#depressionoatmeal

As I sit here on the way from my condo in California, I am nagged once again by all of the entries I’ve missed doing blogs about in the last 4 months. Much has changed in such a short time.

I do plan on catching up on my entries from California when writer’s block strikes - and to document the plethora of food available here in the South/East Coast. Yet - I’ve had so much fun doing this, that I think it’s finally time to start a more ambitious project. 

In 4 short months, I’ve learned that I lived an entire lifetime as what’s known as an anxious-avoidant, or disorganized attachment style (see: Attachment Theory). I’ve finally realized who I am and I’ve started listening to my inner voice. It’s even beginning to communicate - securely, at that. However, the literature for this category (disorganized/anxious-avoidant) has not been extremely helpful. While much has been written about being secure, avoidant, or anxious - very little, if any, has been written about coping and recovering from being an anxious-avoidant. While I’m nowhere near where I want to be yet, I feel safe enough to try to bridge this gap and to finally pursue my life-long dream of being a writer.

It works out great, because the dream of being a child psychologist didn’t work out the way it did. I think I can contribute and give back to the adults I wanted to help as children in the form of this book. My hope is that I can break the cycle for at least one other person in need. If I can do this - then I’ve stopped at least one other person from having to fall as hard as I did to break into a thousand pieces.

The addresses:

Dog Pawrk Brewing: 27122 Paseo Espada #904, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Rock and Brews: 1222 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, CA 92780

TIME: 1875 Newport Blvd B245, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Poached Neighborhood Kitchen: 9510 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, CA 90240

The websites:

Dog Pawrk Brewing: https://thedogpawrk.beer/

Rock and Brews: https://www.rockandbrews.com/tustin

TIME: https://timenightclub.com/

Poached Neighborhood Kitchen: https://www.poachedkitchen.com/locations/downey

The ratings:

Dog Pawrk Brewing : 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

Rock and Brews: 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

TIME: 28/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

Poached Neighborhood Kitchen: 26/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

 Alright… so February was quite the month full of experiences, both good and bad. I have to be honest here – I spent so much time healing and trying to center myself that I got lost in these entries. When I say lost, I mean that there was something to be had from each one in the form of a lesson and sometimes it wasn’t just over in a single day. There will be an overall theme to the entries from this month and I have done my very best to group them accordingly. Ideally, some will just be one location – but others will necessarily have to be grouped, and I’m hoping that it makes sense to the audience at the end. I’m not even sure it makes sense to me; but I’m going to do my best to get through it all in a week or so. I really want to be able to start documenting the March occurrences and I don’t want to forget these spots, either.

Right off the bat – the first note of interest is Dog Pawrk Brewing, located in Mission Viejo, California. I had gone on a particularly grueling hike in the morning, and it was my first day back into the condo on my own. I was tired, and my plans for the previous evening had fallen through. Not wanting to get lost in the empty space and ghosts of my now empty condo, I grabbed my dog and forced myself to get out for a little bit. Orange County is a bit difficult when it comes to pets and finding dog friendly spaces is often times taxing. I found this one on yelp pretty quickly and headed on over. I recognized the area pretty quickly – some years ago, I had been to a holiday party at this barbecue spot in the same neighborhood. However, finding the actual location of this place proved to be quite challenging. So much so, that I was a little underwhelmed by the space when I got there – I think just because it was so damn hard to find.

While there, I had two IPAs – The Stray’r dog (a wonderful berry IPA) and The Stray Dog (the prototype for my previous beer). They were both excellent; actually it was some of the best beer I had enjoyed in awhile, mostly because I’ve been deficiting. This was a Saturday in early February, and I didn’t find the atmosphere inviting enough. However, armed with a little buzz – I reached out to the old flame I was supposed to have plans with the previous night and invited her over to my condo to enjoy dinner and some drinks. Quite frankly, I was glad that I did, because she accepted and because Dog Pawrk does not offer food. They only serve food when the occasion calls for it on their calendar, so if you’re looking for a tasty bite I’m afraid you’ll have to go somewhere else. It seems like this little spot is very early in it’s beer lifecycle, so I expected more to come from it in the future. With beer this good, I can’t see how they wouldn’t expand or perhaps seek out a better location soon. Perhaps this is where word of mouth comes in, and it’s really up to us to make sure places like this succeed. So – while I’m only giving this place a 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale, it’s because of the atmosphere, difficult to find location, and lack of food – nothing else. They’re scoring 25/30 because their beer is so damn good.

