Today was a day on the town with the Brea posse.

At 3:15 PM I grabbed a piece of left-over sausage pie and the Thomas Guide map book, hopped into the blue Sentra, and rounded up Eric, Julie, Kartik and Shirley. We drove up the 57, to the 60, to the 101, exited at Hollywood Blvd and parked across the street from the Pantages Theater. Catty-corner from the parking lot is the Hollywood/Vine Street stop of the LA Metro line, where we boarded the subway and headed south. We exited at 7th Street, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Kartik guided us to the posh Cafe Pinot, a fine dining experience. I ordered the New Zealand Thai snapper with toasted-coconut-garnished rice, topped with battered Maui onion, all on a bed of lemon sauce. The toasted coconut was a nice touch on the rice, and I couldn't get enough of the lemon sauce. Eric's Serrano ham and melon appetizer with green apple slices splashed with balsamic vinegar was enlightening. Shirley's ravioli were wrapped like jiao zi.

Racing back to the Theater, we arrived just in time for the start of The Producers, starring Jason Alexander and Martin Short. The story was amusing (producer and accountant set out to get rich by producing a flop—but will it succeed?), some parts of it were crude, the humor was occasionally subtle, and the acting was superb.

Overall, a very nice time: elegant food, cultured entertainment, and most importantly, good friends.