Month: January 2022

Trade season is slowly approaching in the NBA, and as is typical, the first deals to get done are either to fill sudden roster holes due to injuries or cap/roster space clearing moves (sometimes both) with an eye towards future deals.

The Rajon Rondo trade that sent the veteran point guard from L.A. to Cleveland fit both of those categories, as the Cavs were desperate for a veteran guard after Ricky Rubio’s injury and the Lakers were eager to clear a roster spot and save some tax dollars (which involved adding the Knicks to the deal to take and waive Denzel Valentine). Our second trade of the new year fits the latter category, as the Jazz are apparently shipping guard Miye Oni out to Oklahoma City in an effort to clear a roster spot (if needed) as well as save some tax money as Oni’s guarantee date was coming up.

As for why the Thunder would do this, they’ll be getting a 2028 second round pick for taking Oni’s deal off the Jazz books, as Sam Presti continues his quest to collect every future draft pick in the NBA and eventually redeem them for a prize.

This is a move that could set up another move if Utah wants later, as they’ll have a roster spot handy for the buyout market or another trade.

Writer and producer Justin Spitzer has been a creative force within two of this century’s best workplace comedies in The Office and Superstore, but both shows have also shared the distinction of being thought of, by some, as the last great network sitcoms when they took their last bows. Along with, I am sure, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Modern Family when they said farewell. Sensing a trend? It’s to the point where we can’t say goodbye to a show without weaving in larger messages about the state of things. Network sitcoms may not be in their golden age, but despite the constant speculation, they also might be unkillable.

For his part, Spitzer is out to create another iconic workplace comedy; one that might accidentally fall into that other tradition of being called the last great one in a few years… until the next one comes along, that is. By the way, I’m as guilty of this kind of snarky thinking as the next critic, but Spitzer makes such a spirited case in the name of broadly focused network comedies in this interview. One that makes you want to root for his new show to upend the notion and bring laughs to the masses.

The NBC show, which stars SNL alum Ana Gasteyer, Superstore alum Jon Barinholtz, and an ensemble cast playing executives trying to keep a car company afloat, debuted for a sneak peek (streaming now on Peacock) before the holiday break and is back on Tuesday, January 4 to begin its climb into a sometimes unfriendly zeitgeist in earnest. Can it do it and become a new favorite for fans of Spitzer’s brand of comedy? We spoke with him about all of the above, why he wanted to focus on a car company and stay on the network, and what he’s taken away from his past successes. Give it a read before deciding whether you want to give American Auto a test drive.

The state of network sitcoms, as it were, is not… This is not the golden era. What would make you want to take this idea to a network?

I mean, I don’t know that network sitcoms are any worse than in any other time. Networks, I think, have a broader audience to reach.

Let me clarify.

Yeah. I’m not offended or anything.

No, no, that’s fine. Just in terms of what drives the zeitgeist right now in TV culture — it’s not network sitcoms. I think that’s an objective thing to say. It’s not like it was with the Cheers era, Seinfeld, Friends. It’s a different era.

I fully understand the point. And come awards time, it doesn’t help for your show to be on a network. And that’s something those of us on a network have come to accept, but that can still change. And I always joke that like in business they always use the buggy whip as the example of like, “Someplace, there’s a buggy whip manufacturer, the best one in the world…” It’s like, someone is still making buggy whips somewhere. And that guy is making a good living making buggy whips. And maybe he’s not winning the buggy-whip awards.

You’re the buggy-whip guy.

Well, I’m the buggy-whip guy. But that is also to say, I think there’s a lot of very good network comedies, and I think a lot of good writers writing on networks. And I feel like if you have a show that can appeal to a broad audience, that doesn’t feel like it’s too niche, why not make it available for as many people as possible? And that’s not to say I would never want to do streaming or cable, I think I absolutely do. But this show feels like it can be on a network. And having grown up in the world of Cheers, and Friends, and eventually The Office and stuff, there’s still something kind of nice about that. About that eight o’clock, same time every week. That, I don’t know, maybe the nostalgic part of me still loves.

So is that a part of the planning? Like when you sit down and find an idea, is it, “I want to make the next… ” The challenge of it, is that part of what drives this as well?

Yeah. I mean, for me, I always feel like if I set too ambitious a goal I’ll get intimidated. You’ll never write a word if every word has to be perfect. You have to set, or at least I have to set the bar a little lower than that. Of course, that’s always the dream in the back of your mind, that you’ll somehow crack it and it’ll be the thing that everyone is drawn to. And that’s probably not going to necessarily happen. But even though maybe network isn’t driving the zeitgeist and the conversation in media, we’re getting a lot of viewers. And even, what, a 0.5 share is millions of people watching my show. And what more can you ask for? I guess an Emmy, but other than that.