What came next was a very big step for me, and I’m afraid I’m not selling that point home enough – I had never had another woman inside my condo before and I was equal parts terrified and excited for the prospect. We ended up having a wonderful night catching up, overall, although there were some tears shed on both sides for various reasons. When she finally did leave in the wee hours after midnight, I was finally feeling something in my chest besides the overwhelming feeling of failure and sadness the past 6 months had brought me – hope. So, naturally, we planned a follow-up dinner and drinks night with a fellow coworker from our previous place of employment.

This is where Rock and Brews comes in. This other coworker is obsessed with this place; she has been since as long as I’ve known her (about 7 years or so). Although, I must say she’s also a huge 80s girl so the old-school rock vibe of the place is probably what draws her to it, because it’s pretty generic. I mean, it’s fun and all, but the one in Tustin sort of just gives me generic chain vibes. In a different life, I was interviewing for a job at a pharmaceutical company called Kite (located in El Segundo) and they paid for me to get a hotel and dinner/drinks for the two nights I was there. THAT Rock and Brews is much cooler (the one in El Segundo) because they have a beautiful outdoors area that felt like a very german Biergarden. Anyway, the Tustin spot is close to where myself and the other girl are on Thursdays and it’s only a short drive for our old coworker, so it was the perfect spot to meet up.

I was the first one there and I was ravenous, so I had to order food right off the bat. I was trying to keep it on the skinnier side because I was really struggling to break past the 200 pound plateau, so I ordered the buffalo cauliflower. It was surprisingly good, and not battered but just fried. It was also flakey – kind of similar to cauliflower rice, I think. Even more surprising (and frustrating given the tiny pieces) was that the buffalo sauce came on the side. I was also drinking my beers rather quickly because I was nervous about seeing yet again another old coworker in the wake of all of the shit that had happened. See – I had learned during wine night (post Dog Pawrk) that my name had been completely torched at my previous job by someone I love very much (more importantly a dear friend) shortly before disowning me. While I won’t say it wasn’t justified, I was bothered by it for several reasons because not only had they lied to me about this, I wasn’t ever afforded an opportunity by anyone to give answers; I wasn’t even asked. It just all happened in the background and I was supposed to understand what was going on, which I never possibly could have given my mental state and the mixed signals I had been receiving.

The drinks were good, the company was better, and our bartender was an absolute doll! I can’t remember his name for the life of me but he was such a nice guy. There were a couple of instances through-out the evening where either the drinks took too long or were missing very minor touches – so, we ended up with a boatload of free beverages and loaded potato skins. The loaded potato skins were ok – I generally love the twice baked potato vibe, but I was kind of disappointed by the fact that they advertised “candied bacon” as one of the toppings, because what I got were clearly those dried ass Hormel bacon bits that you put on a salad. I digress – it’s not important. Moral of the story is that everything I was worried about was what it’s always been – ghosts, and I had a fantastic evening. It was like we had never stopped talking, and a year and some months hadn’t passed. All of that being said, the food was very “meh”. I am giving Rock and Brews a 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale because of our fantastic server and the mediocre quality of the food. It’s a scratch that you can order their food on door dash and that they have a full-service online take-out menu, because I didn’t utilize any of these things. However – they did seem very pandemic friendly.

On the topic of keeping the good vibes going, we had such a good time that we decided to do a brunch the following Saturday. Where I ultimately fucked up here is that I ended up at said brunch quite possibly still drunk or so hungover that I couldn’t tell the difference. However – how I got there is really the most important part, and that’s why TIME in Costa Mesa, CA gets an honorable mention here. Like Dog Pawrk, this is not an establishment for food – it’s not even a brewery, it’s a nightclub. I will touch on spontaneity in later entries, but the entire reason I’m ranking them here on the Depression Oatmeal scale as a 26/30 is because of the amazing quality of musical acts they continue to book. When you combine that with a Vegas style atmosphere and drinks that are half the price ($10 each, roughly) you have a winning combination my friend. I decided to go see an artist I barely knew from my Spotify listening experience that same day, and I went way far out on a limb and invited someone I knew could ultimately be a disastrous letdown. I’m not going to go into details – you only need to know that they came, they were super happy to see me, and this: “This is the best tea I’ve heard about one of my friends in awhile – especially coming from you. You know what though? Guess what – since you’ve been gone, I haven’t seen any of those people, and even if I had, I would have told them that you’re a better person than they are. You’re a grown ass man, you make your own decisions, and as my friend I’m happy that you continue to try to engage me and invite me into your life. That’s more than I can say about any of them.” There’s a significant amount of self-positivity and love behind this statement that I wish I could explain; me and this person have had a rough history but it ultimately made us both better people and more importantly, FRIENDS. Hope was reaching fever pitch; perhaps there was forgiveness I could afford myself in the future after all. Also – Moksi? Absolute fire and an amazing DJ/produce duo.

