The Silver Lining: Volume 003
Musings on living the good life: food, culture, art, and products designed to inspire. Top picks from me to you, every Thursday.
Welcome to the third issue of The Silver Lining! Thanks for being here.
I’m Scott Silver, an LA native living on the Westside after a decade in the Bay Area + a few years in Manhattan. I’ve always had a passion for finding and creating the perfect ambiance. I hope these weekly snippets help inspire you to do the same!
My ask of you: Share this newsletter with someone you love. They’ll think you’re cute.
P.S. We’ve more than doubled our readers since Volume 001! Thanks for all the support thus far. On to Volume 003…
Top Track
This week’s top track comes from across the pond, via renaissance woman Jessie Ware.
In addition to producing vibey tracks, Jessie hosts a podcast with her mum, published a cookbook, and is a UNICEF UK ambassador. #boss
Mirage previews Ware’s upcoming fourth studio album, which according to her Twitter feed is set to arrive soon….maybe even this week?
Stay tuned.
Artist Date - c/o Julia Cameron
You might be wondering WTF an Artist Date is. Julia Cameron explains:
Students ask, "What exactly is an Artist Date?" I tell them it is a weekly expedition to explore something that enchants or interests them. It may be a trip to a bird store, to a children's bookstore, to a flower shop, to a museum. It does not need to be "high art."
It’s heating up in LA this week — topping 80 degrees today (apologies to my east coast readers), so head to the Pacific Palisades and behold the gem that is Eames House.
Also known as Case Study House No. 8, Eames House is mid-century modern perfection. Husband-and-wife Charles and Ray Eames designed the home/studio in 1949, where they continued to live until the late 80s.
The interior of Eames House is largely untouched, presented as it would have been in the 1950s.
Skip the the interior tour, which starts at $275. Instead, Book an exterior tour for $10. You’ll get plenty design inspo peaking at the decor through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, plus you get access to the lush grounds filled with rows of eucalyptus trees and Pacific Ocean views.
Once home, you may find yourself day-dreaming of one of these bad boys in your future living room. Join the club.
Barefoot Contessa Bootcamp
Over the weekend Lee Joss — my better half — asked me to make the signature dish of her childhood: Schnitzel. This Bon Appetit recipe made me look like an Israeli Top Chef. Highly recommend putting it into your weekly rotation.
From the German word meaning ‘slice’, Schnitzel is beloved the world over, similar to Escalope in France, Tonkatsu in Japan, and Milanesa of Italy, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
True story: while frying the chicken cutlets, there was left over egg wash I didn’t want to waste. And so I whipped up a quick omelette appetizer.
It was delicious, but had an interesting kick my tastebuds couldn’t initially place. I glanced at the recipe again. “Beat eggs and Dijon mustard to blend in a shallow baking dish”. Aha! New trick of the trade: spice up your morning eggs with a little Dijon. You’ll thank me later.
Table for 2
My closest friends know I’m a KCRW superfan. Listening to this local NPR affiliate on your commute is one of the defining perks of living in Los Angeles. Said another way…I stan KCRW. Did I do that right?
And so when I stumbled into Peter and Lauren Lemos’s Wax Paper in late 2018, I smiled at their eclectic sandwich menu, each ‘wich named after an NPR host.
The husband-and-wife duo opened Wax Paper in 2015, scraping together their personal savings while working multiple jobs in the hospitality industry. They’ve since opened a second location in Chinatown.
Cute names aside — the food is fantastic. I’m partial to the Terry Gross, only available at their Frogtown location. It’s a schlep from the westside, but worth every minute of the drive, especially if you’ve got KCRW on the dial to pass the time.
Save room for their newly added soft-serve, which rotates eclectic flavors and looks damn good:
Social Starlette
Nicole Najafi, a New York based writer, delighted the internet this week with her tongue-and-cheek portrayal of dating each of the Democratic nominees for President. We’ll largely stay away from politics in The Silver Lining, but this thread of faux dates made me smile.
Click through the tweet-thread to see her speed-date through the Democratic field. No debate prep required.
Social Action SKU of the Week
Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming waste materials or unwanted items into new products of better quality and environmental value.
It’s a buzzword I came across while traveling through Cape Town this winter via local brand Sealand Gear. Mike Schlebach and Jasper Eales created their brand ethos around three pillars: smart material selection, compelling functionality and product durability.
The result is a handsome product line of bags and accessories you should check out if you’re in-market for a new gym bag.
Poly twill, a tactile and durable fabric, is commonly found in-store advertising
display signs. Sealand uses poly twill as the inner lining of its bags, a hidden detail unique to each upcycle product they sell.
Postscript — South Africa is a mindbogglingly beautiful place; add to your list ASAP. Safari Scott Approved.
That’s it for Volume 003. New issues of The Silver Lining drop weekly on Thursdays.
Email me your feedback at scott@thesilverlining.la — I love hearing from you!