Knowing what the goal is for you, has your creative process changed much through The Office and Superstore to now, or is it still pretty much the same?

It’s funny, it hasn’t changed much for me since The Office. But what I think we were doing on The Office, and which was happening even before I got on The Office is they would always talk about those early seasons when they didn’t think that show was going to go long-term, and how they were just making a show that they really liked and they were excited about. And I know that seems so pure and bullshitty, but it’s true. And so that’s what I feel like I was doing on Superstore and what I am doing on American Auto. I’m really doing stuff that I really am excited about and that I would want to see. And even though it seems obvious, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of you’re just feeding the beast. And you’re just following a structure and a formula.

What was the main takeaway from Superstore that you’re taking into American Auto?

I don’t know if this is exactly answering the question, but I think people enjoyed watching the break-room meetings, which were just people sitting around and talking about an issue. And sometimes you can get so obsessed with the story beats, and A leading to B leading to C (which is important), that you can forget to take a breath and let these conversations play out. And I think that’s something that I started to do… I wanted to make sure to have time for that in this show. And I think that comes from maturing a little bit, becoming a more confident writer. Saying like, “Not everything needs to be moving the story forward every single minute. And that’s important, but let things breathe. Have a minute and a half where people are talking about something that isn’t necessarily important to the plot.”

What is it about workplace comedies that really just clicks for you?

It’s very easy. That’s where you get the most disparate group of people that creates the most conflict, the most drama. These are not people that, like an ensemble comedy, that are drawn together because they like each other. Or even in a family comedy, maybe they have to be together, but there’s generally a love there. These are people that can hate each other. And even in these workplaces, it’s not like a TV show, or a magazine, or something where they’re even necessarily people of a certain ilk that come together. In a broad thing, they’re people that can have totally different values and are just forced to spend the majority of their lives, really, together. So I think that’s such… You just get a more interesting disparate group of people, and that’s more fun for me.

What was it about the auto industry that felt like a fit?

Well, it’s funny, the auto industry specifically wasn’t the thing that drew me to the world, it was I wanted to do a corporate workplace show. And early on, I was like, “It should just be widgets, generic widgets, or something as bland as paper from Dunder Mifflin.” Then I felt like, “No, I want something with a little more specificity.” And I wanted just like a big, relatable, down-the-middle American industry. I mean, or it’s multinational, but we associate it a lot with America. And there was just a handful of things that it could’ve been. I didn’t want it to be tech. I don’t particularly have a love for cars. So I thought, “Actually, that’s good. If I was too much of a car person, I might be playing a little too much inside baseball.”

But I wanted to do something about the corporate world. I thought that was certainly interesting when I originally pitched it coming off The Office. And then even more so after Superstore, which was about the working class, or that was blue-collar. Now, those are people that get squeezed, and get fucked over sometimes by decisions being made at the very top. And now what is the world of those decisions? These aren’t people that want to screw people over. These are people that are doing the best that they can with the situation at hand. How do those decisions get made? So that’s what drew me to the corporate world.

‘American Auto’ returns to NBC Tuesday, January 4 at 8PM ET

Bitcoin, NFTs, jarred farts: these are the currencies of a bold new future. A bold new future that 90 Day Fiancé star Stephanie Matto can no longer be a part of after a doctor told her to shut down her lucrative jarred fart operation. Matto blasted to viral fame in December after she announced that she was making a killing bottling up her flatulence and selling it to God knows who over the internet. According to Matto, she was making as much as $50,000 a week just by letting one rip into a glass container and mailing it to what we can only assume are freaking weirdos.

But then strategy struck. Following a brisk month of peak fart sales, Matto’s health began to give out. The cause? Too much farting. Via Page Six:

Matto was rushed to a hospital with chest pains she feared were symptoms of a heart attack, according to the outlet.

After undergoing a battery of tests, including blood work and an EKG, Matto was told that her pain was the result of her steady diet of gas-inducing beans and eggs.

“I thought I was having a stroke and that these were my final moments,” Matto told Jam Press. “I was overdoing it.”

After pumping out 50 jars a fart a week to “meet demand,” Matto was forced to retire after experiencing intense pains from too much flatulence. As for what she plans to do now that the wind’s been knocked out of her sails, and the jars that she’d sell on the internet for cash money, Matto says she’ll invest her fart fortune in crypto. Of course.