So I woke up drunk, hungover, and happy – and went to brunch. Against all of my better (worst?) judgement, I ended up in LA county on a Saturday morning at Poached Neighborhood Kitchen in Downey, CA. There are many shitty aspects of doing an anonymous blog – reaching your target audience, a lack of network, and sharing of intimate details that could otherwise help you to reach a broader audience. In all of my entries, I think this is the one I remember as being the one where I wanted to say fuck it all and just open it up publicly. However, this ain’t Instagram, I have too much respect for the people in my life to do that, and finally this is truly an artistic expression of self-reflection and mental health. You know – with a generous amount of restaurant reviews mixed in while living in a pandemic.

I’ve been to a number of brunches in my life in various stages of inebriation. Breakfast is this weird thing to me – I never eat it, yet I fucking love brunch. There’s nothing better than just rolling in to a place with good breakfast food and a full bar at 10am with a raging headache. Well – maybe going sober, and then getting good food and drinks. I had been looking forward to one of those big, ultra-fat bloody marys that comes with a slider and some caramelized bacon – until I learned this place was beer and wine only. My mood only slightly diminished, myself and my friends decided to go with a mimosa flight, a classic bottle of champagne and OJ, and I may have dived off the deep end to get a dry cider. This place is weird, because you have to go up and order your food and drinks at a counter, only to go sit down after and wait. This is slightly off-putting for my idea of brunch because I genuinely love interacting with my servers and enjoying a good amount of libations prior to eating. We did get our drinks before our food, for which I was thankful. I also was not too impressed with the menu overall – so I went with the special, which was a chili verde omelet.  I’m kind of thankful that it was a special item and not a regular menu offering because it doesn’t matter if I forgot the name or not for this entry – you can’t see it, but I’m genuinely laughing at this as I write it. Dude – I’m not one to enjoy americanized Mexican food, because I’ve enjoyed and been spoiled by authentic Mexican food for the better part of 32 years. However – this omelet was seriously something special. The pork was carnitas style, and there was a minimal amount of sauce (all contained within the omelet itself, thank god) so it wasn’t wet and gross when taking a bite. The carnitas was perfectly seasoned and everything you want when you eat it – oil, texture, and salt. The sauce provided enough acidity to cut through the richness of the pork without overpowering it. I ate the whole damn thing – the omelet, my toast, my hashbrowns, and my fruit. I was actually sad enough when I devoured my meal that I ordered a side of bacon (it was just alright) and ate that, too. While this wasn’t my ideal spot for brunch – I’d still come here again for the quality of the food.

The addresses:

Sergeant Pepperoni’s Pizza: 26601 Aliso Creek Rd Suite D, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

The Pub: 23862 Bridger Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630

Patsy’s: 28971 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

The websites:

Sergeant Pepperoni’s Pizza: https://www.kyoo.tech/order/merchants/E0V9GD895GK84/locations/801AXTPYCBPKY?fulfillments=pickup,curbside,delivery

The Pub: https://www.thepubca.com/

Patsy’s: https://www.patsysirishpub.net/

The ratings:

Sergeant Pepperoni’s Pizza: 28/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

The Pub: 26/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

Patsy’s: 26/30 on the Depression Oatmeal Scale

Today was a real doozy. It was the conference finals for NFL, and although I didn’t particularly care for either team, I found myself really wanting to watch football. I did all of my exercise early in the morning, and set out on a quest to find the perfect spot to watch the game – hence the reason for all of the entries marking today’s celebration of the Rams vs. 49ers and the Chiefs vs. the Bengals. I had a pretty strong start to the day, considering that I was off on this adventure alone. It was not all without disappointment, of course – two entries didn’t make it on today’s blog, strictly because I was in there for a total of 5 minutes and decided that I didn’t like the vibe at either place, although I was able to catch critical moments of each game.

