| Lisa Lane: Welcome! ...Oh, Brian! Good morning! |
| Brian Brown: Good morning, Lisa. |
| Lisa Lane: The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, isn't it? The sky is so blue. |
| Brian Brown: It really is. Finally feels like spring. The wind is actually warm for once. |
| Lisa Lane: I know. Speaking of spring, the cherry blossoms down at the Tidal Basin are looking ready to pop. They’ll probably reach peak bloom next week. |
| Brian Brown: Is it that time of year already? The weather's been great in Baltimore, too. The Inner Harbor is finally starting to look nice again. People are actually walking around the waterfront. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds lovely. |
| Brian Brown: Are you going to go down to the Tidal Basin this year? |
| Lisa Lane: I want to! I’m planning to walk around there with some friends if the crowds aren't too crazy. How about you, Brian? |
| Brian Brown: I’m actually planning a staff dinner on a boat in the Harbor. Should be fun. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds amazing. ...But hey, it's rare to see you here this early. Usually at this time, you’re back in Baltimore, right? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, exactly. Usually, I’d be doing inventory at the restaurant right now. But I actually have a meeting here in D.C. today. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh, business? Where in D.C.? |
| Brian Brown: Just a few blocks from here. I’m meeting a buddy from college. We’re brainstorming a new project. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh, nice. That’s exciting. But getting here this early must be a pain. |
| Brian Brown: Not really. I hate driving on I-95 during rush hour—it's a parking lot. So I took an early MARC train down. It’s way less stressful. |
| Lisa Lane: Smart move. So you're killing time here until your meeting? |
| Brian Brown: Exactly. I figured I’d grab some good coffee and just chill for a bit. |
| Lisa Lane: Well, I’m happy to see you. What can I get you? The usual? |
| Brian Brown: Hmm... what are you brewing today? |
| Lisa Lane: Today’s roast is Brazilian. It’s got low acidity, a little darker, kinda chocolatey notes. |
| Brian Brown: Perfect. I like the darker roasts. I’ll take a hot coffee, please. |
| Lisa Lane: You got it. And do you want a bite to eat? You haven't had breakfast yet, right? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, I’m starving. What’s good today? |
| Lisa Lane: The croissants just came out of the oven. Super buttery. We also have a ham and cheese croissant sandwich. |
| Brian Brown: A sandwich, huh? What's on it? |
| Lisa Lane: House-made ham, fresh lettuce, tomato. And I made the aioli myself. |
| Brian Brown: You made the aioli? That sounds tempting... man, I can’t decide. |
| Lisa Lane: Take your time. |
| Brian Brown: The sandwich sounds great, but... I think I need a sugar rush. I’ll stick with the plain butter croissant. It goes better with the coffee. |
| Lisa Lane: Good choice. One croissant coming up. |
| Brian Brown: Thanks. |
| Lisa Lane: Coffee and a croissant. Give me just a sec. |
| (Sound of coffee pouring and plates clinking) |
| Lisa Lane: Here you go. Careful, the mug is hot. |
| Brian Brown: Wow, smells amazing. Let's see... Yep, your coffee hits the spot. Just bitter enough. I’m finally waking up. |
| Lisa Lane: Good! So, Brian, what time did you actually wake up to get here? |
| Brian Brown: I was up at 5:00 AM. It was still pitch black outside. |
| Lisa Lane: 5:00! That is painful. I am definitely still dreaming at 5:00. |
| Brian Brown: Haha. I left my place at 5:30 to catch the train at Penn Station. |
| Lisa Lane: Did you nap on the train? |
| Brian Brown: No, I couldn't really sleep. I just watched the scenery. Watching the sun come up over the rowhouses and the industrial yards... it's actually kinda peaceful in the morning. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds nice, actually. A little reward for the early start. But aren't you crashing now? |
| Brian Brown: Honestly? Yeah, I'm fading a little. I feel a yawn coming on. |
| Lisa Lane: Well, drink that coffee. |