(Via Page Six)

Back in August, the subject of a Reddit thread read “Does anyone know where I can find the Leikeli47 song from the Madden 22 soundtrack online?” The mysterious banger from the Madden ’22 soundtrack indeed was nowhere to be found. “I believe it’s called ‘Chitty Bang’…..Song f*cking slaps but I can’t find it anywhere…Anyone knows whats up???” another user commented. Today, we finally have an answer for these patient hip-hop loving gamers.

For the first time in a year and a half, the masked Brooklyn rapper has officially released new music, in the form of the stone cold banger, “Chitty Bang.” Leikeli47 has always flashed a dynamic style, whether it’d be on the big horns of “Tic Boom,” the swing and bounce of “2nd Fiddle” or the dancehall charm of the uplifting “Hoyt & Schermerhorn.” But much like on 2020’s “Zoom,” Leikeli just comes to getcha on “Chitty Bang.” She attacks the hook over a totally massive bass line and spits heat on a verse with a fierce cadence akin to Cardi B:

“I see them hoes keep trying
Professional imitators
Ref, where’s the flag?
Now you’re making me mad
When 47 get that
B*tch you betta get back”

No word yet on whether “Chitty Bang” will end up on the follow-up album to 2018’s excellent Acryclic, but a press release for the new jam advised us to “stay tuned for more new music from Leikeli47.”

In mid-January 2021, Missouri-based Senator Josh Hawley was radioactive due to his far-right ways and for his role in helping to incite the failed MAGA uprising by digging in his heels over certifying the Electoral College vote. In the aftermath of January 6 (and that fisted-salute photo; you know that you’ve seen it), his hometown newspaper shamed him, and an unexpected stand came from Hallmark, which had enough of being associated with him while declaring, “Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind.”

Speaking of violence, people are remembering what Hawley said on Fox News on Jan. 4, 2021. It appeared that Hawley was insisting that something would happen on Jan. 6 that would make Trump remain the president, and Bret Baier didn’t seem like he wanted to hear about, at all. Via Aaron Rupar, here’s a clip from that conversation.

Naturally, this is wild to rewatch because Hawley’s faced no repercussions in the Senate, nor has Ted Cruz for his alleged role in stirring up the insurrection, although the rioters themselves are languishing in jail or, in the case of the QAnon Shaman, prison. As a result, a lot of people are marveling at this clip and the lack of consequences for what Hawley said here.

Meanwhile, the House Select Committee on January 6 keeps doing its thing.

We didn’t eat at enough restaurants last year. Sure, in a lot of ways 2021 was more “normal” than 2020 — we started going to concerts, bars, movie theaters, and generally having lives again. Covid cases were on a downward trend! Vaccination rates were rising! Then we got hit with the Delta and Omicron variants and that renewed sense of optimism started to fizzle.

As of January 4th, there’s a fair bit that’s unclear. How serious is Omicron? Is it less dangerous than previous strains? More contagious?

The fears (many valid!) associated with this new strain of Covid means restaurants — which generally run on paper-thin margins — are struggling once again. So, in an effort to give some shine to our favorite independently owned and operated businesses, we reached out to some of our favorite chefs, food personalities, and food writers and asked them to shout out their favorite restaurant experiences of 2021.

Hopefully, things will open back up again (again. Again?) soon and you can let these recommendations guide your 2022 dining experiences. Let’s eat!

EDITOR’S PICK: “Verdant” By Abbey Road Farms, Carlton, Oregon — Steve Bramucci

I’ve been following chef Will Preisch’s cooking since he was in his mid-20s, running a Portland pop-up supper club called Holdfast with his good friend Joel Stocks. As a food writer who was new to fine dining, had been around the restaurant industry a little, and had begun to see the fissures in the traditional restaurant model (and the specific version of capitalism sold to my generation), everything about the Holdfast experiment thrilled me. The menu was full of wild ideas, the chefs mocked the idea of owning a brick and mortar and paying steady rent, etc, and the food was a mixture of recognizable flavors and ingredients (limpets, the snails that cling fiercely to rocks on the Oregon Coast, once famously featured on the menu) combined in unexpected ways. The food was clearly influenced by the foam and gelee era of Noma, the famed Copenhagen restaurant where Preisch once volunteered (“staged”), but it was also all Oregon in its ingredients.

I loved it and brought everyone I knew. I covered Preisch for various outlets and kept loosely in touch with him.

