WCNC reports that Nash Johnson, an 8-year-old boy in Lexington, Kentucky, wanted an Xbox, but his $5-a-week allowance wasn’t enough to make it happen. An Xbox costs about $300 so at that rate, it would take him five years to save up enough money to buy one.
Nash figured he’d earn money a lot faster if he got a job. He saw a “help wanted” sign in front of Drake’s restaurant near his grandmother’s house so he went online and applied for a dishwasher position. “I’m very good at washing the dishes,” Nash told WCNC.
The only problem for Nash was that you have to be 16 years old to get a job in Kentucky. The application caught the attention of the management at Drake’s and they reached out to Nash to speak with him.
“At the very bottom of the application, he put that he was 8 years old … and when the kitchen manager saw the application, she just assumed that he forgot to put the 1 in front of the 8. And so she called him in very innocently,” Mark Thornburg, the chief operating officer at Drake’s, told Good Morning America. “The number that he put on [the application] was his grandmother’s house and … she asked for Nash and Nash gets on the phone, and he says, ‘Well, I’m only 8 years old.'”
Nash’s mom, Belinda Johnson, thought it was funny that her son applied for the job but it didn’t surprise her one bit. “That kid is not afraid to fail. He’s a go-getter,” she said.
Financial literacy is a big thing in the Johnson household, which isn’t the case in a lot of American homes. A recent CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey found that only 15% of parents talk with their children more than once a week about household finances and 31% never do.
Belinda gives her son three jars so he knows what percentage of his money he should spend, save and give. After looking in his jars he realized he needed to put more money in the “save” jar. “He’s like, ‘I can get me more money if I get me a job,’” Belinda said.
Even though Nash didn’t get hired at Drake’s, the restaurant’s management invited him to a new hire orientation to show him what it’s like to start a new job. At the orientation, Nash was given an official Drake’s employee shirt.
“I tell a lot of people he would have been just as happy with his uniform shirt because his eyes got about as big as a softball. I mean, he was so excited when I gave him his uniform shirt,” Thornburg told Good Morning America. They also taught Nash how to use the dishwasher, should he’d be ready to work for the restaurant when he’s older.
u201cThis is what I’m talking about!!! Love this kid! If you want something,, work hard for it!!nnLexington 8-year-old applies for Drake’s dishwasher job to buy Xbox https://t.co/CkpEtIHtoh via @WDRBNewsu201d
But, by far the best part for Nash at the orientation was when Thornburg gave him a new Xbox for having such a great work ethic. Thornburg says the gift “changed the little guy’s life for sure.”
“We got to do something for this young man. He’s obviously very special,” Thornburg said, adding that the third grader is “definitely is the youngest applicant” he’s ever had.
Few things will carry a person further in this world than having the willingness to go out and work for the things they want in life. Kudos to Belinda for instilling financial literacy in her son and to the management at Drake’s for encouraging his work ethic.
Like the rest of the world, we at Upworthy have found Brendan Fraser’s glorious return to the Hollywood spotlight to be inspiring. After a multiyear hiatus, his role in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” has been a career milestone—both catapulting him back onto the big screen and gaining widespread accolades for his incredible performance. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it yet, do. And bring tissues … it’s beautifully heartbreaking.
At long last, it seems this beloved actor and genuinely decent guy is getting the comeback he deserves. Since “The Whale” released to theaters, Fraser has been a frontrunner for the coveted Best Actor title, and scored his first win (of probably many) at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards.
As you can probably imagine, this full-circle moment meant a lot to Fraser. The video below captures his initial reaction to hearing his name being announced and taking his triumphant march to the stage.
And as he delivered a moving acceptance speech, there wasn’t a dry eye left in the house.
Because Brendan Fraser wouldn’t be Brendan Fraser without a charming sense of humor, he began by making the audience laugh. “Where were you for ‘Furry Vengeance’?” he quipped, harkening back to his comedy heyday.
He continued by praising his cast and crew members—including Aronofsky, who essentially plucked the actor out of obscurity. “I was in the wilderness and I probably should have left a trail of breadcrumbs, but you found me. And like all the best directors, you merely just showed me where to go to get to where I needed to be,” he told the director.
