tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58446943545039336322023-11-16T08:30:54.473-08:00Lunch with Tony...the journeyLunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-71208845680939807462009-08-22T08:21:00.001-07:002009-08-22T10:25:05.631-07:00Open for business<div style="text-align: left;">Hi LWT subset of the blog-osphere...and a special hello to the growing handful of friends & family who are very annoyed LWT blog posts have become quite few & far between. In all honesty, micro-blogging on facebook & twitter is just faster & easier these days.</div><div><br /></div><div>So big news...we opened yesterday! Quite a bit has transpired between yesterday & the most recent blog post. Here's a quick rundown.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>*All sorts of contractor & construction drama. Not everything is resolved, but we're definitely done enough to open. Aye yay yay.</div><div>*Staff started training a week ago. Working out hitches in a few areas, but everyone definitely seems to be settling in.</div><div>*Three things get added to the to-do list every time one comes off. It's maddening, but with Laura's HUGE help...and 80+ hour weeks, we seem to be making progress.</div><div><br /></div><div>Opening yesterday went basically about as I expected. Not a total train wreck, but definitely not a grand slam the first time out. We had about 50 guests (admittedly MANY friends & family), and for the most part reviews were glowing. A couple of Yelpers already came out with lots of praise, and that feels just great! Food for the most part go</div><div>t out on time & there were minimal blunders. And sorry to toot my own horn, but everything coming out of the kitchen is really delicious. I knew it would be, but to see the menu come to life, product be ordered, the kitchen guys put it all in motion, then to actually run it out on a plate, and for it to look professional & taste good...it's pretty great.</div><div><br /></div><div>Portions are big (maybe bigger than I planned), and prices are reasonable. I'm setting a goal for myself to revisit recipe cards over the course of the next month to make sure prices are where they should be. Keep me honest with that, will ya?!?</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekoieUjaXGhD_WoEa_TWkz7pO009jF-I5PxAt6-6tPY2B-ibmADIE0bzU88s6acMEyF6O6Imdn8kDspujSohKiXOQcoX7D_SnRclj8Eaf2oXmjCMGm9bzKZaluS_9AFP6bIZPhjmpewBG/s400/6531_121211215381_84822540381_2527437_1805144_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372839530870202578" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxy8D7zEBUkuFtaDXghNGDcfAKLPn8BZmgSlNSGYF2Jg-utz_YXkeSv-2E4XrXzhggMyDg0KB8s_TTZEpo8KLquU0ifGFuI6KoX82JeZXanNXjiDdEMGyyPVj4yrWslpHcq18uf3Av6gX/s1600-h/6531_121211290381_84822540381_2527450_3087119_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxy8D7zEBUkuFtaDXghNGDcfAKLPn8BZmgSlNSGYF2Jg-utz_YXkeSv-2E4XrXzhggMyDg0KB8s_TTZEpo8KLquU0ifGFuI6KoX82JeZXanNXjiDdEMGyyPVj4yrWslpHcq18uf3Av6gX/s400/6531_121211290381_84822540381_2527450_3087119_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372839558973118978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjExEuBapFHZwQgQByj6JdzzlvcXB_R8QkszO0OZWGYYXfhbj6XGm0jMhLrstdtSCYqLSFgX-sSTTU3ulSOWaD0ZJPFbaXnu37dqsyJ5a5Zcz-yurKUCX830Eo-wNSMLsL5RZlp3VaEDCi/s1600-h/6531_121211275381_84822540381_2527447_529624_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjExEuBapFHZwQgQByj6JdzzlvcXB_R8QkszO0OZWGYYXfhbj6XGm0jMhLrstdtSCYqLSFgX-sSTTU3ulSOWaD0ZJPFbaXnu37dqsyJ5a5Zcz-yurKUCX830Eo-wNSMLsL5RZlp3VaEDCi/s400/6531_121211275381_84822540381_2527447_529624_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372839551055050962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNdp3Hm6Tqy_ibgYWTbyu7lJeVPnabrjthvdqFtc6i-Csq5ZeIjxhMFrx2GOubjsV-7fVgTt-ImvQIgpU2UkwBLPEbjtkr8WczFYe-hOy0LogA0hm11GDNnzDYyBy9xv9RzViQ2K96Z4F/s1600-h/6531_121211265381_84822540381_2527446_671004_n.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNdp3Hm6Tqy_ibgYWTbyu7lJeVPnabrjthvdqFtc6i-Csq5ZeIjxhMFrx2GOubjsV-7fVgTt-ImvQIgpU2UkwBLPEbjtkr8WczFYe-hOy0LogA0hm11GDNnzDYyBy9xv9RzViQ2K96Z4F/s1600-h/6531_121211265381_84822540381_2527446_671004_n.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNdp3Hm6Tqy_ibgYWTbyu7lJeVPnabrjthvdqFtc6i-Csq5ZeIjxhMFrx2GOubjsV-7fVgTt-ImvQIgpU2UkwBLPEbjtkr8WczFYe-hOy0LogA0hm11GDNnzDYyBy9xv9RzViQ2K96Z4F/s1600-h/6531_121211265381_84822540381_2527446_671004_n.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNdp3Hm6Tqy_ibgYWTbyu7lJeVPnabrjthvdqFtc6i-Csq5ZeIjxhMFrx2GOubjsV-7fVgTt-ImvQIgpU2UkwBLPEbjtkr8WczFYe-hOy0LogA0hm11GDNnzDYyBy9xv9RzViQ2K96Z4F/s1600-h/6531_121211265381_84822540381_2527446_671004_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNdp3Hm6Tqy_ibgYWTbyu7lJeVPnabrjthvdqFtc6i-Csq5ZeIjxhMFrx2GOubjsV-7fVgTt-ImvQIgpU2UkwBLPEbjtkr8WczFYe-hOy0LogA0hm11GDNnzDYyBy9xv9RzViQ2K96Z4F/s400/6531_121211265381_84822540381_2527446_671004_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372839544908058114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P2jh3p-F1FfYg4fQil-eTkgJKyIpcSIAexNO0q8ao4Jyh_z7LGWCGfPy7bcP2QDrh1tqDH2uId6v81tB3ZnVsJPJ-iQg18yIiRTuLttF0-dZvNn5jiCZYLNC9pE9sHUVuxc97NfhYJ4D/s1600-h/6531_121211250381_84822540381_2527444_7449542_n.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P2jh3p-F1FfYg4fQil-eTkgJKyIpcSIAexNO0q8ao4Jyh_z7LGWCGfPy7bcP2QDrh1tqDH2uId6v81tB3ZnVsJPJ-iQg18yIiRTuLttF0-dZvNn5jiCZYLNC9pE9sHUVuxc97NfhYJ4D/s1600-h/6531_121211250381_84822540381_2527444_7449542_n.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P2jh3p-F1FfYg4fQil-eTkgJKyIpcSIAexNO0q8ao4Jyh_z7LGWCGfPy7bcP2QDrh1tqDH2uId6v81tB3ZnVsJPJ-iQg18yIiRTuLttF0-dZvNn5jiCZYLNC9pE9sHUVuxc97NfhYJ4D/s1600-h/6531_121211250381_84822540381_2527444_7449542_n.jpg"></a></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-47855001450792556342009-07-09T13:19:00.000-07:002009-07-09T13:43:42.296-07:00An update...and a day in the lifeI described LWT to someone today as limping toward the finish line, but also said I was trying to keep my smile. It's a pretty accurate picture of where we are. Finish work is mostly done - painters gone, baseboard installed, most furniture ordered or in process of being ordered - and we're sitting in a holding pattern at the whims of PG&E. As you know, we got somewhat spanked for not having applied for service upgrade early enough. With a little luck and a little "it's good to know people who know people" help, we're currently scheduled to get electricity into the building on July 29. Crossing our fingers that we might get bumped a little earlier on their calendar.