So when I headed to Oregon in the fall for a foraging trip and discovered that he’d launched a lunch tasting menu called “Verdant” at Abbey Road Winery in Carlton, just 45 minutes from the heart of Portland, I made it a priority to visit. I am so thrilled that I did. Just like at Holdfast, Preisch is a repository of bold ideas which he executes with an incredibly deft touch. After an oyster amuse-bouche, there was a cold salad featuring a sort of “green goddess” cold soup that was so airy and bright that you felt like you were sipping spring. After a similarly bright spot prawns course (with totally different flavor notes), came a miso cod in black olive and fennel broth that hit all of the sweet spots of classic misoyaki butterfish and yet remained completely surprising thanks to that unctuous broth. But it was the first of two desserts (the more savory of the two, standing in for a cheese course) that blew me away: ice cream made with lees — a byproduct of the winemaking process — and a white wine gelee.

This ice cream was my most interesting bite of the year, bar none. It was deeply funky but still retained some distant conjuring of grape flavor notes. It was more savory than you’d ever expect ice cream to be but every bit as silky. The sugar came from the wine gelee, which was sweet and really carried the sharper flavor notes of wine that you wouldn’t want the ice cream to have. The meal, top to bottom, was creative and bold, and deeply refined. All the things I missed in the years that restaurant dining was shut down.

Roscoe’s House Of Chicken N Waffles, Various Locations, Los Angeles, California — Dane Rivera

Despite being a food writer, I didn’t get to spend much time in restaurants this year due to the pandemic. My focus was mostly around fast food in 2021 but on those days when I was feeling burnt out from drive-thru food, I hit up a comfort classic, Roscoe’s House of Chicken N Waffles. Most of my Roscoe’s orders this year were, unfortunately, to-go orders, but I spent a considerable time with the menu.

My go-to’s include the Carol C. Special, a simple breast and waffle combo, and the Big Mamma, which consists of scrambled eggs, onions and cheese, and served with potatoes in gravy with a hot biscuit. You can’t forget the sides — red beans and rice, candy yams, cornbread, mac and cheese, mixed greens, order them all, they’re all mouth-watering and wonderfully food coma-inducing.

Thai District, Long Beach, California — Dane Rivera

This is now my favorite Thai restaurant of all time. Granted, I’ve only had Thai in a handful of states, and never in Thailand. But I’ve never experienced flavors dance across my palate the way everything from Thai District does. The food here is so aromatic, each bite is absolute ecstasy, as sweet and spicy chilis bounce off sweet and complex blends of basil, garlic, and onion, and fresh vegetables. The Spicy Fried Rice will blow your mind, the Duck Curry is last meal worthy, and no table order is complete without a serving of Thai Disctric’s crispy tofu and pad see eew.

There aren’t a whole lot of reasons to venture out of Los Angeles and into Long Beach, but Thai District is one of them. And ComplexCon. Gotta love ComplexCon.

Brunch at Proof On Main, Louisville Kentucky — Zach Johnston

Proof on Main has this duality to it of being both a very obvious tourist spot and a chic hotel art bar. The first part might sound off-putting but let me clarify. Proof on Main is on Main Street right in the middle of Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky. The thing is, you can 100 percent miss this place unless you’re looking for it. The entrance is on a side street through a hotel lobby. That means that you don’t get a constant flow of tipsy tourists looking for a bar to belly up at. The other side of that coin is that this is a lobby bar/restaurant. That being said, the hotel Proof on Main is attached to is 21c Louisville, which is a “museum hotel.” The hotel is a chic, modernist museum-meets-hotel that bleeds over into the restaurant and bar both with the art on the walls, interior decoration, and the beauty of the food.

It’s also worth noting that this is Louisville, the heart of whiskey country, so the bartenders are phenomenal and the whiskey menu is stellar.

I had a couple of good meals at Proof on Main, but it was the breakfast that I still dream about months later. I had the fried chicken with a subtlest sausage gravy I’ve ever seen (and I’m a biscuits and gravy scholar). But it was the biscuit on the side that blew my mind. Pictured above, it was a classic crumb biscuit (instead of flaky) that had the perfect lightness and heft combined with deep butteriness and the right counter of large flake salt. You felt the grains come off the chaff in the flour in this biscuit — that’s amazing flour. It was deep and made my eyes roll far back in food-born ecstasy.

I went back for that biscuit almost every weekend over three weeks and I never got tired of it. Hell, I even had their breakfast bison burger once (also pretty great) and still got a biscuit on the side. They’re that good.

Nepenthe, Big Sur, California — Chloe Caldwell

Nepenthe is one of my favorite restaurant experiences of the year. If you’re doing a road trip up the coast, it’s a must-stop location! The food is good — think classic burgers, sandwiches, beer, and fries — but it’s the view and chill environment that really makes it special. It’s located right off the road on the edge of a cliff that overlooks Big Sur. So you get mountains, evergreen trees, and ocean views all in one place. It’s absolutely beautiful!