Then, with his voice trembling with emotion, Fraser declared, “If you, like a guy like Charlie, who I played in this movie, in any way struggle with obesity or you just feel like you’re in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you too can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen.”
In “The Whale,” Fraser plays a 600-pound man who uses his final days to reconcile with his estranged daughter (played by Sadie Sink). Whether or not obesity is a mental illness has been a subject of debate, however it has been closely linked with mood disorders like depression—which, let’s face it, can make anyone feel hopeless and inert, overweight or not. Above all, the big theme of the film is about having the strength to hold onto hope, regardless of circumstances. Or as Fraser put it, “finding the light in a dark place.”
Fraser’s words touched many who have found themselves in similar situations:
hearing this at a dark time in my life really does make me emotional gyat dayum
I have yet to watch this movie 😭😭🥺 Getting to the light is so worth it, especially after rough times, when you felt trapped, subdued and with no way out! I’m so happy because I did that, here I am, in the light 💜💜💜
Amazing speech! 👏 So many people out there struggling & so beautiful how he expresses how it feels & how to look for the Light! Keep pressing on till you find it! 💯
Time will tell if this moment foreshadows an Oscar win, but in our hearts, Fraser is already a winner. Thank you for giving us all a masterclass in emotional resilience and compassion.
Prior to joining the Los Angeles Clippers, John Wall spent two years on the roster of the Houston Rockets. Wall made his way to Houston in the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards, but only played 40 games in Houston due to a mix of injuries and, for the entirety of the 2021-22 NBA season, an agreement that Wall would stay home while the Rockets focused on developing their young guards.
As it turns out, Wall had some gripes about his tenure in Texas. The veteran guard appeared on the “Run Your Race” podcast, where he talked about how he “worked my ass off” on a team that was trying to “lose on purpose.”
Part 1: John Wall discusses his first year w/ the Rockets, and his conversations w/ KPJ, Jalen Green, and JG Martin.
Part 2: John Wall discusses his second year, why he didn’t play, if he was willing to sit on the bench, and conversations w/ Coach Silas. pic.twitter.com/7Vm6JVRFdC
Wall specifically pointed out the fact that they were starting Justin Patton, a former first-round pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves who is currently playing in France, as proof they were tanking.
“This how our starting lineup was, it was like me, David Nwaba, Jae’Sean Tate, Justin Patton, somebody else,” Wall said. “Who the f*ck, can I win a game with this sh*t.”
Wall said he was being a professional and wanted to team the young players — “Don’t get used to this sh*t, it’s not how the NBA is, it’s just a bad organization right now,” he said. But still, calling out Patton this explicitly didn’t sit well with the former Creighton big man, who saw Wall’s quote going around and called him out on Twitter.
Patton, the No. 16 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, suited up for the Timberwolves, Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder before heading abroad in 2021.
Nostalgia reboots can be tricky, to say the very least. For every Cobra Kai, there are a sea of efforts that fail to harness the same energy as the originals while also bringing updated reasons to root for the same characters. That ’90s Show will soon take the plunge into charted waters on Netflix, and over on Peacock, an already successful rewarming of a classic series will return.
We’re talking about Bel-Air, the Will Smith-produced Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot that stars Jabari Banks (as Will). And back when this series first came together at Peacock, few would have imagined that a gritty update could work (especially with this tagline: “You know the Banks family, but not like this”) when the original show was so comedic in tone. Yet the show brought muscle without the cursed Carlton dance, and Peacock saw fit for a renewal. Here’s what to know before Season 2.
Release Date
The one-hour drama will return to Peacock on February 23 (with three fresh episodes) and continue to roll out on a weekly basis. For those who have already watched the series, expect to see familiar faces return.
Cast
Those roughed-up Philly streets haven’t left Will’s psyche as easy as with his 1990s counterpart. He landed in California, where Uncle Phil wants him to turn his life around, and the show got dark during the first season by diving deeper than a 30-minute sitcom could do even if it really tried. Banks is back as will with Olly Sholotan as Carlton, Adrian Holmes as Uncle Phil, and Cassandra Freeman as the updated Aunt Viv (who will hopefully not be controversially replaced like one of her predecessors was). Also expect to see Coco Jones as Hilary, Akira Akbar as Ashley, and Jordan L. Jones as Jazz.
