2002-10-17 - 6:30 a.m. there goes the neighborhood Well. I survived the layoffs. A third of my marketing cohorts did not. It's a bittersweet feeling indeed. Also bittersweet was the news that the chef of my most frequented neighborhood restaurant was closing up shop. Luckily, he's not fleeing SF -- just the fogbelt. He's taking over the Potrero Brewing Company's old space, which means he'll be close to Maira's place. My ex and I used to eat here almost every Friday night ever since the place opened six years ago. This is the place at which we celebrated my getting this job just a few months before things started to go to hell in a handbasket... This is also the place my ex took me after he told me about his affair and I stopped being able to eat. He hoped to assuage his guilt by tempting me with my favorite comfort food. It didn't work. When my plate went back to the kitchen barely touched, the chef had the waitress ask if there was something wrong with my dinner. I told her "No. I'm just not hungry," looked up, and caught the chef's eye. After he saw my red-rimmed eyes, he knew it wasn't his culinary talents at fault for my lack of appetite. I went in last night for a farewell dinner (they close on Saturday) of my favorite comfort food: flat iron steak au jus with crunchy buttermilk battered onion rings and fluffy potatoes. I ended up with a double serving of the onion rings since the chef has noted that I never leave a stray onion ring on my plate. (NOTE:My stomach is still sticking out from this dinner, and I won't be hungry again for a while). The new place will feature a cheaper menu (nothing over $12), and thus, not my favorite dish. I confirmed that with the chef. This bummed me out considerably for a good few seconds, until the chef told me he'd make it for me whenever I wanted when I come to the new place. I guess it pays to be a regular... Since getting home from NYC fewer than 2 weeks ago, it's been a whirlwind of food and wine. I went to a tasting at the Commonwealth Club, volunteered at CalItalia, went out to eat far too many times with various folks, including Maira to celebrate her b-day, and am now taking a jaunt to Sonoma this weekend with a coworker for some wine tastiong, foliage gawking, and shopping in celebration of still being gainfully employed. I'm practicing my living in the moment skills. Which reminds me: just how cold would Paris at Christmas be? London wasn't so bad last year... any comments? (1 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09