MikeK (RE: The unexpected death of local restaurant reviewer/online personality Patrick Jacobs): I've been thinking about Patrick almost non-stop since yesterday morning, and I feel a bit like a poser in doing so. Maybe because he was young and this was so sudden his death hit like a hammer. I honestly didn't know him well enough to call him a close friend, but like so many others who are paying tribute through social media, the guy was just fundamentally approachable. I loved reading his writing, and I loved seeing him and chatting him up when we crossed paths, which was probably three or four times a year in person, and far more than that here on HBO. He won me over completely when he was one of the local judges at a American Idol-type talent show a few years ago in Coeur d'Alene. He gave every one of those amateur entertainers a sincere, honest, but gentle and encouraging review no matter their level of actual merit.

DFO: All of us who knew Patrick personally or through his restaurant reviews and social media are reeling from his unexpected death over the weekend. Feel free to share your thoughts about him, on this somber day.