and for tonight's entertainment...

Tuesday, August 17, 2004, at 04:08AM

By Eric Richardson

Yesterday was my birthday, so I cut out of work a bit early, picked Kathy up, and we went shopping. My wardrobe still needs a good bit of help, but it's doing a little better thanks to the Banana Republic in the Beverly Center.

Now, on your normal Beverly Center trip you see a lot of very trendy people buying very trendy things. It's a fancy mall, after all. Our trip, though those people may well have been there, featured a different main event. We arrived, went straight to the food court, and got some lunch. I went to Great Steak & Potatoe; Kathy went somewhere else and got a salad. So we sit down, start eating, and what breaks out in the Beverly Center food court? A fight. Not a fake fight, where a couple girls arguing over a pair of jeans start pushing, but a real full-on punching and kicking fight between three black guys. Now, I'm not 100% who started it, but after a prolonged exchange of words I seem to recall the physical action being initiated by the little guy -- probably 5'10", 160-170 lbs. The guy he took on was not little. He was probably more along the lines of 6'2", 240 lbs. And with him was a guy probably 6'0", 180 lbs, who had a solidly early 90s flat top. Needless to say, the little guy didn't win. Tables were upturned, people moved hurriedly to get out of the way of oncoming bodies, and before you knew it the whole thing was all but over.

What surprised me was how long it took Beverly Center security to show up. Once major combat broke out it probably took 4-5 minutes before the first officer arrived. By that time the little guy was bloody and being held down against a bench.

But hey, what better way to start your shopping experience?

For dinner Kathy had made reservations at The Lobster, in Santa Monica. The food was very good. I had blackened yellowtail, with spinach and potatoes. Our waiter was very good -- very attentive to the little things. For instance, when I go to a resturant and order a coke, and they bring it out in one of those nice resturant glasses, I don't use a straw. I take the straw out, and drink from the glass. Our waiter noticed this and next time removed the straw for me. It's the little things...