I went to Nepenthe during lunch hours and ordered the California Beet Salad, which had blue cheese, orange supremes, pickled fennel, spicy candied walnuts, and citrus vinaigrette dressing on it. The refreshing fruity salad was exactly what I needed for a sunny California day on the coast. I also ordered a side of fries, which were that perfect crispy on the outside and soft on the inside ratio. To drink, I’d recommend the Elderflower Sparkler and The South Coast Margarita.

Manuela, Los Angeles California — Alex Malcolm (Eats By Alex)

Located in the Arts District of Los Angeles, Manuela unites chefs, farmers, and artists to create an authentic and original dining experience. Led by Executive Chef Kris Tominaga, the menu showcases seasonal ingredients sourced from the best farms and producers in Southern California.

Manuela is situated within Hauser & Wirth, who has been supporting the arts district since 2016. Their rotating exhibitions & large mural-style paintings on exposed-brick walls, bring a beautifully eclectic backdrop to the space while you are dining. Order the half chicken with chili de arbol and white BBQ sauce (and the House Negroni if you’re feeling frisky), you will not be disappointed. As someone who predominantly cooks, I try to ensure that a restaurant will give me an experience or preparation I can’t get on my own and Manuela takes the cake every time.

Il Corso, Palm Springs California — Max Miller (Host Of Tasting History With Max Miller)

There’s an Italian restaurant in Palm Springs called Il Corso. Hands down the best dining experience I’ve had in 2021. They had the staple Italian dishes you expect but also had many authentic dishes that rarely make it to the menus of Italian restaurants in the U.S. It’s right downtown, yet just off the beaten path so the noise of the main street doesn’t spoil the peaceful atmosphere. I look forward to going back soon, even if only to explore their cocktail menu a little more. Definitely try the Risotto Pescatore, it has lots of fresh seafood over perfectly cooked risotto with a light tomato sauce.

Detour Doughnuts, Frisco Texas — The Food Romantic

When looking back at all of my eatery experiences the past year, there’s one shop that stands out as the best: Detour Doughnuts. This gourmet doughnut shop in Frisco, TX has been one of my favorites for a while due to their absolutely stunning, unique, and delicious doughnuts. There’s been a constant rotation of new seasonal flavors throughout the year including rose champagne, Neapolitan, taro coconut, biscoff and banana pudding, pumpkin cream cheese (my favorite), and dark chocolate pomegranate (just to name a few). In addition to new flavors, there’s also been a wide range of decorative doughnuts for a variety of holidays, special occasions, and meaningful purposes, including a #StopAsianHate doughnut (after the tragedy in Atlanta earlier this year). Not only did this doughnut represent a necessary message, but all sales of this doughnut went directly to gofundme.com/aapi (a total of $5,872 was donated on March 22nd from the sales of this doughnut).

Detour Doughnuts has constantly brought a sense of comfort and joy to those who stop by. Whether it’s an exciting new flavor or an adorable new design (there were even Friends-themed doughnuts for the Friends reunion special). Detour is a place that has brought a smile to many faces, including mine!

Cafe Gabriela Oakland, California — Chef Charleen Caabay, Chopped Winner, Co-Founder, and Chief Innovation Officer at The People’s Ecosystem.

The best way to curate this is all in a day’s work. I love starting the early mornings at Cafe Gabriela. Not your regular coffee shop, but one where you will leave inspired by the artwork and even by the cafe’s name. “Gabriela,” named after Gabriela Silang, a Filipina revolutionary who revolted against the Spanish colonizers. Sourced by local vendors, owner Penny and her team have been serving the Oakland community for quite some time. Freshly ground coffee, a few breakfast bites, and many treats to choose from. My favorite is the Filipino Adobo sandwich; it just brings back memories of home.

Fob Kitchen, Oakland, California — Chef Charleen Caabay, Chopped Winner, Co-Founder, and Chief Innovation Officer at The People’s Ecosystem.

Then comes lunch! Fob Kitchen, a Filipino food gastropub, also can be found in Oakland. Owner Chef Janice’s curated menu brings all the comfort on your plate no matter what you order. The freshly rolled lumpia is crispy when fried and is so tasty with the dipping sauce. You can’t go without ordering your meal with garlic rice and a fried egg. It really doesn’t matter what time of day! Pork eaters must get the Lechon kawali. Fried pork belly; you can not go wrong! Another favorite is the torta talong, known as an eggplant omelet — another comfort food favorite! Their bar menu is cute and brings memories of being on a resort in the Philippine Islands.