Variety also recently reported that rapper Saweetie will enter in cameo form at some point this season with three actors on tap for recurring roles: Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, and Riele Downs. There’s been no word on whether Marlon Wayans and April Parker Jones will step back into view as Will’s parents, and only time will tell.
Plot
Here’s the second season’s official synopsis:
Season two of Bel-Air picks up with Will at a crossroads as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence. He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season. We’ll see Will and Carlton’s brotherhood start to evolve as they grow closer, but still challenge each other about their differences. We’ll also see Hilary evolve as she becomes more of a boss in her influencer world and how that spills over into her relationship with Jazz, and also highlight the relatable struggles around Viv and Phil balancing marriage and family while trying to forge their own career paths and reconnect to the things that are important to them.
Trailer
You can view the official teaser for Bel-Air Season 2 below:
As one Ghanaian writer put it, “Accra [the site of the festival] is uninhabitable for regular Ghanaians. The only people thriving are the diaspora and the wealthy.”
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Chance tried to address the backlash to the festival, highlighting its successes and doing his best to reframe Chappelle’s comments as a needed, ongoing dialogue. “I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he said of the comic’s set, which addressed Ghana’s anti-gay laws. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, ‘I bet gay jokes go over so well here.’”
“I feel bad that the person in the audience felt singled out or that the violence against the trans community or LGBTQ community in Ghana wasn’t being respected,” he continued. “… so if having Dave there made people feel like they weren’t, that they didn’t have space or that they weren’t welcome, that was not my intention… I can’t really all the way speak for Dave. I don’t want to say what he thinks or what he feels, but what I think I know about him is that he loves everybody, especially his people, meaning Black people, meaning Black people that are trans, Black people that are gay, Black people that are gender non-conforming, people period.”
SZA took to social media to offer Megan The Stallion some moral support. The Texas hitmaker hasn’t said much following the outcome of Tory Lanez‘s trial. Lanez was recently found guilty on felony charges for the 2020 incident in which Megan ended up being shot in the foot. The Candian singer was charged with assault with a semi-automatic firearm, possession of a concealed, unregistered firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm.
While Megan hasn’t publicly commented about the situation since the trial, she did open up on the stand about how the ordeal has affected her mental health over the past two years.
“I can’t even be happy. I can’t hold conversations with people for a long time. I don’t feel like I want to be on this earth. I wish he would have just shot and killed me if I knew I would have to go through this torture,” she said in her emotional testimony.
SZA, who collaborated with Megan in 2020 on a track called “Freaky Girls” from the Houston rapper’s debut album Good News, took to social media to show the rapper some love.
“Just wanted to give some love to Meg,” SZA wrote on her Instagram Story. “Your beautiful, and we’re all rooting for you [white heart emoji].”
Instagram
SZA and Megan also posed together alongside Normani on the cover of Rolling Stone for its March 2020 issue.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The beauty of Scotch whisky is that it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune to enjoy. There are plenty of modestly priced (in the grand scheme of things) bottles that absolutely rock. In fact, some great Scotch whiskies are priced under $50. The best part? You can usually find these lower-cost gems on the shelf around the country without too much effort.
These are all wins, folks.
For this list, I’ve pulled 10 of the best Scotch whiskies available right now and ranked them. This is very straightforward. Is the whisky good? Does it cost between $40 and $50? Yes to both? Good, it’s on the list!
When it comes to ranking these bottles, I’m going off taste alone. There’s a good mix of blended whiskies (a mix of single malt and grain whiskies) and single malts below. They all offer something a little different (some are peated and smoky, some are unpeated and sweet) so find the tasting notes that speak to you and then click that price link to get a bottle of your own.
Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months
Ballentine’s is a classic grocer-turned-whisky-maker, a tried and true Scottish tradition. In this case, the whisky in the bottle is built from 50 different grain and single malt whiskies that are at least 12 years old. Once those barrels are vatted, the whisky is proofed down to a very accessible 80 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice mix of fresh honey and lush vanilla on the nose next to hints of sweet oak and soft malts.
