The Silver Lining: Volume 006
Musings on living the good life: food, culture, art, and products designed to inspire. Top picks from me to you, every Thursday.
I hope Volume 006 serves as a brief respite from this incredibly challenging time. Sending good vibes, virtual hugs, and wishing you all good health.
It’s a meaty one, let’s get on with it!
Top Track(s)
This week, an assemblage of three very different tracks, with a little backstory on each.
First up, Otis Redding offers something a little tender during this eerie time:
In a cruel twist, Mr. Redding died in a plane crash just a weeks before his best known single, (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay, debuted in 1968. The song went on to became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. His legacy was quite profound considering his premature passing at age 26: he was awarded two Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jumping from 60’s soul to 80’s Balearic, here’s Rock Your Baby from Japanese artist Emerson Kitamura:
Balearic is a type of DJ-inspired music originating in the late 80s that owes its name to its birthplace: An archipelago off eastern Spain known as the Balearic islands. The music started popping up in Ibiza nightclubs well into the 90s. This whole album sets the scene: a magical summer evening on the island. Teleportation to Ibizia sounds pretty damn good right about now, ey?
And finally, Buscabulla offers up a another Latin American track with NTE:
The Puerto Rican born couple has been putting out experimental songs together for several years. After a stint in Brooklyn, they returned to the island to help rebuild the community after Hurricane Maria ravaged their homeland. NTE just released last week, and I hope you enjoy the Caribbean inspired sound as much as I have.
PS — If you’re looking for more music to groove to in between WFH calls, take a gander at my Winter ‘20 Playlist.
Artist Date - c/o Julia Cameron
A few ideas to engage with without having to leave your house:
Longshot — My buddy Brian mentioned I had to watch this 40 minute documentary on Netflix. I’m glad he did - it’s well worth a watch, especially if you’re a fan of either the Dodgers or Larry David. I’m also finding it hard to commit to any new shows, so this 1 episode documentary short was perfect.
Absolutely crazy story with ultimately a happy ending — that’s all I’ll say. Add it to the queue.
Walking Tours - I came across Sarah Pavis’ tweet highlighting some great ‘walking tours’ across great cities and sights around the world. A nice diversion when you’re burnt out from Netflix, Hulu, etc:
I particularly smiled at this Disney park walking tour. I’ve always been intrigued by the Disney ‘user experience’ and how they execute at such a high level for 65 years and counting. Take a look if you’re a Disney fan or maybe have children — it might buy you an hour or so with your kids while you try to get some work done!
Impromptu Celebs Go Live - Several celebrities and musicians across the interwebs are ‘streaming' from home to entertain and boost morale for their fans. My father (so hip— right?) alerted me to this awesome live concert from John Legend:
The late night guys have all gotten into the act with shows from their homes as well. Personal fav of the at-home monologues was Jimmy Kimmel, by a mile:
Barefoot Contessa Bootcamp
Cooking is one of my therapeutic outlets, especially in a stressful environment. Plus I’ve had a little more bandwidth (no commute!) to tackle more involved recipes. Trick as of late is planning ahead to get all the ingredients.
With that in mind, I wanted to share a comfort-food favorite of mine for many years: Bon Appetit’s Red Wine Braised Short Ribs.
It’s best to make these a day ahead, let them sit overnight in the fridge, and then re-heat in the oven for a luscious dinner the next day.
Your home will feel cozy and warm as these braise for almost 3 hours in the oven. It’ll smell really fucking good too. I see lots of short ribs recipes served with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. My preference is to pair it with whole wheat couscous — easy to make, healthy, and soaks up the sauce. Everybody wins.
SKU of the Week
To be honest — I wasn’t feeling super motivated to buy anything this week beyond groceries. But my good friend Jason reminded me of his obsession with McConnell’s Ice Cream this week — and everyone could probably use a pint or two of eating their feelings in the coming days.
I’m a sucker for a great heritage brand — and these guys have that in spades. McConnell’s started making ice cream in 1949 in Santa Barbara and is steeped in deep family tradition:
McConnell’s ships nationwide — though they’re experiencing a few day lag due to high volume of orders as of late. Maybe Jason is on to something…
Table for 2
Infatuation has pulled together the best delivery options as many restaurants have moved to a take-out only model to stay safe and keep their businesses afloat. Beyond the LA version, they have guides across other major US markets well:
We’ll continue to highlight some of our favorites in the weeks ahead.
One exciting addition to the LA list is Tartine’s newly opened outpost in Santa Monica. The bakery has a cult Bay Area following, and it’s exciting to see their continued growth here in LA — first in the Arts District, then Hollywood, and now on the westside. Pro-tip from friend Mel who alerted me to the opening: they are currently offering takeout of their divine bread and other menu items.
Social Starlette(s)
My social feed(s) have definite spiked my blood pressure the last few days, but the following posts brought much needed chuckles:
Get to writing that poetry, fellas:
Shoutout to all my friends with young kids — you are superheroes:
Social Action
The ripple effect in just the last 7 days on the hospitality industry has been devastating. If you have a few dollars to spare, consider aiding the LA Restaurant relief fund. And if you have an organization you’re particularly proud to support, drop me a line and I’ll share it out in a future issue.
Stay safe, be well, and take good care of yourselves this week.
That’s it for Volume 006. New issues of The Silver Lining drop weekly on Thursdays.
Email me your feedback: scott@thesilverlining.la — I love hearing from you!