Magnolia Street Wine Lounge & Kitchen, Oakland California — Chef Charleen Caabay, Chopped Winner, Co-Founder, and Chief Innovation Officer at The People’s Ecosystem.

My next choice is the Magnolia Street Wine Lounge & Kitchen. Chef Leilani, an Oakland native, brings her memories of her upbringing with delicious soul food, libations, and even live music! So many fan favorites like fried chicken, shrimp and grits, fried fish, mac n cheese, and peach cobbler waffles! I can rave on and on. Wine pairings and good eats are all you need. You can expect live music from local DJs or a local band on some nights.

Either of these choices, you really can’t go wrong. Hidden gems that the lucky ones have found and frequented. Don’t miss out, and get you a plate!

MáLà Project, Manhattan, New York — Chef Priyanka Naik, Author of The Modern Tiffin, Food Network Champion

I absolutely love MaLa Project and take any friends or family who come from out of town to this restaurant. It is a different take on Schezuan cooking, it’s categorized as “dry pot.” So you pick the ingredients you want and they saute it up in this delicious house blend of multiple chilies, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, Schezuan peppercorns, bay leaf. It is SO good and spicy. And the best part about it, you can be completely vegan here! I recommend the Mala Peanuts, Dan Dan Noodles (sans meat), Mixed veggie & tofu dry pot, and the mung bean jelly with chili oil.

Mora Pizza, Miami, Florida — Chef Priyanka Naik, Author of The Modern Tiffin, Food Network Champion

Mora Pizza is actually not a restaurant and they operate out of a local bodega in Miami. But one of my sisters lives in Miami and has been raving about this delicious vegan find, so the last time I was there I had to go. Mora fulfills all your devilish desires, but vegan! I’m talking buffalo chick’n calzone, garlic knots, eggplant parm. They bake all of their bread fresh and it 1,000 percent makes a difference.

Planta Queen, Manhattan, New York — MáLà Project – Manhattan, New York — Chef Priyanka Naik, Author of The Modern Tiffin, Food Network Champion

Planta Queen is exactly what it says, a QUEEN for plant-based food. Everything here is delish. It has an awesome vibe — slightly upscale, but not pretentious at all. And the menu is packed with delicious Asian and Global-inspired dishes (just my jam). One of my favs is the Peking Jackfruit and the Crispy Rice.

ilona South End, Boston, Massachusettes — MáLà Project – Manhattan, New York — Chef Priyanka Naik, Author of The Modern Tiffin, Food Network Champion

I unexpectedly landed here one fine evening in October. Boston is the city of my alma mater, so I am very familiar with all the happenings. But since I graduated, there have been SO many delicious restaurants that have popped up! I was fortunately in Boston to accept an award from my alma mater Boston University, so I was lucky enough to have a celebratory dinner at ilona! They are fairly new and have such a cool vibe — blue velvet booths, white floors — very Greek. And the food was excellent. All of the dips were heavenly, and the bread! I am a sucker for warm, fluffy pita, and anything with za’atar. Sign me up!

Chulita,Venice Beach, California — MáLà Project – Manhattan, New York — Chef Priyanka Naik, Author of The Modern Tiffin, Food Network Champion

I frequent LA and LOVE LA. Mainly for the weather, beach, and food. Specifically, though, the Mexican food. The last time I was in LA was October 2021 (to film on The Kelly Clarkson Show!) and my friend took me to Chulita for a late lunch. I loved it! The restaurant has an effortless indoor-outdoor vibe, very Tulum/bohemian, an excellent mezcal menu, and a TON of vegan options. I particularly liked the taquitos and vegan queso! So good! Definitely go here in the daytime. The vibes are so LA, chill, and chic at the same time.

Miss Ollie’s, Oakland, California — Chef Nikki Steward, CEO and Head Chef The High-End Affair

Chef Sarah Kirnon is the owner and chef of the restaurant, she’s from Barbados but I’m trying to tell you — this is the best Caribbean food I’ve had in a long time. Oxtail is second to none. Currently, she has this jerk crab that is fucking phenomenal but my favorite has always been the oxtail.

Hoyo’s Kitchen, Columbus, Ohio — Chef Nikki Steward, CEO and Head Chef The High-End Affair

The dope thing about Hoyo’s is that it literally pays homage to his mother. It’s a Somalian restaurant and Somalian mothers are responsible for recipes and everything culinary-wise, so he wanted to represent Somalian women in the culinary space. His mother is in the back working, seasoning everything, this is some of the most authentic, just really good African food. I Iove everything, they have multiple locations so it’s kind of a food stall in different marketplaces.

