Friday I picked up Jeff and took him to meet my parents for breakfast at John O'Groats. We were not the only graduating student family breakfast there, either- I saw 2 of my classmates and one more was rumored to be on the way. Jeff's cilantro potato cakes were deep fried mashed potatoes- delicious. The biscuits were perfect as always, and, being Friday, it was $4.95 coffee/hash browns/ 1/2 Eggs Benedict day, so y'all know what I had. With a side of bacon. I don't know why I look for the perfect Eggs Benedict- this is it. Lemony fresh hollandaise, precisely poached egg, thick griddled ham. I'm hungry thinking about it.

Afterwards we tried to go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, but it didn't open til noon. We met up with Jeff's parents and all headed down to the Shrine, where I graduated. It was long and tedious. All the parents napped, I think, except Jeff's dad who left for the lobby due to the noise. Jeff says when they called my name, my dad screamed and then yelled "That's my baby!"

For dinner we went to the Hillmont, a hipster steak place over in Los Feliz. We had sweet potato fries for dinner- and I was thinking of how to make them at home, in the oven, like I do parsnip fries. My dad asked the waitress about the preparation- they slice them with a mandoline, then fry them in a canola-olive oil blend. I'm going to try the oven version. Jeff had scallops and prawn and had a bit of buyers' remorse, after everyone else got steaks. My mother and I both had the special, steak with gorgonzola. She pointed out the asparagus was prepared oddly. It looked roasted to me, but then I realized the spears had been cut in half, which did seem odd. It tasted good, though I have gotten so used to my roasted asparagus with browned butter I forget asparagus can be done any other way. My dad's side dish, spinach with apples, was delicious and a combination I wouldn't have thought of.

Jeff's parents brought up the last few times I cooked for them, praising it. This was sweet, since the last time I cooked for them, I roasted a chicken- but since I still haven't figured out the temperature in Jeff's oven, it took an extra hour to roast all the way. I served the potatoes early and his dad declared it Very Important Chicken, so it wasn't, I suppose, a total disaster. My dad mentioned my lemon pepper chicken, the only dish I think he's ever seen me cook. It was my favorite growing up, and the first thing I asked my mother how to cook when I left home. I've since tinkered with it and improved it, soaking the breasts in buttermilk first to get a better crust. It's still one of my favorite simple comfort foods.