Sunday’s lately have been a vibe; I’ve finally relented a bit with my militant exercise regime in that I’ve been allowing myself to gorge on the weekends to keep my body confused. So, today I did just that. In total, I went to 5 separate spots and will be reviewing 3 of them for the quality of the food: The Pub, Patsy’s Laguna Niguel, and Sergeant Pepperoni’s Pizza for my weekly “I kill a whole pizza” challenge. I enjoyed my time at all three locations, and the people and crowds were nice. Mostly, though, I found myself feeling pretty empty, given the events of the previous 3 days. I found myself on the end of another blocking, this time at the hands of my ex-fiance – she was in one of her BPD swings, and while I tried to disarm via text, it ended up having the opposite effect. Not to mention – she ended up sending me a pretty vile letter not long after, and it was a pretty toxic occurrence in general. The food was a welcome reprieve filled with catharsis, if I’m being honest – but I just didn’t  want to be alone in watching football, so I found myself continually moving to find my place.

Let’s get right into it; The Pub is a dive bar located just off of the 5 that I discovered a couple of months ago. It’s mostly a quiet place, but they advertise themselves as a sports bar. I’ve only been one other time (the second time I went they were closed for New Years) and the bartender there was really pretty. We enjoyed nice conversation, so I’ve been drawn back to this place hoping to talk with her again at some point. Alas – it wasn’t meant for today. I was starving and didn’t know what I wanted to eat – my bartender recommended the wings.

I mean, come on – have you ever seen such gorgeous chicken wings? Not only were they massive and juicy (this was a portion of 4, and I felt full after I was done) but they were perfectly sauced and fried. If you like good chicken wings – this is your spot. The only reason I give them a 26/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale is because it’s kind of a dimly lit and quiet place. I wish more people frequented the location, if not just for the food. However, they make great and affordable drinks, so I can’t really fault them there. They also serve pizza – I’ve heard it’s good, and I’m going to have to give it a try sometime. Their food can be ordered for pick-up or delivery via DoorDash, and their website indicates you can order food there too – but I have yet to try it. Regardless – if you’re looking for a quiet place to watch the game with good food and attentive servers/bartenders, this is your spot. I will likely keep coming from for the wings and a chance at romance with a bartender.

After two failed adventure spots and a disappointing attempt at spontaneity, I ended up at one of my old watering holes – Patsy’s in Laguna Niguel. Sadly – it was also quiet and dimly lit, although I also had a chance to speak with some of the patrons and we had fun. I usually come here for Irish holidays or on Saturday nights where they have a live DJ, but the crowd is older and sometimes the scene is a little disappointing. What isn’t disappoint is the food: this place HITS. It doesn’t matter what you get, honestly – bar bites or some of the Irish fare. I have literally never had a bad meal here, and recommend the corned beef brussels sprouts or the pub pretzel. The shephard’s pie and any burger is also noteworthy. Today, I got the tempura green beans (pictured below) because I had already plowed through a giant order of 4 chicken wings and was still dreaming of pizza. The green bean fry was mediocre, but the green beans themselves were fresh and the sauce – oh my god, the SAUCE. It was so damn good! I could have put back a cup of this stuff, not even kidding. It was like a salty sweet spicy mayo mix of some kind and perfectly cut through the richness of the fried green beans. I’d order them again just for the sauce, even if I thought the green beans were a tad on the greasy side. Patsy’s also gets a 26/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale because of the fact that you can’t order delivery and getting a pick-up order is also a pain in the ass (you have to call). I would have expected that they would have adapted a little bit better to the pandemic – but this is South County, after all, and a not-so-small portion of the population believes in conspiracy theories and that COVID is a lie. You can see their calendar of events and other things using the website provided.