Mango chicken, spicy rice, the lentils, the chickpeas, the veggie sambusas, it’s my favorite go-to thing when I’m looking for comfort food in Ohio.

Lung Yai Thai Tapas, Miami, Florida — Chef Nikki Steward, CEO and Head Chef The High-End Affair

It’s legit my favorite Thai place in the f*cking country. I did my culinary studies in Thailand. Lung Yai Thai Tapas by Chef Bas. When I sit down at this place, first of all, they know me so they automatically give me a table because the line is always down the f*cking block. It’s very small, it’s in Calle Ocho in Miami. I literally order everything that I can possibly think of on the menu because you can only order one time. When you’re with your group everyone has to get their order together because you can’t have seconds, so we usually order like two of everything.

The Pad Kee Mao is so good, the Khao Soi is one of my favorites, the Panang curry, the crab rice, they have like a duck basil noodle situation. Nuts! Chef Bas is amazing at what he does.

1417ATX, Austin, Texas — Chef Nikki Steward, CEO and Head Chef The High-End Affair

This is a dope restaurant in Austin. It’s a beautiful space, just recently opened not that long ago, French-inspired, very esoteric wine list, dope ass cocktails, they have a great chef tasting menu that I really fuck with. It’s seasonal, last time I was there it was scallops, cauliflower curry, raisin chutney, pumpkin seed brittle, octopus, polenta, their 48hr beef short rib with a beet risotto is fire! It’s located in downtown Austin owned by husband and wife, Allison and Pedro. It’s all family operated,

They have a bomb ass brunch too.

Tacos Rudos, Columbus Ohio — Chef Nikki Steward, CEO and Head Chef The High-End Affair

Red snapper taco is my fav here. It’s a family business run by a family from Oaxaca. It’s just phenomenal Mexican food.

Every year there’s always a major hit indie gam that becomes the must-play title of the year. We spend most of the year talking about the major AAA titles, because those have all the money and power behind them to grab our attention. These are of course still great games, and many of them are among our most anticipated games of 2022, but to experience gaming in full we need to always be on the lookout for the next big out of nowhere title.

While there is no real way to predict how a game is going to be received until everyone starts playing it, there are ways to keep a lookout for indie games that have the potential to be a breakout hit. Then, when everyone else starts talking about it, you can be one of the lucky ones that played it early. While we think we have a pretty good idea of how to keep a pulse on what games have a chance to be big, we do acknowledge that with hundreds of games releasing every year, it can be easy for some to fall through the cracks.

Sometimes the best way to find an indie hit is to go straight to the source and play it yourself. That means you’ll need a good place to find indie games and, as of right now, there are two places better than anywhere else to play upcoming indie games. Steam and the Nintendo Switch eShop are two easy go-to’s for anyone that wants to find the next huge indie game with both platforms completely embracing small developers. Nintendo has frequently made indies a huge selling point for the Switch, and they even give indie games their own showcases throughout the year. Steam is one of the largest platforms for PC games and has been traditionally friendly to giving new developers a place to show their games.

Another fantastic way to keep an eye on upcoming indie games is to browse places like Twitch and YouTube. The great thing about video games today is everyone is always playing something somewhere, and that means someone, somewhere, is playing a game you’ve probably never heard of and you can watch them run through it. As games start gaining more traction, they start showing up on places like Twitch and YouTube because they want to share their own playthroughs of these games. A good way to look out for new indie games is to pay attention to what is showing up on Twitch or YouTube. Notice a particular game that you haven’t heard of, or seen much coverage of, getting a lot of attention lately? That could be the beginnings of the biggest game of the year.

In the same spirit of Twitch and YouTube, word of mouth is a powerful tool for the rise of any indie game. As more people play a game they start to tell their friends about that game, or post about it on social media. People love to share what they’re playing with others and as a game starts to gain traction it eventually becomes a talking point. A great way to keep up with new games, before they reach the talking point phase, is to go check out the games people are talking bout. When someone tweets about a new indie game they played, try it out for yourself. See if this is a game that has the potential to be a Game Of The Year contender. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t click and you find a new game to play.

2022 has the chance to be one of the biggest years in a long time for gaming. There are so many massive AAA titles that are expected to come out and we can expect a handful of indies to pop up here and there. We know that out of nowhere title is currently in development somewhere, but we aren’t going to know what it is until we play it. The best way to be ready for it is to play as many games as possible, keep an ear to the ground, and keep an open mind. Do that, and the surprise indie hit of 2022 won’t be a surprise at all for you.

