boss saw this post he'd be wondering, "why isn't he just doing work so he can get out of there rather than blog?" and frankly, I don't know either ... but let me just say that having no one in the office besides the cleaning ladies is somewhat soothing.

Real men start work at 8PM.

Redsalt Malibu Dinner: Spring

2008-09-09T02:15:00.000-07:00

Re-post from 2006.

I think I'm going to try maintaining this blog again. Let's see how long this lasts. Anyway, I haven't cooked a lick of food since our last seven-course extravanganza at Zai's place. Is there such a thing as a "binge cooker"?

The food turned out pretty well. Here are the best-formed pictures from the event:

1st course: marinated shrimp with charmoula, lime and shallots

2nd course: spanish tomato-bread soup with saffron and basil oil (not pictured)

3nd course: grilled lamb and zucchini skewer with cranberry-almond couscous and tzatziki

4th course: ras-el-hanout-crusted chicken with minted carrots, potato hash and medjool dates

5th course: lemon and mint tea sorbets

6th course: trio of truffles - dark chocolate-pink hawaiian salt, white chocolate-suntory whiskey, milk chocolate-honey (not pictured)

All in all, a great event. Mike was stressed but held himself together, serving some great wines with the meal. From the view in the kitchen, it seemed like everyone had a great time.

Restaurant Review: Grace

2008-09-09T02:03:00.000-07:00

We had the "Close to Home" tasting menu which sources 90% of everything in the entire meal from a 400 mile radius.

Yet Another Blog

2008-09-09T01:58:00.001-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking ... but this is different.

Okay, I'm lying. It's the same crap you've read before where I "ooh" and "aah" and talk about "porktastic ecstasy" regarding the latest tapas place/steakhouse/French bistro/taco truck.

One thing I will make sure of, though, is for you, my dear reader(s), to get something of some actual value out of it, whether it's a fun, of-no-consequence five-minute read, or a potential alternative when you sit in front of Yelp or Citysearch asking yourself the same "where the hell do we go for dinner tonight" question you did last week (and the week before).

So if you're looking for restaurant reviews that mention "delicious smoked trout-infused deviled eggs that curl your tongue with its unctuous flavor", this blog probably isn't for you (though, that being said, that deviled egg was damn tasty).

So sit back, relax, pour yourself a glass of your favorite Two-Buck Chuck and read some nonsense that may just be a slightly better use of your time than re-trying "Sweet Child O' Mine" on Guitar Hero for the twelfth time.

To balance out all of that pork fat, I'll be posting generally about goings-on in my life as well as random wedding planning successes, failures and "want-to-rip-own-head-off-of-neck" moments.

Review: Hatfield's

2007-11-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

“Ugh, our anniversary is this week? How is this possible,” I thought to myself while fielding calls and following up on emails Monday afternoon.

It was our four-year and we were both extremely busy; L with her job and I with mine. I just started a new position at an Internet company and was pushing sixty to seventy hours a week!

“No excuses,” I told myself and dialed the number to Hatfield’s. We had tried to have dinner there multiple times but the stars never aligned. Schedules were checked, phone calls were made, appointments were cancelled. This time, it would be different. We cleared our calendars. We crossed our fingers. And waited.

Thursday rolled around and, miraculously, no cancelled reservations, no critical deadlines on Friday! We made it. I guess this relationship had staying power after all?

The Hatfields helmed the kitchen (Quinn the executive chef, Karen the pastry chef) at Cortez in San Francisco (where I had a great meal when I was up in Union Square for a conference) and have been creating their own following here in Los Angeles with their rustic and yet refined cuisine.

We reached the restaurant five minutes late for our reservation , but were greeted warmly by Karen who, although very pregnant, had a smile on her face and seated us immediately at a table in the small side patio which was a romantic, secluded spot.

I handed our server our bottle of Saintsbury Pinot Noir and requested it be put on ice briefly as it was sitting out for a while, which he did without hesitation. We looked at the menu while we waited. We were hoping to order one tasting menu and a few additional dishes but unfortunately the tasting menu needs to be ordered by the entire table. We opted to order a la carte instead, requesting to share the kabocha squash ravioli with fresh black-eyed peas and brown butter and ordering the striped bass with creamy Swiss chard, chanterelles and parsley-garlic broth and the slow-cooked beef rib with spaetzle, Chinese broccoli and yam puree for our entrees.

Before too long, we were brought warm cheesy rolls, which were delicious with the butter showered with salt, pepper and chives. Wine poured (which had opened up and was showing extremely well considering all the abuse I put through it with moving and lack of cellaring) and rolls buttered, things were looking great.

Our appetizer came, which we dove into. Honestly, it was absolutely an example of how something so simple could be so impactful. Kabocha squash with brown butter, potentially a standard pairing, but combined with earthy, fresh black-eyed peas, gave the dish another dimension that left me wanting a second serving! Since we are small eaters, I held off and waited for our entrees, which arrived not too long after our plates were cleared.

The beef rib was extremely solid with the spaetzle a standout (resembling an exceedingly refined macaroni and cheese) and the rib meat being tender and yet crispy on the outside: a perfect texture contrast. Both the yam puree and Chinese broccoli were also delicious components that added their own unique element to the dish. L’s striped bass was slightly weaker if only because the fish itself was under-seasoned, but every component of her dish was well executed, with the chard having an incredible, savory depth of flavor (Quinn really has a way with vegetables!). She was ambivalent about her entrée but I demolished the rest of it!

Finally, after a small mini-food-coma break, we flipped open the dessert menu and knew we would be ordering the baked-to-order chocolate-peanut butter truffle cake with salted caramel ice cream. Yes. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Baked to order. Sign us up!

After a few minutes of expectant waiting, the cake arrived with fanfare. We cracked it open and … wow. Utterly rich and satisfying, comforting and comfortable, it was truly a fantastic end to our meal. The salted caramel ice cream was a perfect mix of salty and sweet. The flavors popped and yet melded together cohesively – not a novel pairing necessarily, but perfectly executed.

We continued to linger over the remainder of our Pinot Noir and our shared memories, remembering stories and funny moments throughout our relationship. We walked out into the night, thanking Hatfield’s for helping us cap off another fantastic year.

Hatfield's
7458 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com