| Brian Brown: Will do. You’re here super early every day too, though. When do you wake up? |
| Lisa Lane: My alarm goes off at 5:30 every day. We open at 7:00, so I have to be here by 6:30 to prep. |
| Brian Brown: 5:30 every day... brutal. Even on weekends? |
| Lisa Lane: No way! Weekends are different. But on work days, I force myself up. |
| Brian Brown: Do you live close by? |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah, my apartment is about 20 minutes away. I take the Metro. |
| Brian Brown: 20 minutes isn't bad. Is it a convenient area? |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah, super convenient. There's a Trader Joe's and a CVS right by the station, so shopping is easy. |
| Brian Brown: Nice. Is the Metro crowded that early? |
| Lisa Lane: No, before 6:00 it’s empty. I can always get a seat. I usually just listen to music and zone out. |
| Brian Brown: What are you listening to lately? |
| Lisa Lane: Mostly French pop recently. I’m trying to learn the language since we get so many tourists and diplomats in here. |
| Brian Brown: That’s impressive! Very studious. |
| Lisa Lane: Not really. But after 7:00, the trains get packed like sardines. |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, D.C. rush hour is no joke. Glad you live close. |
| Lisa Lane: Me too. But winter mornings are the worst. My apartment is drafty, so getting out of bed is torture. I’m always like, "Just five more minutes..." |
| Brian Brown: I hear that. I hate the cold. ...By the way, have you ever actually overslept and been late? |
| Lisa Lane: Actually... I have one horror story. Last winter. |
| Brian Brown: Oh yeah? What happened? |
| Lisa Lane: I was exhausted, and I forgot to plug in my phone. It died overnight. |
| Brian Brown: Oh no. That’s the worst. |
| Lisa Lane: Right? So no alarm. I woke up, looked at the microwave clock, and it was 6:45! |
| Brian Brown: What?! You open in 15 minutes! |
| Lisa Lane: I know! I thought I was going to have a heart attack. |
| Brian Brown: So what did you do? |
| Lisa Lane: I didn't wash my face, didn't brush my teeth, just threw on clothes and ran out the door. I realized later I was wearing mismatched socks. |
| Brian Brown: Hahaha! |
| Lisa Lane: I sprinted to the Metro station. I do bouldering, so I’m pretty fit, but I’ve never run that fast in my life. |
| Brian Brown: An athlete! So, did you make it? |
| Lisa Lane: Not quite. I got here at 7:15. There was one customer waiting outside. |
| Brian Brown: Oof... awkward. Was he mad? |
| Lisa Lane: No, thank god. It was this nice older regular. He was just reading the Post on his phone. He laughed and said, "Running on island time today?" |
| Brian Brown: That’s lucky. Nice guy. |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah. I apologized like a hundred times. He was cool about it. |
| Brian Brown: Good story. |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah. But since that day, I use two alarms. My phone, and an old-school clock that sounds like a fire alarm. I never oversleep now. |
| Brian Brown: Smart. I should probably do that. |
| Lisa Lane: What about you, Brian? Any disasters at your restaurant? |
| Brian Brown: Hmm, I haven't overslept, but... we had a major ingredient crisis once. It was a Friday night, fully booked, and our produce delivery just didn't show up. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh my god. You can't cook without food. What did you do? |
| Brian Brown: I grabbed two of my busboys and we drove to the nearest grocery store. We bought every tomato and head of lettuce they had. We filled three carts. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds incredibly stressful. |
| Brian Brown: It was. We had zero prep time, so everyone was chopping vegetables like maniacs right as we opened the doors. I was sweating bullets. |
| Lisa Lane: Restaurant life is crazy. Highs and lows, right? |
| Brian Brown: Definitely. ...By the way, what’s your prep routine here? |
| Lisa Lane: It’s a lot of little things. First, cleaning. Sweeping, wiping tables. |
| Brian Brown: Keeps the place welcoming. |