If you spent any time browsing Twitter over the holiday weekend, you no doubt came across the now-viral tweet from Pabst Blue Ribbon’s official Twitter account that read “Not drinking this January? Try eating ass!” At this point, official brand accounts wildin’ out on the timeline is nothing new, it’s been done to death, but it still took us by surprise to see a brand get so direct and raunchy. (Though congrats on being sex-positive!)

Many of the replies to that original tweet concerned whether or not the person (or people) behind the tweet would get fired, no word on that yet (but I mean, come on), but PBR has since deleted the now legendary tweet as well as others posted around the same time.

In an emailed statement shared with Ad Age, Pabst Blue Ribbon’s Vice President of marketing wrote, “We apologize about the language and content of our recent tweets… the tweets in question were written in poor judgment by one of our associates… In no way does the content of these tweets reflect the values of Pabst and our Associates. We’re handling the matter internally and have removed the tweets from our social platforms.”

While the ass-eating tweet was the one to go viral, the brand was already facing some criticism for their ill-conceived “Wet January” ad campaign, which, according to Forbes, many on the internet saw as insensitive to people struggling to cut back on alcohol consumption this month.

The whole situation is a head-scratcher. How did this ad campaign get this far in the first place? Was the ass-eating tweet planned and then re-positioned as an error or disgruntled employee when folks didn’t respond well? Was it all another attempt to grab the right kind of “cool corporation” energy that simply failed?

Pabst’s most recent tweet simply reads “beer,” which is much more on brand, if similarly cryptic. What will this saga bring next? A collab with Hardee’s famed “b-holes” for an ass-based pairing menu?

Buckle up, 2022 is already proving to be more chaotic than 2021 and we’re only a few days in.

If you spent any time browsing Twitter over the holiday weekend, you no doubt came across the now-viral tweet from Pabst Blue Ribbon’s official Twitter account that read “Not drinking this January? Try eating ass!” At this point, official brand accounts wildin’ out on the timeline is nothing new, it’s been done to death, but it still took us by surprise to see a brand get so direct and raunchy. (Though congrats on being sex-positive!)

Many of the replies to that original tweet concerned whether or not the person (or people) behind the tweet would get fired, no word on that yet (but I mean, come on), but PBR has since deleted the now legendary tweet as well as others posted around the same time.

In an emailed statement shared with Ad Age, Pabst Blue Ribbon’s Vice President of marketing wrote, “We apologize about the language and content of our recent tweets… the tweets in question were written in poor judgment by one of our associates… In no way does the content of these tweets reflect the values of Pabst and our Associates. We’re handling the matter internally and have removed the tweets from our social platforms.”

While the ass-eating tweet was the one to go viral, the brand was already facing some criticism for their ill-conceived “Wet January” ad campaign, which, according to Forbes, many on the internet saw as insensitive to people struggling to cut back on alcohol consumption this month.

The whole situation is a head-scratcher. How did this ad campaign get this far in the first place? Was the ass-eating tweet planned and then re-positioned as an error or disgruntled employee when folks didn’t respond well? Was it all another attempt to grab the right kind of “cool corporation” energy that simply failed?

Pabst’s most recent tweet simply reads “beer,” which is much more on brand, if similarly cryptic. What will this saga bring next? A collab with Hardee’s famed “b-holes” for an ass-based pairing menu?

Buckle up, 2022 is already proving to be more chaotic than 2021 and we’re only a few days in.

What day do you consider to be the beginning of the pandemic? For many, it’s March 11, 2020, the day Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for the coronavirus and the NBA suspended the season. But for others (me), it’s a week later, March 18, when Gal Gadot uploaded the infamous “Imagine” video to Instagram. That was the moment I knew the pandemic wasn’t going away any time soon. Here we are, two years later…

Gadot previously acknowledged that the celeb-filled cover of the John Lennon song “didn’t transcend,” and in a new interview with InStyle, the Wonder Woman star admitted that it was in the poor taste. “And with the whole ‘Imagine’ controversy, it’s funny,” she said. “I was calling Kristen [Wiig] and I was like, ‘Listen, I want to do this thing.’ The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way. I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn’t the right timing, and it wasn’t the right thing.” Gadot added, “It was in poor taste. All pure intentions, but sometimes you don’t hit the bull’s-eye, right? I felt like I wanted to take the air out of it, so that [event] was a delightful opportunity to do that.”

The video is still up on Gadot’s Instagram account, where it has over 10 million views. At least she didn’t invite one of her Death on the Nile co-stars to sing with her.

(Via InStyle)