Palate: The palate leans into the honey with a creamy edge as short hints of wildflowers balance against vanilla creaminess, a touch of holiday spice tied to the malts, and a nice dose of that sweet oak with a lightly charred sense.
Finish: The finish is short and sweet and balances that vanilla and honey cream against florals and lightly spiced malts.
Bottom Line:
This is quintessential blended scotch. The flavor profile is broad but offers real depth. That all said, this is all about mixing up a good cocktail more than sipping — though it’s fine on the rocks.
Arranta translates to “bold” and this whisky leans into that. The hot juice is aged for an undisclosed amount of time in first-fill ex-bourbon casks (that means this whisky was the first thing to go into those casks after they were emptied of bourbon). Those barrels were then vatted, proofed, and bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pear candy and honey lead the way on the nose toward woody spices, light leather, and a hint of sour apple skins and stems.
Palate: The palate is sweet and malty with a drive from pear flesh to pit, skin, and tree with floral honey and wet coconut leading to a hint of creamy vanilla sauce dusted with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Finish: The end leans into pears soaked in honey and nutmeg with a hint of old porch wicker and worn leather gloves on the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a nice, fruity whisky that leans ever-so-slightly toward mild bourbon notes, making this a good bridge between the two styles. Still, you’re going to want to focus this on cocktails.
This version of Famous Grouse is built on a foundation of rare Highland whisky. Glenturret peated single malt is at the core of this blend. That’s special in that Glenturret doesn’t really make peated malts — save for the whiskey that’s in this blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Like all Highland peaties, this whisky has a balance of smoke and sweetness from the first nose. Imagine damp campfires, falling leaves, and honey cut with woody winter spices.
Palate: There’s a hint of cedar that feels like it was soaked in dark rum and then set on fire. As that fire dies down, you’re left with dried fruits, dates, and a spice cake that leans into cloves and licorice root.
Finish: The end is fairly long and revels in the soot of that burnt cedar box as an old rum note sneaks back in with more raisins and spice.
Bottom Line:
This is pretty easy-going all things considered. It’s not overly peaty or smoky but there are notes there. Overall, this makes a good base for a smoky cocktail.
This is basically Johnnie Walker Black — a slightly peaty blend of over 40 whiskies from around Scotland — that’s been casked again in deeply charred oak barrels for a final maturation. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island whiskies’ smokiness.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clove-forward spice and billows of softwood smoke — think cherry and apple — greet you on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a vanilla creaminess that’s punctuated by bright apples, dried fruit, and more peat that leans more towards an old beach campfire than a chimney stack.
Finish: The spice kicks back in late, warming things up as the smoke carries through the end with a nice dose of oakiness, fruitiness, and sweet vanilla creaminess.
Bottom Line:
This a nice yet easy peated whisky over a lot of ice. The peat is dialed back a bit but does have a distinct ashiness to it. Overall, this is excellent in highballs with a dry and maybe floral-herbal accent or in a cocktail with some citrus.
This expression is a marrying of whiskies from all over Scotland. 65% of the blend comes from single malts from a “distillery near the town of Aberlour,” Laphroaig, and Clynelish. The rest is part Highland malt blend (from the Glen Moray, Tomatin, and Balmenach distilleries) and a grain whisky from Cameronbridge distillery. Those whiskies were barreled in sherry and bourbon casks with a French oak barrel thrown in too.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with this subtle peaty malt that feels more kissed by a hint of smoke than drowned in it in a malting room with a hint of stewed stone fruit.
Palate: The first sip is “malty scotch!” That then leads to dry straw, very mild plum, the memory of opening up a bag of charcoal, and almond shells.
Finish: You’re left with a slightly sweet straw and a buzzing maltiness that is more reminiscent of a cleaned-out fireplace than “smoke.”
Bottom Line:
This is just good. It works as a solid mixer or on the rocks pour.
This expression from Ardbeg was first released back in 2020 and instantly became a mainstay of the line (especially for bartenders). The hot juice is aged for only five years in both ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks before marrying for the final product. The idea is to give a sense of the quality of the peaty whisky from Port Ellen’s malting house without too much wood influence.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a little abrasive on the nose with alcohol soaking through dried berries and raisins next to a hint of pear candy, woody vanilla, and dried dirt.
