I have never seen anyone famous at our local places, only the 'Vine, and there it seems so startlingly random everybody kinda forgets who they are. With the exception of Fred Schneider because I loves him forever.

Yeah, I know (I used to work for them many years ago), that's why I checked off the "do not send me e-mails" box on my order.

Raw fish? Never tried it, probably never will. Even the idea of steak tartare turns my stomach.

See, that's funny, because I think raw steak sounds way grosser than raw fish. Note that I enjoy eating both of them. Along with raw oysters and raw broccoli.

Amych is totally right! I bet there's a software package out there for clueless restaurateurs. I don't even know how to spell that word.

"about" page with rambly ghost-written stuff

A relatively high-profile restaurant opened up in town with a colleague as one of the co-owners. Her profile in the "about" part is all about how she is a great lawyer and great FOH. (E.g., "She looks equally at home discussing the complexity of law as providing a warm presence on the floor.") I mean, who could possibly have written that but her? Who has that POV? Ugh.

that's why I checked off the "do not send me e-mails" box on my order.

Heh. I've never bothered, just in case I need a coupon at some point.

I've seen John Mahoney a few times in the Oak Park/Forest Park area (I helped him in the library back in 1990, and he was at the car wash when Mom and I were there a few years ago--she went up and thanked him for his work right before we left, and he was very sweet about it).

Aww, I bet he was awesome.

He still lives in Oak Park, which I think is pretty cool (he grew up across the street in Forest Park). Both times, I did the whole "treat him like a normal person" thing, which was helpful when I was tracking down a copy of Uncle Vanya for him at the library. I told my mom to leave the poor guy alone, but she couldn't resist approaching him. It's got to be pretty hard on him, though--both times, I knew he was in the building before he showed up because an employee came around and told us he was there. At the library, it was pre-Frasier, so he didn't get too much notice, but at the car wash, he was getting a lot of out-of-the-corner glances from everyone there.

I've seen Kenny Rodgers at the Cascades in Nashville, and I think Hal Holbrook passing by some nameless seafood restaurant on Decatur St. In New Orleans. No famous people in local restaurants though. (I made a point of avoiding The Rendezvous when I knew George Bush was coming to town.)

Raw fish? Never tried it, probably never will. Even the idea of steak tartare turns my stomach.

I don't do raw fish either. I love sushi, but my place has some really great vegetarian and cooked options. There's a rock n roll, with small bits of deep-fried halibut, avocado, cucumber, and maybe something else that I don't remember (with rice, seaweed and the teeny-tiny orange fish eggs). You get to have all the pleasure of deep-fried halibut, and yet still feel kind of virtuous because there's so little of it.