| Lisa Lane: Exactly. Then I set up the patio furniture. But the most important thing is dialing in the espresso machine. |
| Brian Brown: Dialing it in? You do that every day? |
| Lisa Lane: Every single day. Humidity and temperature change how the beans grind, so the taste changes. I have to pull a few shots and taste them to adjust the grinder. |
| Brian Brown: That’s dedication. That’s pro level. |
| Lisa Lane: Thanks. Then I bake off the pastries and set up the display case. By 7:00, everything has to be perfect. |
| Brian Brown: You work hard. So when do you eat breakfast? |
| Lisa Lane: I don't really sit down to eat. I just drink coffee and maybe nibble on a pastry I’m quality-testing. Sometimes I skip it. |
| Brian Brown: Seriously? You’re on your feet all day! Don't you crash? |
| Lisa Lane: I’m okay until lunch. Then I eat a huge salad or sandwich. |
| Brian Brown: Crazy. Breakfast is my favorite meal. I need fuel. |
| Lisa Lane: What’s your go-to breakfast? |
| Brian Brown: I like a real breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, home fries with Old Bay seasoning. |
| Lisa Lane: Wow, very Maryland. A full diner breakfast. Do you make it yourself? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, usually. |
| Lisa Lane: That’s impressive. I guess you really do love cooking. |
| Brian Brown: It’s the job! But I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I just grab a bagel with cream cheese if I'm in a rush. |
| Lisa Lane: I love bagels. Especially Everything bagels. |
| Brian Brown: Same. |
| Lisa Lane: By the way, remind me, what kind of food are you doing at your new spot? |
| Brian Brown: It’s Italian, but we use local Chesapeake ingredients. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh, cool. Like pasta and pizza? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, but with Maryland crab, local corn, stuff like that. "Farm to table" style. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds incredible. I need to come up to Baltimore on my day off and try it. |
| Brian Brown: Please do! If you come up, Lisa, dinner is on the house. |
| Lisa Lane: Wow, really? I’m holding you to that. |
| Brian Brown: So what do you actually do on your days off? |
| Lisa Lane: Sundays are my sanctuary. No alarm clock. I sleep until 9:00 or 10:00. |
| Brian Brown: That’s the dream. |
| Lisa Lane: Right? I wake up, make pancakes, put on some jazz, and just drink coffee in my pajamas. It’s pure bliss. |
| Brian Brown: Sounds relaxing. |
| Lisa Lane: Then in the afternoon, I hit the bouldering gym. |
| Brian Brown: Right, the climbing. It looks intense. |
| Lisa Lane: It is. My arms scream afterwards, but it clears my head. Great stress relief. |
| Brian Brown: You’re energetic. I’m pretty useless at the gym. |
| Lisa Lane: How about your days off? |
| Brian Brown: I can’t turn my brain off. I’m still thinking about food. Sometimes I go to the markets. |
| Lisa Lane: Shopping for the restaurant? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah. I go to Lexington Market or drive out to the farms. Seeing fresh seafood or good produce just gets me excited. |
| Lisa Lane: Markets open early too, don't they? |
| Brian Brown: Super early. If I go to the fish market, I’m up at 4:00 AM. The vendors are shouting, fish are flying... it's chaotic but I love it. |
| Lisa Lane: 4:00 AM! You’re crazier than I am. You really work hard, Brian. |
| Brian Brown: Hey, I just want to make good food. That’s the fun part. |
| Brian Brown: Crap, I got distracted talking. It’s almost 8:00. |
| Lisa Lane: Already? |
| Brian Brown: Yeah, I gotta run. My meeting is at 8:30. If I’m late, my friend will never let me hear the end of it. |
| Lisa Lane: Well, you better go. Good luck with the meeting! |
| Brian Brown: Thanks. Honestly, chatting with you and having some actual coffee woke me up. I feel ready now. |
| Lisa Lane: Glad to hear it! Fingers crossed for the new project. |
| Brian Brown: Thanks, Lisa. I’ll come back and tell you how it went. Thanks for the breakfast. |
| Lisa Lane: You're welcome. Have a good one! |
| Brian Brown: See ya! |
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