Palate: The palate has a hint of smoked plums that leads directly into pear candy with a touch of smoked pork belly buried in BBQ ash.
Finish: The finish is a mix of hot asphalt and soft pear tobacco with a thin layer of salt water calming everything down.
Bottom Line:
This is a great peated whisky to mix cocktails with. As a sipper, it’s a little rough around the edges.
This single malt from Diageo is a great gateway to good single malt. The juice is aged for 12 years — mostly in ex-bourbon barrels and a few ex-sherry cask-matured whiskies — before it’s cut with that iconic Speyside water and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a delicate sip of whisky that leans into notes of dried florals and sweet fruits counterpointed by spicy oak and worn leather.
Palate: The palate lets the spice amp up a bit while the fruit touches on both orange oils and orange blossoms with whispers of bourbon vanilla, dried fruits, and fresh honey.
Finish: The end really holds onto that lightness while fading fairly quickly, leaving you with a cedary leather, more of that sweet fruit, and almost creamy vanilla.
Bottom Line:
This is soft and graceful with a bright and fruity disposition. Overall, this works best in cocktails like a Penicillin, but it’s perfectly fine on some ice too.
This is a pretty unique whisky. The distillery is located in Scotland’s far north Orkney Islands. The whisky in the bottle is a classic peaty single malt that spends 12 years maturing in European and American oak, both of which were seasoned with sherry. The whiskies are then married and proofed down to a very accessible 40%.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a real sense of rich and almost rummy holiday cake full of dark spices, dried fruits, candied citrus, and nuts with a hint of smoke.
Palate: A touch of fragrant honey arrives to smooth out the texture while adding sweetness.
Finish: That smoke pops back in on the finish but it’s more like a chimney smoke from a house a few doors down on a snowy day than a funky peaty smoke from a bog.
Bottom Line:
This is a lovely blend of deeper fruit/citrus flavors with dark peatiness. There’s a sweetness that ties it all together and makes this a great whisky to have on hand for cocktails or sipping over some rocks.
Chivas is renowned for its iconic blended whisky. This expression — originally created for the Japanese market and released in the U.S. in 2019 — adds a unique dimension to the classic blend. A portion of the whisky is finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, adding a layer of nuanced flavors to the standard Chivas.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Caramel and dark dried fruits mingle with tasty pears, soft orange zest, a touch of leather, fresh and floral honey, and maybe some old oak staves on the nose.
Palate: The palate has a dash or two of winter spice next to walnuts and honey-soaked raisins with a hint of sunburnt heather and wildflowers.
Finish: The finish lets the spiciness warm the palate as pear and leather fade through the end.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best “on the rocks” whisky on the list.
Glenmorangie’s 14-Year expression spends 10 years resting in used American oak casks. Those barrels are vatted and the whisky is re-barreled into Quinta Ruban port wine casks from Portugal for another four years of mellowing before batching, proofing, and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose draws you in with a sense of burnt orange layered into dark chocolate and then melted over a singed marshmallow with a hint of malted vanilla cookie tying it all together.
Palate: That dark chocolate drives the palate with a hint of waxiness and woody winter spice next to whole black peppercorns, fresh tangerine, and a whisper of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Finish: The dark chocolate, woody spice, bright orange, and sharp spearmint all collide on the finish with a sense of soft malted sweetness and faint old oak staves.
Bottom Line:
Delicious. It’s perfect neat, on the rocks, or mixed into your favorite whisky cocktail.
But there was another dish that intrigued me. I kept thinking about “Tyler’s Bullshit.”
(Before we dive in any further — this post contains spoilers. You’ve been warned.)
The pivotal dish that Nicholas Hoult’s dipshit character, Tyler, makes is a symbol of how fanboy narcissism (the dude can’t stop taking pictures of dishes) “drains the magic out of cooking” (chef Slowik’s words) while providing exactly zero real hands-on knowledge about the subject at all. Tyler is tasked by the mad chef with cooking something from scratch to prove he deserves to be part of the club (or cult, if you want to get technical). Slowik doesn’t ask for a masterpiece just a simple, good plate of food. After all, he’s in a kitchen that has “everything” so, surely, Tyler can whip something up to prove he’s more than just a blustering fanboy?