<div><br /></div><div>After electricity gets pumped in, a long & linear process begins. In this order - at least as I understand it - get electrical from PG&E, test & get ready for final city electric inspection, get final electric inspection, get gas meter release from city, get new gas meter set from PG&E, test all equipment, get final health inspection, get all remaining final city inspections, die a little inside, finally tell staff we're clear to start practicing, pray staff hasn't already taken other jobs, check calendar & hope it's still Summer, pop out some grey hairs, figure out how to open a restaurant (factoring out construction which awkwardly already got figured out), open the doors.</div><div><br /></div><div>You're saying, "Tony, so many things to get accomplished in a short period of time. Are you ambitious, optimistic, or out of touch with reality?" A mix of all 3? You're saying "Tony, you committed to a catered off-site picnic for 700 in late September, and a 100+ car show at the building in early September. What if construction runs WAY long?" Time will tell.<div><br /></div><div>That's the update, now for a day in the life.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I've blogged before that each day is vastly different, though now I add that in some ways they're painfully the same. Today is now exception. It's 1:30pm. Here's a rundown of the day so far.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Arrive at the bldg by 8 am. Comcast installation window 8 - noon.</div><div>2. No word by 10am, which is when granite for countertops gets delivered.</div><div>3. Back way too weak to help delivery driver unload granite. Someone comes by in the nick of time to help.</div><div>4. Get official word from comcast that even though we rescheduled from 7/17 to today, it never got entered onto their job calendar.</div><div>5. Leave the builder after 3 hours of finding odd work to accomplish at the building that doesn't require an internet connection.</div><div>6. Head to Peet's to soak up their wifi for a bit.</div><div>7. Enjoy a harsh iced latte (I hate peet's coffee, but their wifi is sweet in my mouf)</div><div>8. Pick up one of those new wraps at Jamba Juice. Greens & Grains or something. As previously tweeted - feel free to pass on ever ordering this. You're welcome.</div><div>9. Field random calls & get all sorts of work done: resolve comcast install date, tweet about how much comcast sucks, sort out biz card production drama, organize files, email PG&E with an idea to shave off a couple days on gas install lead-time, schedule another photo shoot for photos in the restaurant, invite web guy to lunch because I forgot how to update the website, update the blog (easy...though I never seem to do so). A very random, but productive early afternoon at Peet's. Apologies to the fans of my earlier blog entry about the random shit you experience at a coffee house in the afternoon. Nothing good today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Up next...Head out for a 2pm meeting with table manufacturer. Pick color & sign order for them to get started. Homeward bound after that to try and continue the productivity.</div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-49467687564572224932009-06-17T16:48:00.000-07:002009-06-17T16:59:38.880-07:00delays and change orders...the name of the game<div style="text-align: left;">Well, change orders are SO Spring, but since they played such an integral role, I feel compelled to mention them even in the Summer. This season is shaping up to be crazy-making for a myriad of reasons that - I assume - are all to be expected when trying to open your first restaurant.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were basically on track until about a month ago when I thought "holy crap, shouldn't someone be calling PG&E to line up the electrical service upgrade?" It came on the heels of me having done the same for gas service upgrade. I coordinated with contractors - who</div><div> had their fingers squarely up noses - and determined I needed to start the ball rolling. Many questions later, I thought "why the hell am I running this?", and passed it to them. Long story short, PG&E actually came out today to assess field conditions, throw their weight around, and lay down new fees. Good times. Bad news is that their antiquated hierarchy means many more weeks of sitting on our heels until we get power in the building. Getting power means firing up equipment, and getting our act together for the many final inspections nee</div><div>ded before we serve food. So, egg on my face for saying early July (2009) was when we'd open. Looking like sometime late August. Burn.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>In the meantime, here are a couple photos of recent action. Enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80JGJ7cPpMBHIMBsjXxZVvVFw21JRihx1MTuLzevFBFgpDKDs-7QXeG1h2M_4VvXwkU_K134VETpOoFCTUi-6F9yKG51-QLnxAroP45FA0qPHVs0f1QELVjDDVWZyAHRV0pEejIKDK7ua/s400/photo-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348450184399444802" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTAY43CfN83ZjTNecmMn_WHsq7ghlq-p0KNl55FYI8MwABKW9msQJCYs8VxYYqWdN37faVAMsDWuIYLFtTklcsxXi1-E8_bSAxmDBE2V28779v5AG35OmyLaG1D-A-SQTdKs-up3sTgi0/s400/photo-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348450176849653378" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-72082398197350943962009-05-12T21:27:00.000-07:002009-05-12T21:51:16.556-07:00No turning back now<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMovXq2IHeq7efVMAONEVZ8V1Ceuei6ZIJr0yftb1ScR6_tz1erqoWVqXP54dWNWzjqthbmB4BixM6yyURR83usS9d3V2A-gxRGSDkEQsXMHXm-wgN2I2O7ETv69KZCgXaU14LdSxxkXX2/s1600-h/Coming+Soon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMovXq2IHeq7efVMAONEVZ8V1Ceuei6ZIJr0yftb1ScR6_tz1erqoWVqXP54dWNWzjqthbmB4BixM6yyURR83usS9d3V2A-gxRGSDkEQsXMHXm-wgN2I2O7ETv69KZCgXaU14LdSxxkXX2/s400/Coming+Soon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335166494669721826" /></a><br />I planted quite a stake in the ground late this morning in Alviso. As previous photos prove, it's no surprise to anyone that something pretty big is afoot at 5202 N First Street in Alviso. Today, however, I put up my "coming soon" sign. The cat's out of the bag on LWT. It's an exciting and nerve wracking step -- even in light of so many more tangible things we've done on site.<div><br /></div><div>OK, so....check...that's done. In other construction & planning news, there's lots going on. All framing, sheet rocking, plumbing, electrical is complete. Kitchen & bathroom paneling going up soon, flooring prep getting underway, stucco soon, walk-in box & hood being installed very soon. Yikes. Pictures for you very soon. "I had <i>Lunch with Tony</i>, and I can't stop thinking about it." :)</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-17548041997596212852009-04-04T11:02:00.000-07:002009-04-04T11:17:44.267-07:00In time for next Sunday......we found quite an easter egg at the job site. Behind the admittedly GHETTO old stucco facade, the contractors unearthed the original sign from my grandpa's old bar "Tony's" circa early 1940's. It's art deco (I think) font, and painted directly on the planks that used to be the exterior of the building. It was a very interesting day on the job, as everyone was amazed to find it, much less in such good shape. The building has been run by at least 3 others since my grandpa gave up the bar. Pretty wild that the sign was hiding under there the whole time. My dad has an aerial photo from the "Tony's" days that shows the building - with few others surrounding it - and the front sign is visible. The tentative plan is to extract each plank on Monday, then piece the sign together & eventually display it in the new restaurant patio. With this photo, the old aerial photo, and a little description. Pretty exciting!