 Finally, when I had given up on watching football for the day I had a big decision to make: what pizza was I going to destroy to cap off the evening? I went bold – there’s a New York pizza place that’s never to Aliso Viejo called Sergeant Pepperoni’s Pizza that is actually really good. The problem I’ve mostly had with it is that they sell their pizza’s in one size (or so I thought) – 18 inches. They’re quite large, and even with a thin crust that’s an impressive feat. I had already eaten quite a bit, but I looked at their menu anyway (they offer delivery and pick-up via GrubHub, DoorDash, and their website which I’ve provided above) and I was shocked to find that they actually sell a 14” pizza. However – some of their finer menu options aren’t available (K-pie: go look it up and order it immediately if you’re trying to feed a family of 3-4). I didn’t mind this in the slightest because the offerings that they did have were still extremely palatable. I ordered the Hawaii Five-O, a delicious pizza topped with pepperoni, pineapple, sweet NY ricotta, fresh garlic, and jalapenos. I was, as Guy Fieri likes to put it, “taken to flavortown,”. I have ordered this pizza again and again, and it never disappoints. It’s extremely satisfying, the blend of spicy, sweet, and salty. I would say that it’s better than the similar pie I order from Tony Pepperoni’s, and priced at a similar cost for more pizza. Speaking of which – the difference between 12” and 14” is extreme. Let’s not kid ourselves, fellas. I felt grossly full and accomplished after devouring the whole thing. You should give it a try – it’s great for Olympic food training.  

The address: 301 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, California 92672

The website: https://www.pizzaport.com/brewpubs/san-clemente

The rating: 27/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale

Alright, so I’m going to cut right down to the chase.

I’ve been putting off the shit out of this entry for multiple reasons – it’s been a hard week, and I really have been trying to focus on cutting and my mental health. This weekend was interesting because I felt like I didn’t care at all about any of these things – because I got to spend it with the people that make me happy, when they’re in the mood. I got to go lobster hooping. I got to go fishing. I even caught some things – but nothing worth talking about, as we did not return home with anything that was legally acceptable.

Today – I am celebrating the greatest checkmate of my life. For multiple reasons; one, because I’ve finally accepted the fatality of the situation. Two, though – because I legitimately accomplished the most epic win of my life by putting myself out there and sticking up for the important things that I believe in, especially regarding my workspace. I officially transferred into Operations/Manufacturing today – as a director. Which, in short, I already was, but within the Quality department. I played the game as hard as I could, and it seemed like at every turn I was fronted by someone with more power and influence. I was in a space that was no longer safe; I had no allies. It was a very difficult time. Finally, after a short stint with Mexican police in September, I decided that enough was enough, and it was time for the Hail Mary. What’s funny is that the Wicked Witch of the West initially pretended like she didn’t even want to hear what was going on in my head when I first contacted her (mind you, I was on PTO – seriously, as a leader in the biotech industry, alarms would have been going off in my head hardcore. Huge red flag, when you can’t even escape your demons when you leave the place) but I persisted and forced her to listen.

Now, I am officially in a better place, career-wise, a place that I wanted to be in, and more importantly, away from her demented psychotic-ass. It doesn’t get much better than that – kudos to you mom, for teaching me that I can and I will beat any obstacle that someone throws in my way, especially if it affects my long-term goals.

So – enter Pizza Port, San Clemente. Man – I love this place. It’s a weirdly built 3 story building that mostly looks like it used to be a house of some kind. Pizza Port also has a cute obsession with Star Wars; a lot of decorations and beers pay homage to the franchise. I was with my best friend and we were going to go hooping (lobsters) but also the Green Bay – 49ers game was on, so we wanted to watch it. We ordered the pizza Monterey; it was amazing, as it always is. The thing that keeps drawing me back to Pizza Port isn’t the arcade; it’s not the beer, or the atmosphere even (all are fantastic). It’s the quality of the ingredients and the texture of the crust. I can’t quite explain it, but it’s fluffy and fantastic. It sort of reminds me a way better version of the old-style Dominos crust, from like the 90s and 2000s. The pizza is affordable but expect a wait when you go – this place is very popular. It wasn’t that crowded, all things considered (pandemic, Omicron/Delta/whatever) with the game. Which – for the record, they are very pandemic friendly. You can order food online using their website, and both delivery and take-out options are available. Like most other places in Orange County though, masks are more of a guideline and not a rule, so be safe.

The Tilted Kilt and Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles

The addresses:

The Tilted Kilt – 1625 West Katella Avenue, Orange, CA 92867 (Stadium Promenade)

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles – 830 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91104

The websites:

The Tilted Kilt – Only on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tiltedkiltpub/?hl=en)

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles - https://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/

The ratings:

The Tilted Kilt – 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles – 27/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale

I had a busy Saturday; I went hiking in Laguna Beach and had plans to go see a friend in LA county to watch football playoffs. As fate would have it, those plans both fell through and then were re-initiated, so somehow I found myself at the Tilted Kilt in Orange with a different friend, watching the Bengals beat the Raiders. I wanted to see this person, see, because both of us are having a rough go at it into the new year, and also they’re the closest thing I have to a best friend at the moment (who am I kidding? I’ve known this person since we were in diapers). It wasn’t just about staying busy – I wanted to make sure they were doing ok, because otherwise I can never really know.