Surely over all those years of “loving” food, he’s learned something tangible?
Searchlight
Nope. Not a thing. Tyler’s dish is an utter failure on every level from inception to mise en place — “Look everyone, Tyler’s teaching us an undiscovered form of chopping,” Slowik says, his voice dripping with contempt — to his execution.
“Tyler’s Bullshit” ends up being an inedible dish of undercooked, un-seared lamb chops in a leek butter sauce (that’s burnt) with shallots.
Searchlight
Seeing it led me to ask — could Tyler have made a good dish out of those exact same ingredients? I mean… lamb chops, salt, butter, leeks, and shallots? Nothing terrible or incongruent, right? All of the elements are there. Tyler is just so inadequate in the kitchen that he’d never have found a cohesive dish in a million years.
I’m not going to spoil what happens to Tyler because it’s worth watching fresh, so let’s focus on the food. I’m going to take lamb chops, butter, shallots, and leek and try making a perfectly edible dish with that. I’m not going to dawdle — this whole dish takes about 15 to 20 minutes from the first chop to service, it’s not hard and you can do it at home. As you’ll see, I don’t go crazy with the plating, either. Lamb chops with leeks in a butter sauce is simple, good food.
All Chef Slowik wanted was a serviceable plate of food from Tyler (under the obvious threat of death) — so that’s what I’m shooting for.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Food Posts From The Last 6 Months
I’m searing the lamb and placing it under a broiler for a minute with butter while I sear off leek sticks. While the lamb and leeks are resting, I’m going to make a fast quasi-beurre blanc as a pan sauce with the shallots and a ton of butter. That’s really it.
Ingredients:
2 Lamb chops
1 Leek (white with a bit of green), quartered along the vertical
1 shallot, minced
1 1/2 sticks of butter (chilled)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
1/2 cup white wine***
This is all easy to find at most supermarkets. There’s nothing fancy here really.
*I have to use something to de-glaze the pan after searing the meat and leeks. I would use water but Tyler was literally offered everything he could ever need to make this dish, so one substitution for form isn’t the end of the world in my opinion. The end result is still a “butter sauce” as described in the film.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Stainless pan, seasoned
Tongs
Kitchen Knife
Cutting boards
Whisk
Spoon
Small pot
Fine mesh sieve
Baking dish
Zach Johnston
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200-degrees. In the meantime, season the lamb chops liberally with Kosher salt, slice your leeks, mince the shallot, and cube the butter. Now, your mise en place is ready. Slowik would be proud.
Heat the pan on high heat. Add a glug of olive oil and let heat until it just starts to spit small lines of smoke. Gently lay the lamb chops in the pan and sear until a layer forms on the bottom about 90 seconds. Turn over and sear the other side for about 30 seconds, just until some color gets into them. Place the chops in the baking dish, add a piece of butter to each chop right on the meat, and put it in the oven.
In the meantime, lay the leeks cut side down and sear off both cut sides and the bottom, about 30 seconds on each side. Remove the leeks from the pan and place them on a wooden cutting board to rest, the cut side down so the outer layer of the leek acts as a blanket to steam the onion inside.
Remove the lamb chops from the oven and place them on the cutting board to rest too, making sure to keep as much of the melted butter on the meat as possible. Put a serving plate into the oven.
Lower the pan heat to medium and add the minced shallot and move around until it starts to get translucent — about a minute. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan by getting all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and into the shallots and wine. Simmer for about 2 or 3 minutes until the white is 1/2 gone. Start adding the chilled butter one cube at a time and whisk constantly. Do this with an entire stick of butter cubes. Whisk. Repeat. If you keep working the butter in slowly, a sauce will form that’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Transfer the pan sauce to a small pot via the sieve to remove any bits and the shallots, making sure to push all the juices out of the solids and into the pot. Do not overheat this pot or the sauce will separate.
Fetch the serving plate from the oven. Spoon some of the sauce onto the bottom to make a single layer. Place the leeks, cut side up, on the plate and hit with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and finishing salt. Place the lamb chops on the plate and dab with the butter pan sauce and hit with a crank of black pepper. Serve.