<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTnKGjgVEhY4xiYIza3U_E0CtVgfJU31jAIym8y5J_r1dwQppN7dZuoXalTMhLIsO2kYQBgZ_UEimnTV2tzW_WS69toqSh-xgkmL8GB-WE-gZ51DSK2jIfDnpNzLSnfQ9Mh0FeX1waWPx/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320901942539983698" /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-35692751085432447422009-04-03T08:21:00.000-07:002009-04-03T08:56:32.642-07:00it's a job site now<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPbY3qddrm4PH0h6SFruj5hYoNemfJ0c50HoriFuQrgHlQsRLR-UeYkhY9YXIPXf4qJ4dLQT-3abjyx_RZhxI2HqE-0RH7hsMXlRQp6Sek_WyDw4ahGEOxktH4EcIB7yE8GL2B2o9BD7g/s1600-h/photo-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPbY3qddrm4PH0h6SFruj5hYoNemfJ0c50HoriFuQrgHlQsRLR-UeYkhY9YXIPXf4qJ4dLQT-3abjyx_RZhxI2HqE-0RH7hsMXlRQp6Sek_WyDw4ahGEOxktH4EcIB7yE8GL2B2o9BD7g/s320/photo-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320491850631778498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Zv26-LJkyuT9tkXjP-jqU4fneqq2oN5BEHfC_q8o1eIMHT-dU-D1bjuQQ0PmrFptoyK3RZIyKnf7WP-NJyNGft2_RxeTj830UhTEM7LDRXFXfkc6_6qSaHumjxyDf9yL7owmRm8EXp79/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Zv26-LJkyuT9tkXjP-jqU4fneqq2oN5BEHfC_q8o1eIMHT-dU-D1bjuQQ0PmrFptoyK3RZIyKnf7WP-NJyNGft2_RxeTj830UhTEM7LDRXFXfkc6_6qSaHumjxyDf9yL7owmRm8EXp79/s320/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320491371977053362" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2WTdcV2w5HkP3Gw7-YMUj8iGMVFRzuv0dGog6gWuECF4EKvr2D_pEVNn5BlovBliHyFPbKe6fJ1H97tSYS5prHjEZZ3myFtjSzTttN1WzsG2FDkxCz82JGKOBrruJPswYX3kil1rOm3-/s320/photo-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320491367439969474" /><br />Apologies to any blog followers for a dry spell of posts during a really important time. Construction is underway, for shizzle, and it's exciting to see progress. Here are photos of:<br /><div><br /></div><div>*The evolution of the storefront. Today they're going to attack all the old stucco facade to get things ready for its new coat.</div><div><br /></div><div>*The bathroom remodel. This was taken at least a week ago, and already the bathroom looks nothing like this. The concrete is filled in, the walls separating men/women are up, and door frames are in. I'll get more up here soon.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>*The hood which was recently delivered. I have to admit it was scary to see this hulking thing unloaded from the truck and plopped into the dining room. Makes things seem a lot more real, and it's sort of inspiring/taunting me to cook good things.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So that's what's going on. No beef to speak of from any inspectors yet, but time will tell.</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-20071679442087550952009-03-12T16:48:00.000-07:002009-03-12T17:32:13.731-07:00ProgressHi team. Chili recipes & Starbucks encounters are entertaining enough, but now time for an update regarding tangible progress. (TOO) Many months have been leading up to what transpired over the course of the last week. Last Thursday we were granted a building permit (a process that was promised in 2 to 3 weeks, but actually took 3 months). Earlier this week, I FINALLY entered into a construction contract with my contractor. Not quite as painful as birthing the business plan, but it ranked for sure. This morning at 9 am we signed a scary number of papers with the loan officer from the bank, and then scurried around town looking for a notary. Weird. Simultaneously, two nice gentlemen - Luis & Omar - began demolishing the bathrooms at the building. Construction is underway, people. The contractor owes me a construction schedule tomorrow, and they're optimistic to get the job done in 8 to 10 weeks. We all know how that goes. I'm conservatively anticipating a July 1 opening. I'm guessing we'll meet somewhere in the middle. So I'm very happy to share this progress, and keep you updated on where we go from here. Enjoy these not so enjoyable photos of the building before Luis & Omar started throwing down this morning.<div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_F25GJUTbt67s7zx6FZP2tHJZ8QWfMIP5jnbEIROnvLVKcrYGnFXlxnK3xFHSYXTnWEnKf5eGczoeBDPv7vOSoDcSd8xMTXlHGZi_xKEuniUp7nTSw7jQtqNwVGC8n4_zeIitelBmDxKT/s200/IMG_3881.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312462859963975458" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8WiptWouqJxAxi1wo7YBStXDkOejRka9QeLFxy1Q06nUa4t360SARTnEfAXy3FH13x3771vIFz_4mLXyxhvsjK3goDq8r05PO3tHAtGpNPUDKFmnsKWxOTRT0H8ZtO-K71agbihVvdlS/s200/IMG_3896.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312462860039646514" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplz9voCMw-PDV_4X9rMi_zCnruW1z0xH_v8A5zRHGXSL_iV1vjC5U7hLV1Cp52mOx0C7xgRuHJ5w53w6fxIQ_toHyEha7LPRUTHUVsGG92gBUAKL-b47SV9ACFPtWUxwNcHbIVyDrgJhX/s200/IMG_3857.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312462866209918354" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZPjSBDwuNarOfy0Ne03hCIvz3kO7lCHTelN1EOZ9dPdeRntZTnbVGmeZhKZnOpzQ783H-HinRItWPKgJRJznOp-Vo2fCAFZtfbO9id9j5KdWKXtzW6VQh4CT_T1AsnkeRvORJ6glZdEk/s200/IMG_3859.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312462873715393682" /></div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-4325308278279816532009-02-18T13:14:00.000-08:002009-02-18T13:22:37.371-08:00Chili<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBEEO-DFHUB2jfqiG_kOtIB394VDZb71L7NormFDVyl292ZxPtkkBI2r5UtzHJy2SzbDgXpBGCGfbnKU7ZAbaO-dk8ymSj1lBoHjC4KTNPOjXcMKmjIdBSP3E4omWc-vMLlYyY143ZBJF/s1600-h/s_red-ramiro-pepper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBEEO-DFHUB2jfqiG_kOtIB394VDZb71L7NormFDVyl292ZxPtkkBI2r5UtzHJy2SzbDgXpBGCGfbnKU7ZAbaO-dk8ymSj1lBoHjC4KTNPOjXcMKmjIdBSP3E4omWc-vMLlYyY143ZBJF/s200/s_red-ramiro-pepper.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304250798192963106" /></a><br />I dreamed up a chili recipe on Friday the 13th. It started with a base of rendered bacon fat, red onion and ground beef, and included a variety of spices, black beans, brown sugar, ketchup and tomato paste. It was a little too sweet for my taste, but otherwise I impressed myself. I had the last bit for lunch today, and these 4 or 5 days later it's even better than before. The flavors really came together well, and I'm happy with the final product. I've decided to include chili on the LWT menu...you know...assuming we ever open.Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-7159031106058965802009-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:002009-02-09T17:49:59.224-08:00to whet your appetite...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BNPkfhQqOmggwBodMxuZqcdIK6xvsx197MISFWzVbM7FJKXDkoMexJcChq22-23h36AFUWfAugIx_jCHQIEMkaQgLnW4QsUnn4NuijooqrVbXtz0h3WxFkprtrM3nNC09JcZKlys82IA/s1600-h/IMG_9362.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BNPkfhQqOmggwBodMxuZqcdIK6xvsx197MISFWzVbM7FJKXDkoMexJcChq22-23h36AFUWfAugIx_jCHQIEMkaQgLnW4QsUnn4NuijooqrVbXtz0h3WxFkprtrM3nNC09JcZKlys82IA/s400/IMG_9362.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300910955325933410" /></a><br />...and maybe remind myself that this slow, painful & expensive process may actually come to fruition. Here's a smattering of dishes that will likely make it to the menu at LWT.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Beef & Muenster Press</b><br />Succulent, shredded beef short ribs, stacked with muenster cheese & melted into sliced sourdough<br /><br /><b>Roasted Pork Panini</b><br />Tender loin of pork with apple chutney, imported swiss, and caramelized onions on focaccia<br /><br /><b>Exotic Chicken Salad</b></div><div>The best chicken salad, with hints of curry, apples & veggies, served with spring mix on country bread<br /><br /><b>Provencal Veggie</b></div><div>Roasted red peppers, garlic-seasoned tomatoes and goat cheese on country bread<br /><br /><b>Asian Chicken Salad</b><br />Grilled, citrus-marinated chicken breast on a bed of mixed greens, candied walnuts, and crispy wontons with house-made sesame-ginger vinaigrette</div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-76289233159504859012009-01-24T18:21:00.000-08:002009-01-24T18:26:18.301-08:00snagged<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8tmEWX_oMXgKW2k6gDI9sOg61wvHLVVSI3ryzzeQ_DQdAarJHsR4UQ4K3PxopMnsPwzn6EvmRuZUTLJCoAbgjYe2Zh-AvFHdKUAeV9LLSBpRB7ssKA8m11FjAACFz3yXqLshkthX_vRE/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 111px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8tmEWX_oMXgKW2k6gDI9sOg61wvHLVVSI3ryzzeQ_DQdAarJHsR4UQ4K3PxopMnsPwzn6EvmRuZUTLJCoAbgjYe2Zh-AvFHdKUAeV9LLSBpRB7ssKA8m11FjAACFz3yXqLshkthX_vRE/s400/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295052017315786466" /></a><br />Bad news on the 'hurry up and open a restaurant' front. We're held up in getting the building permit. The issue lies with Public Works, and us needing to get an appraisal of the building to prove that our renovations total less than 50% of the building's worth. (DUH!!!) Unfortunately, this is a costly and time intensive process. It'll be at least 3 weeks before any of the appraisers I've spoken with can even start on the appraisal, and then it will take then another week or so to complete ours. So tack that extra month onto however long it'll take the city to review & bless this appraisal...and subsequently (and hopefully) finalize the building permit. If any beautiful, talented & witty public works employees or their friends/family are reading this blog & want to help a brother out...please leave a comment. Otherwise, keep your fingers crossed for me. I was antsy, now I'm a few notches above antsy - does anyone have a name for it? Ugh...Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-46180340944971350472009-01-21T11:16:00.001-08:002009-01-21T12:09:43.517-08:00trade shows are weird<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RJa8p0ZDL8H9QuV9ZtZmxassgRAGeH7imcgcfPgoCJmT471zmKdIVY5XGlkIs0bo8s7vxwVkEzYx-xFbf7WFbikNSd1VRcQZ9H4US06i2wzq94Xh2HfkNV5owLt45383C-icbHekNQbS/s1600-h/ffsPage_middle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 87px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RJa8p0ZDL8H9QuV9ZtZmxassgRAGeH7imcgcfPgoCJmT471zmKdIVY5XGlkIs0bo8s7vxwVkEzYx-xFbf7WFbikNSd1VRcQZ9H4US06i2wzq94Xh2HfkNV5owLt45383C-icbHekNQbS/s400/ffsPage_middle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293839817534342354" /></a><br />Anyone who's attended (or heaven forbid, had to staff) trade shows with any regularity knows they're just a weird little world. Crowded, over-stimulating and exhausting conditions make for tweaked attendees and booth staffers. The world of food trade show-ery is no exception. This week I attended my 3rd consecutive Fancy Food Show - a showcase of new food products and packaging from the mainstream to obscure. Overall, the show is a great opportunity to learn about new products & distributors, though after 4+ hours it's easy to burn out.<div><br /></div><div>Highlights:</div><div>*Food celeb sightings: Ina Garten (Contessa, as Laura & I call her), Suzanne Goin (a sort of famous LA chef), Joanne Weir (local host of cooking shows on PBS), Paul Prudhomme (chatting with Narsi David), Tom Douglas (famous Seattle area chef)</div><div>*I've been on the hunt for blood orange juice or nectar (to use as a base for salad dressing). I found a couple vendors this time out, including a maker of jarred blood orange concentrate, another maker of straight juice. More often than not, you only find it as fizzy italian bottled soda.</div><div>*I connected with the companies that will provide my coffee & my cash register, both of whom I hadn't spoken with in a while</div><div>*I ran into a friend from culinary school staffing a booth. Nice to catch up.</div><div>*Some really tasty samples of interesting new products.</div><div>*My favorite quote of the show: One attendee to another as they sped away from a booth "It's gross!!! It's like 7-11 coffee." Please note, this was NOT in reference to my coffee purveyor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lowlights:</div><div>*Trudging past super slow attendees taking it all in, and many many people who think it's perfectly fine to stop and have a conference right in everyone's path.</div><div>*Someone passed gas and I walked right into the middle of the cloud. Annoying anyway, but especially when you're fried after a long day.</div><div>*Lots of people shoulder to shoulder walking and talking and eating, which means strangers' food breath right in your face.</div><div>*A mix of pushy & up in your grill booth staff, along with others who for whatever reason won't give you the time of day. It reminds me of that line in pretty woman "Hey, I got money to spend here!!!"</div><div>*This is a weird one - I think I got it twice from really small companies. I say "Oooh, I like that! How do you distribute your products?" Meaning, do you ship to me directly? (bad!) or Do you use a big distribution company I can order a bunch of different products from? (good!) They reply "Well, we're always open!" What does that mean? Am I to find you a distributor and do your job? How do you ship your stuff?!? It's a simple question. I walk away.