I met them after they got off work and we initially tried to go to this other place to watch the game but there was only enough parking for one of us (we had two cars) and what felt like every single Raiders fan in California was in attendance; seriously – there was not a single place to sit inside, nor stand. It’s not like it’s a small place – it’s actually massive (website is here, if you’re interested: http://dannyks.com/). Calling it a defeat and still wanting to watch the game, we went across the street to The Tilted Kilt because it was far less crowded and we were actually able to get a seat to watch the game. I had never been to one of these places, honestly (it’s a chain) and from what I understood it was something similar to a hooters, with the exception being that the girls were dressed differently. Realistically, I’m going to call it how it is – they were dressed more sparingly.

This place was also packed and getting a consistent flow of beverages and food throughout the game were difficult, so we only had a couple of beers. We both ordered food, however, and that was delivered to us quickly. The menu is what you’d expect it to be – a mix of irish-american inspired bar food with things you might find at a sports bar, such as wings, nachos, or other fried foods. I was ravenous from my hike so I knew I had to eat, but I didn’t know what I really wanted, so I settled on a shrimp appetizer – Bangin’ Shrimp, I believe it was called. It was pretty good; it came with roughly 15 shrimp (small to medium sized) that were lightly friend and tossed in some sort of red glue that had a sweet and spicy flavor to it. The closest thing I can compare it to is Wendy’s sweet and sour sauce, which is known for having a tad bit of spice to it, although this sauce had more heat. It left me feeling full and satisfied, but not disgusting – something I was grateful for, because I still had room for dinner later in my calorie budget. Service was whatever, honestly, even considering that it was packed. This probably wasn’t an ideal situation for a pandemic, either – the building was full, as I mentioned. The beer we were served was incorrect at least one time, so that was also annoying. Overall though, I had a good time watching the game and catching up with my buddy. What wasn’t immediately clear to me was whether or not they had online ordering, or were served by Doordash or ubereats and the like. Since it wasn’t well advertised and they don’t have a website, I don’t think they’ve embraced the new world order for food, but perhaps this is because of their market and the clients they serve. This makes for a 25/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale, and a photo of the shrimp can be found below.

Later, I ended up going to visit my friend in LA anyway, as we had made plans to do something the following day as well and it just made more sense for me to stay at their house. We watched the Bills absolutely destroy the Patriots and quickly got bored so we ordered food and played videogames instead. I was famished once again from my hike and looking for something that was going to fill my belly for a solid 24 hours – and I certainly found it in Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. I was blown away to see that they were now serviced by the big 4 of food delivery services – and lucky for us, there was one not far from where we were staying (Pasadena). I was so excited! See, I used to live across the street from a Roscoe’s (albeit a much cooler one with a rich history and culture) and so I had many a fond memory of eating there after a night of drinking with friends, or even just when I wanted breakfast for dinner.

Note: photos taken from Yelp, as I forgot to take any.

My favorite menu item at Roscoe’s was discovered through a lot of trial and error, because I’m not a huge fan of fried chicken (at least of the fast food variety, and while that isn’t Roscoe’s, one can argue that it comes close). I ordered the #10 – Fresh Chicken Livers and a waffle. It can be confusing when you see this written as “fresh” – one might easily believe that they’re boiled or seared or something. However, this isn’t the case – they’re deep fried and golden, and I swear to whatever agnostic God I follow that they give you nearly two pounds of livers. They are seriously the best chicken livers I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting – consistently so, in fact. I’ve never once had this prepared incorrectly or with different portions. Chicken livers in general aren’t something that White America on this side of the coast eats – most often, they are associated with southern comfort food or cultures found in Asia and Europe. In fact, I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that most people see it as a food associated with poverty – far from it, in this writer’s opinion. When I get it, I typically do two things before eating: dump two of their small syrup containers all over the livers, and then add a healthy amount of buffalo sauce (Any variety). It creates the perfect flavor bomb, and complements the waffle perfectly – which you can either eat like a waffle, or use to make a half assed sandwich with the livers. The waffles at Roscoe’s aren’t necessarily my favorite (I like mine crunchy; these are soft) but they are flavored with cinnamon and are nice to eat every once in a while – and from what I can tell, it seems like a ton of people really enjoy them. This meal successfully put me into a food coma of the best variety and I promptly went to bed.