Zach Johnston
Bottom Line
Searchlight
So, how’d I do?
From my perspective, this was a great lunch. The lamb was a nice medium-rare, perfectly seasoned, and was so good with the butter pan sauce that I was almost licking the bowl clean. The leeks were soft and sweet with a hint of sharpness. I cooked them in a rustic style you see in southern Italy and France where the heart of the leek is cooked sort of inside the outer layers once intense heat is applied and the left to self-steam, keeping the flavors amped up high.
Zach Johnston
You’re left with some greens on the plate but who cares when they’re this good. In short, the leeks balanced out the rich butter pan sauce and meaty lamb perfectly. That’s a good bite right there.
Searchlight
Plus, you can see that while my presentation is simple (I was making lunch at home, not serving one of the world’s best chefs), this dish still looked about a billion times more appetizing than the plate above.
The central trio of Only Murders in the Building are so popular they almost hosted the last year’s chaos Oscars. But the Hulu mystery-comedy has always been about more than stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. They score some big names. Last summer it was reported that Paul Rudd was heading to the Upper West Side for Season 3, which just started filming. Anyway, guess what? Turns out there were able to also nab one of the biggest screen legends in modern history.
Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd, and- MERYL STREEP. Only Murders in the Building Season 3 #OMITBpic.twitter.com/kO1wGvLsMv
— Only Murders in the Building (@OnlyMurdersHulu) January 17, 2023
On Tuesday, Gomez took to her Instagram page to share what seemed like a standard video from the show’s set. She was joined by Martin and Short, of course, and there was Rudd, sitting right next to them. But hovering in the background was someone perhaps bigger than all of them: no less than Meryl Streep.
The fact that the three-time Oscar-winner, who is debatably more popular now than ever before, was among the cast for Season 3 was a well-kept secret. It was Gomez who broke it, while Martin shared his own photo of the five hanging out on set.
The filming of Season 3 of “Only Murders in the Building” has begun! A cast to dream of. pic.twitter.com/mvMkJknoEk
It’s not clear who Streep will be playing. A new resident of the Arconia? An old flame of either Martin’s Charles-Haden Savage or Short’s Olivier Putnam? Just a fan of murder podcasts? But having Queen Meryl on the small screen is still a big deal. She predictably made waves when she joined the second season of Big Little Lies. But over her career she’s mostly stuck to film and theater, only deigning television with her presence sporadically, and then sometimes only lending her voice. (She’s done both The Simpsons and King of the Hill.) In other words, when she chooses to do TV you know it has to earn her.
Every once in a while we are blessed with a new Little Guy to become the face of the internet for several weeks or longer, depending on the longevity and likeability of the memes that he (or she!) inspires. He doesn’t have to be cute or even speak coherently, he just has to be 1) a little guy and 2) that’s it. It’s not a science.
You’re all familiar with The Minions that were soon taken over by Facebook moms, or way back when the Care Bears had their meme moment, but there is one little cutie pie who is allowed to come and go as he pleases, just bopping around the universe and returning to our screens every so often, and that is Baby Yoda.
A few things here to note. Yes, his name is not Baby Yoda. Does anyone care? Yes. Are we calling him Baby Yoda? Yes. Are people mad? They always are! So the only choice is to keep celebrating the little green alien and his mighty cup of herbal tea. Baby Yoda (real name Grogu) is making his return in The Mandalorian season three, which is set to premiere on March 1st, making 2023 the official Year Of Pedro Pascal Saving Innocent But Powerful Younglings From The Bad Guys. We can think of a shorter name later.
Of course, we are all collectively happy that our boy is back, though some people are confused since it was a key part of season two that we Mando and Grogu have their teary goodbye. It is explained in an episode of The Book Of Boba Fett, but you know…not a lot of people saw that. But he’s just so cute, that we can overlook that and celebrate the return of our dear friend Grogu.
The Mandalorian (and Baby Yoda) return to Disney+ on March 1.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
(@OnlyMurdersHulu) 
Jimmyfranks
(@sincerelyivy) 
(@joshcarlosjosh)