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>In the end, even if it gets annoying it's always worth attending. It takes me at least 4 hours to walk the show floor. And that's moving at a pretty fast clip & not lingering too long at any one booth. It's a monster of a show! If you're one of those no shame costco sample types, you can clean up here. Samples and takeaways large and small. Booths with dips & sauces accompanied by cut up bread or pretzel sticks. Maybe 25 companies? Chips, juices, coffees, sodas, flatbread sandwiches, desserts, candy, smoked salmon, granola, breads, tea, gelato, coffee, caviar, bbq sauce, soup. You name it, it's there...for an estimated 24,000 attendees.<br /></div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-33030847407748649632009-01-09T18:42:00.000-08:002009-01-09T18:44:47.031-08:00the reveal...the logo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b6GmORqTtHIbPpl6PNXC1lEQr641Ltiw67ZpRd1ifNazb3X1KjS_om1sLjhAqT6C45fTe5_1A8sZ-e9UJ_gS-HKCPKasZseXjsqTynq6t7YrKdFZiXUscd-ESVgV_dcea6pSMcjcwVmk/s1600-h/lwt.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8b6GmORqTtHIbPpl6PNXC1lEQr641Ltiw67ZpRd1ifNazb3X1KjS_om1sLjhAqT6C45fTe5_1A8sZ-e9UJ_gS-HKCPKasZseXjsqTynq6t7YrKdFZiXUscd-ESVgV_dcea6pSMcjcwVmk/s400/lwt.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289490491424391682" /></a><br />I'm very excited to share THE <i>Lunch with Tony</i> logo, as designed by the incomparable Linda D. Upcoming posts will include all sorts of other branding elements. Thanks a million Linda. I love it!Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-69902318316221313112008-12-15T22:45:00.000-08:002008-12-15T23:10:57.870-08:00mobile office<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1ukqfy_qKHTOhF2Ct8MjWIM0qd6re03C33JhPZ3fUnK7rm0g3iBs1xk4tRDYheY7-QzdKWN5p8CEFjph093MnHYlTEI_ISlTnoKNXF8Fiaf4SmG9JNT12iPv3wz6UALosSg-DNgmt_k0/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1ukqfy_qKHTOhF2Ct8MjWIM0qd6re03C33JhPZ3fUnK7rm0g3iBs1xk4tRDYheY7-QzdKWN5p8CEFjph093MnHYlTEI_ISlTnoKNXF8Fiaf4SmG9JNT12iPv3wz6UALosSg-DNgmt_k0/s200/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280281973224047122" /></a><br />When you're starting a business and don't yet have an office -- and especially when you were notorious in your first career for not being very good at working from home -- you often find yourself set up at Starbucks in the mid afternoon with a laptop, a hot beverage, and a pile of paperwork. As I've quickly come to learn, Starbucks in the mid afternoon is a WEIRD place. I'd like to recount 4 recent encounters at 3 different locations.<div><br /></div><div><ul></ul></div><div><li>#1 (LAKA!) I'm at a long bar, 2 seats away from a nice enough girl that looks to have downs syndrome. She's wearing headphones, and flipping through some kind of binder...oh yeah, and she's in a relationship with some imaginary dude named Laka. They flirt, they fight, they're a couple. She's vocal, and loud. "Yes Laka I will marry you!" She's hopeful. "Oooooh Laka, you a bad boy Laka!!!" They're playing imaginary slap & tickle. "Laka, you hurt my feelings Laka!" Laka's in the dog house. You get the idea. It's a very passionate relationship. You feel bad for her, but come on!<p></p></li></div><div><li>#2 (Crazy Crystal Lady) Some sort of spiritual healing was taking place right in my line of vision. Lots of deep conversation, lots of holding both hands across the table, raising hands in the air, holding up a pendant on a chain to check for vibrations or something, the occasional huge outburst of tears.<p></p></li></div><div><li>#3 (Troop Dysfunction) Anyone who frequents Subway or Starbucks at Taylor/Coleman, surely know about the rag tag band of developmentally disabled kids that storm these stores most afternoons, and awkwardly splay themselves about. Totally in their own worlds. I think they're excited to be in public, but don't know what to do with themselves. I was set up in an armchair one day, and they sort of circled me with their weird antics. One was to my left, both of us seated around a coffee table. He started rocking, sort of cradling himself, and eventually was craned so far forward holding a pose, that his forehead was grazing the top edge of my laptop. I seriously started looking around the room for a Candid Camera producer.</li></div><div><li>#4 (Privacy Corner...this was today). Directly in my line of sight, and about 2 feet away, were 2 comfy armchairs. First it was a duo that I'm pretty sure was having an affair. Both wearing wedding rings, but whispering and clearly stealing a private and sort of uncomfy moment. You could tell there was sexual tension for days, but they were people who weren't really used to touching each other. They eventually left, and were replaced by 2 women - one quite socially awkward, the other very well put together & seemed to be taking a break from her busy day for this meeting. I thought they were just friends getting together, but soon after they sat down, Fancy pulled out a white envelope with chicken scratch on it & announced she was giving Awkward this sum of money. Not a gift, but payment for cooking classes she needed. Rice, vegetables, whatever! Awkward protested briefly, then burst into tears. Times are tough, after all. They shared some heavy moments, then Fancy reviewed some letter Awkward had written, and had heavy edits. She wasn't feeling it, dog. Now, we all know TonyP needs cash & for someone to review his work, so maybe I should hit Fancy up.</li></div><div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-50612465697952717792008-12-11T08:40:00.001-08:002008-12-11T08:50:28.501-08:00build dept...the pay offWell not a pay off in terms of having an approved building stamp, and that's the end of the story thank you very much. And CERTAINLY not a pay off in terms of greased palms - though that sounds very funny. It's the least exciting of the three - a pay off to the story I left dangling in the last entry. And the pay off basically is that we headed down to city hall like a good little trio of owner/architect/contractor, submitted all the drawings, answered all their questions, and then TonyP had to pay A LOT of $ in fees. Apparently SJ is the most expensive city in the area in terms of building permit fees (more expensive than SF according to my architect). I had a ballpark figure in mind, but it was a whole hell of a lot more than I anticipated....and most importantly, way more than I'd budgeted. That sticker shock was followed about 30 minutes later by a meeting with my contractor where we talked real numbers about construction. Um, let's just say I need to play the lotto and leave it at that. It's a scary and stressful time.Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-51162427795542534532008-12-08T16:42:00.000-08:002008-12-08T16:44:26.885-08:00building permitSo I think I mentioned a week or two ago that we were ready to submit for the building permit. We weren't. BUT....our appointment for the permit is tomorrow at 2:15. Sort of exciting. Just wanted to keep you posted. And to recap, the city supposedly wants 2 to 3 weeks to review the plans, and then we can start construction in earnest.Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-85374960760027952722008-12-02T13:15:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:01:05.309-08:00recipe cards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XhurnduvZE-IFSlkvX_FCp8K5AdRX-Fi77BtWrP0y0NgF7ewbYQvZQIeCDTLtxedYh7zJo8XJGOFOw56r-iyCuJ5YFXbpNeDlNRv0tMB6vfzG-1RZA39TKNJr_a-89wXlxeD-BxoszH9/s1600-h/c1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XhurnduvZE-IFSlkvX_FCp8K5AdRX-Fi77BtWrP0y0NgF7ewbYQvZQIeCDTLtxedYh7zJo8XJGOFOw56r-iyCuJ5YFXbpNeDlNRv0tMB6vfzG-1RZA39TKNJr_a-89wXlxeD-BxoszH9/s200/c1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275316162765229106" /></a><br />On the back burner for the last couple weeks, and then on the front burner in the last few days, has been building recipe cards for LWT. Part instruction card for staff to make my food, part tool to determine the cost of the food in each dish. It's an interesting, but time consuming exercise.<div><br /></div><div>First, I had to write the recipes (mostly from odds & ends in my head). Next I had to determine quantities for scaling up the dishes to serve A LOT (hopefully) of people. Then, supply the food distributor with a list of ingredients I'd need to order so I can get a cost from them. Now, the task of breaking down a 10 pound block of cheddar ($32.16) to the cost per 2 oz, which is how much you'll find on the Apple & Cheddar Press. It's .40, if you're curious. So, .40 for cheese here, .95 for some sliced bread there, 1.30 for turkey, and before you know it you have the true food cost of a sandwich....which partially dictates the menu cost. So you can see how important of a process this is. Just thought you'd want to know what's going on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh also, and pretty unrelated...my rock design team has generated first drafts of the website, to-go menu & in-store menu. They're DYNAMITE. More to come...</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-84733257999277442602008-11-26T08:01:00.000-08:002008-11-26T08:06:17.141-08:00day after the auctionI headed up to Oakland to claim my prize. It was the most disorganized shit show I've been part of in quite a while. There were maybe 4 people in front of me in line to handle their paperwork, and I waited over an hour. Very inefficient office staff and lots of bidders squawking about anything from not wanting to buy the thing they bought, or wanting to scoop up more stuff that others didn't want or didn't bid on. Confirmed what I already knew - that the large majority of bidders were just resellers. That's annoying at first pass, but figure they're out there actually doing leg work and scooping the stuff up, so who can begrudge them reselling it at a premium.<div><br /></div><div>So I finally made it through and scooped up my press. Hot damn.</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterward, I had a meeting with the contractor and building management (my dad) to get on the same page about the ramp up of construction. It was an annoying meeting, and I sort of just feel like leaving it at that.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a long and expensive endeavor.</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-1368431038025040622008-11-24T17:31:00.000-08:002008-11-24T18:04:38.466-08:00auction.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVi74z9unxszyggTPpZaaKcspxRQpM_eb4S3oi09FqlqTKV8vdbSfQrHREtxYqxZUPTdTHzh63vuikeNE2YqaLOQ5bKLL9iJsif50Zuv9OyWD2gc_08AuICTmk1Wwbg5xO2iCQiixcoReo/s1600-h/auction.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVi74z9unxszyggTPpZaaKcspxRQpM_eb4S3oi09FqlqTKV8vdbSfQrHREtxYqxZUPTdTHzh63vuikeNE2YqaLOQ5bKLL9iJsif50Zuv9OyWD2gc_08AuICTmk1Wwbg5xO2iCQiixcoReo/s200/auction.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272410235747539874" /></a><br />So, every day in the land of "starting your first new restaurant in the world's worst economy" is interesting. Some days terrifying, some frustrating, some enjoyable....but all interesting. Today ranked high on the "interesting" scale, as I attended the liquidation auction of the company who(m?) I'd hired to handle interior design for me.<div><br /></div><div>As you may know from reading a few inches lower on this page, they closed like thieves in the night, and left many of us high and dry. On the Screwed spectrum, I had survived relatively unscathed as I was into them for not terribly too much money, and they really just owe me names of materials/paints, etc, which we're presently trying to shake them down for. Other poor people had literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of inventory on hold in their GIANT warehouse. So that leads us to this morning, as professional auctioneers set out to sell off all this equipment, as well as basically anything not bolted to the floor. I've never seen something like it. Anything from a couple pretty huge freestanding walk-in refrigerators, to dozens of pro kitchen appliances, to pots/pans, to desk/filing cabinets (for days!!!)/highlighters/binders/paint sample books/buckets of cell phones (weird)/horrible (but oddly, fantastic) 80's wall art. You name it. Equipment was all in the showroom and warehouse, but right off the showroom are all the cubes & offices. All the office supplies, desks, etc. were basically left as-is when employees were laid off, though now everything had an auction lot toe tag. As the auction got underway in the showroom, my consultant (yeah, I roll like that) and I combed through the rubble of the offices. It sort of felt like a weird movie set that we probably shouldn't be poking around through. Though, we were totally allowed, because they wanted us to buy stuff. So with some time on our hands, and carte blanche, we sifted through piles of project drawings trying to find any of my stuff. Sadly, many had professional stamps & were ready for submission, but will now be lost for good. Our searc was funny, and also fruitless. I checked almost every filing cabinet (again, fair game since they were toe tagged for auction), and found files for everything from small claims court cases to full employee time cards, but no LWT material lists. The walls were covered with hooks holding small material samples. I found 2 that looked familiar & pocketed them. SO SUE ME!<div><br /></div><div>Surreal is the best word that comes to mind.