Stephen Root

To the “Office Space” cult, Stephen Root will forever be the stapler-coveting Milton Waddams of Mike Judge’s 1999 gem. But in truth Root has been spreading his talents far and wide for years, and he’s been especially busy lately: He had a small but key role in the Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men” (just released Tuesday on DVD); his movie “Leatherheads” arrives April 4, and he just finished shooting “The Soloist.” Root, his girlfriend, actress Romy Rosemont (“CSI”), and his son, Cody, 18, live in Sherman Oaks with their dog, Joe.

THE CURTAIN GOES UP We always enjoy a Friday night out with friends, like Alfred Molina and his wife. Sometime we’ll check out the Pasadena Playhouse, especially if we have people we know in the productions. And either before or after, we’ll eat at McCormick & Schmick’s because we love the steaks. EAT ‘N PARK On Saturday we’ll get up and go to breakfast at Hugo’s in Studio City. There’s often a wait, but if the weather’s nice, it’s great to just sit on the back of your car and read the paper until your name gets called. Everything they make is good, and I like their specialty teas. Then we’ll take Joe out to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park, which is off-leash. He does well there. In the afternoon we’ll do a movie at the Pacific Sherman Oaks 5. MUSIC MAN Later, I’ll dump everyone off and go to a record store, either Second Spin in Sherman Oaks or Amoeba Music in Hollywood. I haunt them both. I’ll be looking for older stuff that’s been remastered. I’m a big Kinks fan. SEE FOOD In the evening, we like Delmonico’s Lobster House in Encino, which is old-style Hollywood. A different kind of place but equally good is La Frite in Sherman Oaks, a quaint, romantic little French bistro. We usually split the La Frite Salad because it’s so big -- it has white asparagus, blue cheese crumbles and walnuts with romaine lettuce. ONE-STOP SHOPPING On Sunday we’ll go over to Aroma Cafe in Studio City. It’s got great food, great coffee, a bakery and even a beautiful bookstore. We can hang out there for hours.

--

-- Mark.Sachs@latimes.com