Ok, ok - I know what you’re thinking. “What the fuck is up with all of the breweries?” Stadium Brewing, Aliso Viejo, California is a gem, for its own reasons. Here’s a link to their website: https://stadiumbrewco.com/

Well, if you must know, there are very few dog-friendly places you can go in Orange County because of the food laws, and it just so happens to be a day that I have my doggo (who is cute AF, fight me). I really wanted to watch a quarter or two of the Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game and this is one of the rare spots in Orange County with huge outdoor seating (great for a pandemic) that allows dogs. There are a bounty of TVs both inside and out, and if you stay long enough, you might just catch a buzz.

I really have to applaud Stadium. They are one of the most middling restaurants (honestly) in south county, and an even more subpar brewery. However - the endless lack of amenities and scarcity of sports bars makes this a football lovers paradise on any Sunday in the last 6 months of the year. There is never a lack of foot traffic. There is a big beautiful park right next to it with a fountain that works (most of the time). Across the walkway is a buffalo wild wings for all of you uncultured heathens like myself. All of it is a dog’s paradise. So I took my biddie there for a cocktail and a snack.

There is one thing entirely unique about this place on their menu: a blueberry lager with real blueberries and a dash of extract for flavor. It is one of the most refreshing beverages I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. I’ve (unfortunately) literally drank two pitchers of this shit on more than one occasion. It is the perfect porch-lounger; not heavy, full of flavor, and low on ABV. Bonus? It looks great, too. I’ve included a picture, along with a vodka soda that was sadly confused about which citrus fruit it wanted to be. 

At any rate, I wanted a quiet place to write and to be able to watch the game, so there I was, also hungry. The Depression Oatmeal was real on this Sunday. I was living out of a hotel and returning to work after an 11 day scheduled PTO in which I left my ex and found myself utterly lost and confused on the day after New Year’s. I was going to have roommates the next day for the first time in over 10 years. I’d lost some good friends in the aftermath, and maybe even something more. So, naturally, I ordered Stadium’s homemade potato chips and beer cheese.

I want to say that these are easily the best chips I’ve ever had, and the beer cheese is a really nice complement. They are entirely flavored with sea salt and truffle extract, which really gives them more of a garlic flavor than anything. The best part is that you get all of the flavor and none of the gas! They were really, really good. Perfect to soak up a vodka soda and a blueberry beer while watching the Packers utterly destroy the Vikings (I’m not from Wisconsin, but am a lifelong Packers fan). They’re not heavy with oil, and they keep their crunch for at least an hour (the duration of my enjoyment). Honestly, this and the carne asada flatbread (not pictured, not ordered) are the only two things on their menu that I would consistently eat with satisfaction. If you do decide to give this place a shot - you just need to remember the following:

1. Blueberry Lager

2. Stadium Chips

3. Carne Asada Flatbread

If you do this, you might be able to stave off the Depression Oatmeal on a Sunday Funday. Hell - you might even come back. Overall, Stadium gets a 24/30 on the Depression Oatmeal scale. 

Alright so I’ve always been one to get straight to the point, so here goes: I’ve been going through some fucked up shit since the start of the pandemic and and much like everyone else, I’m done with it. I went my whole life believing that on the day after my 30th birthday, life would finally be stable and I could reclaim some of the lost time of my 20s . Let’s just say that the world had different plans for all of us!

Depression Oatmeal starts and begins with with my ex-fiance, whom I love dearly very much, but sent me the saddest picture one horrible morning. It was her sad and pathetic oatmeal breakfast one day during the lockdown back in 2020. Hence the term “Depression Oatmeal” is birthed into existence, and the sadness of not being able to eat whatever the fuck we want when we want sets in. 

Somewhere along the line between now and then, I re-discovered that I enjoyed journaling, writing, and hopefully just connecting with a wider audience. It occurred to me one night whilst sitting alone in a hotel that I should turn my attention to a blog, so that I could document my journeys of eating through a pandemic to show both just how much the world has changed and to support the food industry. More importantly, it also serves to capture the darker other half of a journey with food: weight gain, weight loss, and how to continue being a foodie with depression.