<div><br /></div><div>The auctioneers moved at a fast clip. There were roughly 1400 items. I got there at 9, and left at 4. They were about half way through when I finally said "uncle". I'd done a good job pricing new equipment (though pricing varies widely by manufacturer), so set clear-headed limits for myself as items of interest came up. Unfortunately (for everyone except the auctioneers), many attendees were very stupid. The best examples are of off-brand meat slicers going for what I'm pretty sure OVER what you could buy it for from a gleaming showroom. Weird. Chalk it up to auction fever. A small group of us chuckled in disbelief. I really wanted a slicer, a mixer (think kitchenaid stand mixer, but on steroids), and possibly an ice maker. I didn't get any of them. SILLY bidding on the first two edged me out, and I lost patience in the whole affair just as they were moving to ice makers.</div><div><br /></div><div>About 10 minutes (which in this world was a blink of an eye, yet somehow FOREVER) before they were to be auctioned, I realized there was a stack of panini presses sort of hidden. All were in boxes - nothing on display - so they were easy to miss. I quickly inspected, and wanting to get in on the action, committed to bid. This was at 3pm or so, mind you, so my brain was pretty mushy. Long story short, I paced myself & won with a bid of $600. The company I'm buying most of my equipment from spec'd a better known brand press out at $3,000. With quick iPhone research, I found out the one I bought retails for $1200. Victory, if you ask me.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the way I look at, I got a good lesson in the world of restaurant auctions and got a panini press on the cheap (basically recouping the $$$ I lost to them in the first place). Weird day. Time to make soup.</div></div></div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-68385531870046905942008-10-30T22:46:00.000-07:002008-10-30T22:51:28.855-07:00No more designerYeah, they're totally done-zo. Still trying to figure out if there's any recourse, since there were some deliverables I was waiting on, and we had a contract. I'm guessing no, but you never know. What's frustrating, is that we were basically locked into a concept & I have all the colors, materials, fabrics in my head - just don't have that company as a conduit to actually get them ordered (and who knows from where??!!) These guys have (had, I guess) a jacked policy that you don't get to physically take any samples until you actually sign a sales order for the job. So all the while as we were working through the concept, I was able to visit the samples/swatches at their office, but now don't physically have anything. So, we'll see if all that is scattered in the wind. Am I making sense?...I'm tired. Anyone want to drive up to Oakland with me and ransack what WAS their office?<div><br /></div><div>I forgot to blog a little less than a week ago that we got approval from the planning department at the city. Really great news. Next we move to the building department for our actual construction permit. Can't wait to finally get in there and have some work done on the building. ;)</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-2248556158384161762008-10-29T20:59:00.000-07:002008-10-29T21:03:45.492-07:00So here's something interesting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0zhvqEUmedmBSwi946zKVqqFhxjp1CD2Z1QUSWOQ7p8ri08IMJ_-fVOPPes6rposOuQkfu5Te9ubyRhenYcL8yWB32iP3oonCnTHq9jvB7FmUkzsdFk4PmSYZW7L6D_jilq9vkKzCQlg/s1600-h/closed.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0zhvqEUmedmBSwi946zKVqqFhxjp1CD2Z1QUSWOQ7p8ri08IMJ_-fVOPPes6rposOuQkfu5Te9ubyRhenYcL8yWB32iP3oonCnTHq9jvB7FmUkzsdFk4PmSYZW7L6D_jilq9vkKzCQlg/s200/closed.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262792735708365122" /></a><br />You may remember a good while back - around the time of this blog's inception - I talked about the cool color palette, and generally neat plans from the interior designer I was working with. It's a company called REDs - Restaurant Equipment Design. Or should I say, it WAS a company called REDs. I called again today after 2 unreturned emails and a voicemail - to see what the heck the status was on their rework of the proposal. I was greeted by an operator's voice saying the number was no longer in service. I fanned out to people I know, and one person tells me he heard they closed. OK, WTF!?<div><br /></div><div>Story Developing....</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-34818961702485498732008-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:002008-10-26T08:51:34.243-07:00lunch<div>This is pretty off-topic for the new restaurant's development (because believe me nothing like this is planned for the menu), but we had a late lunch at Bouchon yesterday in Yountville, and it was stellar. I enjoyed the Poitrine de Veau Braisee: braised veal breast with sweetbread sausage, warm bean salad, arugula & sauce gremolata. I can't stop thinking about it. Unfortunately and surprisingly, not everyone at the table loved their food, which was a bummer. Bouchon was really cool because it's pretty swanky, but casual & approachable. Prices, unfortunately, reflect the former.</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-88743439676048059052008-10-22T14:00:00.000-07:002008-10-22T14:09:23.385-07:0012 steps<div>Alright, now we're just addicted to food photography. Enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxO-4U0H7AJaipEw_Pbq22QlAb6v4lSLfY8TMmc3I8N3FPeB7sYz__h51DsGGSoHRDv_E1xyjqhcTrf-g6wG2apCTn0-qYIZRqiq4cu7yoQji1rqrzlVnX61ZShqDgPpR_117LLpqxG06u/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxO-4U0H7AJaipEw_Pbq22QlAb6v4lSLfY8TMmc3I8N3FPeB7sYz__h51DsGGSoHRDv_E1xyjqhcTrf-g6wG2apCTn0-qYIZRqiq4cu7yoQji1rqrzlVnX61ZShqDgPpR_117LLpqxG06u/s200/6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088199159171026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFCziXdxyvZ6mHliWgyHRDn-AEDpPkqzX411ujgOq5JcjLLrLFTY-gnQS3RgA7ppQrJZgoNA2J1t_1VWfdyubdohwSVBWiFF6_EQXtF_-NwO1KGPFl85YCRXdH0Vz2sQ2R2THv27zbvpE/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFCziXdxyvZ6mHliWgyHRDn-AEDpPkqzX411ujgOq5JcjLLrLFTY-gnQS3RgA7ppQrJZgoNA2J1t_1VWfdyubdohwSVBWiFF6_EQXtF_-NwO1KGPFl85YCRXdH0Vz2sQ2R2THv27zbvpE/s200/7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088204852649058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp6lBa_efd0aOshOrOkfXV67HWmFMZaZhZ1HNMoLfLa_sztuscRKHPIjGZ3ltAPfoX3J-DjGjRbCJX6WvWdeYSvKceArIkkNb65z15hQZCcaRMzUF9iwSydjbfxAXAlneRxdPi7H2p-re/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp6lBa_efd0aOshOrOkfXV67HWmFMZaZhZ1HNMoLfLa_sztuscRKHPIjGZ3ltAPfoX3J-DjGjRbCJX6WvWdeYSvKceArIkkNb65z15hQZCcaRMzUF9iwSydjbfxAXAlneRxdPi7H2p-re/s200/8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088208581599954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWHScjau31e1NXr4X8vo0SPnzKroOgDv0RmJlNf0cEEh1iTc2kXWl43t5A6-PWbwKor-BnkFL4_xLWQCXXrw0uXbyNGUxETNP-Bm9dTBMqJ7mU0Pab7lF_iLX-C3GruV0CgtXz8AwUPwq/s1600-h/9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWHScjau31e1NXr4X8vo0SPnzKroOgDv0RmJlNf0cEEh1iTc2kXWl43t5A6-PWbwKor-BnkFL4_xLWQCXXrw0uXbyNGUxETNP-Bm9dTBMqJ7mU0Pab7lF_iLX-C3GruV0CgtXz8AwUPwq/s200/9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088215141310802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyno_PrkLTCS2uF4vPxagt9wSUVWmkB22cwTG8nBaaPgFCQGBHIFl7E1U6D6ZsRxgnhwKw4imfk6lnR7sOAa5g8Lj7oeLC2eCLd8bwluwVu9Ip7I_-PC4XU_ekRSqNUXiyXpCoSYrRZcC/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyno_PrkLTCS2uF4vPxagt9wSUVWmkB22cwTG8nBaaPgFCQGBHIFl7E1U6D6ZsRxgnhwKw4imfk6lnR7sOAa5g8Lj7oeLC2eCLd8bwluwVu9Ip7I_-PC4XU_ekRSqNUXiyXpCoSYrRZcC/s200/1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088000629023970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCew9I1lqsDv2AG7GDB2uzVo6IL0eV0F-cRx-sqSPoiaxLZQaKAUKQ6zdND37G9cxNQVe5TFbliyeuV_-da0ksevdJ3OZEAizkq1Du9OmkIVQ8OfiwayXfmhvpRWzMtA7G3tctU2_k3mm/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCew9I1lqsDv2AG7GDB2uzVo6IL0eV0F-cRx-sqSPoiaxLZQaKAUKQ6zdND37G9cxNQVe5TFbliyeuV_-da0ksevdJ3OZEAizkq1Du9OmkIVQ8OfiwayXfmhvpRWzMtA7G3tctU2_k3mm/s200/2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088007199788738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfinyQ8cetQkY_pWHpSyOzQzg2ZgSihObR9AVnWcn0wrLTodz6XYgwvS5XovssJiWQkFxodyq7iSV9OSzPU0u77t-b8u02YzU2log3dTi1u3Cvz56NEYSuo13ev27U2iqDdNSeX9P9JZFd/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfinyQ8cetQkY_pWHpSyOzQzg2ZgSihObR9AVnWcn0wrLTodz6XYgwvS5XovssJiWQkFxodyq7iSV9OSzPU0u77t-b8u02YzU2log3dTi1u3Cvz56NEYSuo13ev27U2iqDdNSeX9P9JZFd/s200/3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088012725553666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhhqodZeo1mxlS_HfwjigtJCg5XI361FYvOtggFw-4CzdO3fNU0A9-8x_zLEQarrv7BRI9WeHelCYRkHomVt3yFku_7RRylw1qvWeOTeYXFF4HJc62pTMI0gWea61uA_kjrQeDLQAeq7F/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhhqodZeo1mxlS_HfwjigtJCg5XI361FYvOtggFw-4CzdO3fNU0A9-8x_zLEQarrv7BRI9WeHelCYRkHomVt3yFku_7RRylw1qvWeOTeYXFF4HJc62pTMI0gWea61uA_kjrQeDLQAeq7F/s200/4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088024124040466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEidHQ1iyY3Qmvff5iO-siMKDYSEAARjC0JDrvhAvVoA-xBhyphenhyphenyT02IpAWT1TeTK9nQ5Qr_5WDySr_LSLa9CqYFrXs2DUK84dhKBqTMHw-Y1QId0R9YNRHbrBAcgxqKs0zrqfHDtKUZ-jl/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEidHQ1iyY3Qmvff5iO-siMKDYSEAARjC0JDrvhAvVoA-xBhyphenhyphenyT02IpAWT1TeTK9nQ5Qr_5WDySr_LSLa9CqYFrXs2DUK84dhKBqTMHw-Y1QId0R9YNRHbrBAcgxqKs0zrqfHDtKUZ-jl/s200/5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260088029764846722" /></a>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-14478447415303281182008-10-16T16:50:00.001-07:002008-10-16T16:53:01.826-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjD5cpC2EEl7zFxLpx8BvpVHjnGXAtYUGjTJOuaYbfZEDjQ9HU1i0E5evwmSoLRA42UVdikFfuS6V3GimrA-7Q0h7Gtrn5fMIpvfZRzoLr3C6V0Ryfu65o4Uw6K0FOPZCTTjmgbt0GVfx/s1600-h/IMG_8557.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjD5cpC2EEl7zFxLpx8BvpVHjnGXAtYUGjTJOuaYbfZEDjQ9HU1i0E5evwmSoLRA42UVdikFfuS6V3GimrA-7Q0h7Gtrn5fMIpvfZRzoLr3C6V0Ryfu65o4Uw6K0FOPZCTTjmgbt0GVfx/s200/IMG_8557.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257903997028266690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLO0_OxpBM2NBcH3r-p3Cssepchq3hjN0tnpwUlteDHWAqO6drL75IGEQ-M9nF_SN3Qsf5hnysyzbIzZBdfBYBLuG6GPzVqLk5_NL4ZnSFWTjcwEHCaGcdect4KUiWJy9VwRPuC1L5rTj3/s1600-h/IMG_8711.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLO0_OxpBM2NBcH3r-p3Cssepchq3hjN0tnpwUlteDHWAqO6drL75IGEQ-M9nF_SN3Qsf5hnysyzbIzZBdfBYBLuG6GPzVqLk5_NL4ZnSFWTjcwEHCaGcdect4KUiWJy9VwRPuC1L5rTj3/s200/IMG_8711.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257904000965184530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6bQV7pUckdugW8GFASaLWL7CpxS8uvQFdc_mNuMDssA51XXWIxpiqwrwIPrVLZ_YVoyCGBm4CiHIfvEMqLGRVoyYuHleLEz5idbA0iqMcbXVHpqK39hjAmZtA9MxXIevb2GWcbmq-6VU/s1600-h/IMG_8778.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6bQV7pUckdugW8GFASaLWL7CpxS8uvQFdc_mNuMDssA51XXWIxpiqwrwIPrVLZ_YVoyCGBm4CiHIfvEMqLGRVoyYuHleLEz5idbA0iqMcbXVHpqK39hjAmZtA9MxXIevb2GWcbmq-6VU/s200/IMG_8778.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257904006368042754" /></a><br />On another front, Erik came over a 2nd & 3rd time to take food photos. At this point, 800+ photos have beenw hittled down to 120 or so great ones. Exciting.Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-2388781979699549702008-10-16T16:33:00.000-07:002008-10-16T16:54:19.758-07:00ReflectionsThe city's planning department is still reviewing the overall package for the new restaurant, and very soon we should start making headway with the building department - to get the actual building permit. OK, that's where the project stands.<div><br /></div><div>But in the face of an economy that's...you know...in the shitter, I had a revelation recently that comforts me somewhat. I finished SCU in March 2000, and started the next month at a high tech public relations agency. Valley historians may remember this is almost exactly when the dot com bubble burst. It was kind of a hot mess at my company, and I navigated it, and survived in the PR game basically as long as I could stand it. So I left on my terms. Second career is starting as a ridiculous recession seems to be getting underway. I don't know if I learned any lessons the first time around that I can apply here, but it's just an interesting observation that makes me feel better, OKAY.</div>Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844694354503933632.post-21076372964619246152008-09-27T23:34:00.000-07:002008-09-27T23:39:20.160-07:00Food Photography<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GWwSuyNms315i4b1gJZi6uo2XxwQqWh566tWUeia0nI_ePyJhKZM4q3je3cpISbzYfnUIUpHy5jf-Uu8yKOgmYdmBpJHvgwwSuKaSrUjWwFNZO9PfnVkn0oaZZ7FumbiZIhH9PougIRr/s1600-h/IMG_8032.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GWwSuyNms315i4b1gJZi6uo2XxwQqWh566tWUeia0nI_ePyJhKZM4q3je3cpISbzYfnUIUpHy5jf-Uu8yKOgmYdmBpJHvgwwSuKaSrUjWwFNZO9PfnVkn0oaZZ7FumbiZIhH9PougIRr/s200/IMG_8032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250957116867804866" /></a>Full-time attorney, part-time food stylist/photographer, Erik came over last night and took 400+ photos of my food. So far I have them whittled down to 111 of the best. Yikes. They're primarily intended for the website, and possibly for the to-go menu & in-store menus/advertisements. He took some interesting abstract & close-up shots of ingredients & dishes that might function as art-work in the restaurant. Time will tell. To your right is a little teaser. T-t-t-t-t-tasty tasty.Lunch with Tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17872786147955952244noreply@blogger.com1