Adam Riff™ Clip of the Week

on


47. Lakers fan crushes the halftime card game (Jazz at Lakers, 11-23-18)

Slow week.

Stray Observations

  • "A slaughterhouse? That doesn't sound good."
    Maybe she meant 'cider house.' That place rules." (Bob's Burgers, S09E07)
  • "It's not crap. It's Nick Jonas, and I like it." (Escape at Dannemora, S01E01)
  • "I don't know your last name."
    "Stop. I know you guys are just messing with me."
    "Seriously, we're not."
    "Is it Mantzoukas?" (Black-ish, S05E05)
  • "I haven't sung that song since I was a little girl and went to church with my grandma."
    "You must have been so cute when you were black." (Black-ish, S05E05)
  • "Mom is going through a lot right now. If we make her upset, she could become untethered, like Meryl Streep in a comedy."
    "For once in your life, can you stop being her son and start being my brother?"
    "So I'm supposed to choose, like Meryl Streep in a drama." (Black-ish, S05E05)
  • "I'd never disapprove of pleasure. It's the only antidote to death." (The Little Drummer Girl, S01E04)
  • "I told Salim many times a woman cannot be trusted just because you go to bed with her."
    "And what about a man?"
    "A man cannot be trusted ever." (The Little Drummer Girl, S01E06)
  • "Who are you working for? The Germans? The British?"
    "No…"
    "The Zionists? Are you Jewish?"
    "No…"
    "Then what are you?"
    "Um… I'm an actress."
    "So you don't believe in anything…" (The Little Drummer Girl, S01E06)
  • The Little Drummer Girl Season Grade: C

Still the AR™TV World Drama Champion: Homecoming
Still the AR™TV World Comedy Champion: Who Is America?

Eater's Digest: Washington, D.C. 2

on

Previously on Adam Riff™:

October 2018
balô kitchen @ the block / munch @ the block / broccoli bar / himitsu / ice cream jubilee / call your mother / national geographic cafeteria

The Block is a youthful Asian food hall located in a nondescript Annandale strip mall dominated by a defunct Kmart.

(Munch) is a tenant of The Block.


Blueberry Earl Grey Ice Cream (Munch)
earl grey, blueberry jam, shortbread

^ You can't go wrong with tea-flavoured ice creams.

Cranberry Orange Sorbet (Munch)

Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream (Ice Cream Jubilee)
swirls of apple butter in a cinnamon ice cream, with oatmeal cookies

(Broccoli Bar) is a collaboration between the chain (&pizza) and urban events company Broccoli City.


Mad Cheddar Pizza (Broccoli Bar)
shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, cheddar beer sauce, broccoli, pickled red onions, croutons

^ A play on broccoli cheddar soup.


Street Carrot (Himitsu)
roasted carrot, burnt chili garlic, crema, cotija, chili flake

^ I tire of plays on elote.

Hamachi Crudo (Himitsu)
japanese yellowtail, orange segments, fish sauce vinaigrette, yuzu-tobiko
—Jono dreams of this.


Shrimp Toast (Himitsu)
brioche, sesame, kewpie, tare, bonito, scallions

^ Scrumptious.

(Call Your Mother) is a "Jew-ish" deli decorated with framed photos of Drake.

The Amar'e Bagel Sandwich (Call Your Mother)
candied salmon cream cheese, cucumber, crispy shallots, micro radish, on za'atar bagel

The Craig D Bagel Sandwich (Call Your Mother)
peach jam, cream cheese, bacon, jalapeño, chips, on plain bagel

I wish its bagel sandwiches were better.

Chocolate Babka (Call Your Mother)
—Like a better version of the chocolate babka from (Wise Sons) in San Francisco.

Crispy Pastrami Rice (Call Your Mother)
—It's just fried rice, disappointingly.

Deconstructed Paella? (National Geographic Cafeteria)
—I forgot to note its official description, but rice is served separately.

MISSED CONNECTIONS

(Spoken English) is a standing-only communal restaurant.


Fermented Durian Curry (Spoken English)
spaghetti squash


Chicken Skin Dumpling (Spoken English)
dried shrimp, salted cod, chinese sausage

Poutine (Balô Kitchen)
fries, fried cheese curds, shiitake-miso gravy, scallions, bonito flakes

Ethiopian Hot Chicken Sandwich (Kith and Kin)
crispy thigh, ginger slaw, bibb lettuce, waffle fries

Crab Jollof Rice (Kith and Kin)
with dry-aged ribeye

Bay Leaf Ice Cream (Kith and Kin)
pumpkin seeds

Chocolate de Los Muertos Ice Cream (Ice Cream Jubilee)
chocolate coconut ice cream with charcoal and cayenne

Double Stout Caramel Ice Cream (Ice Cream Jubilee)
goose island bourbon county brand stout and caramel sauce

Eater's Digest: North Carolina Research Triangle

on

October 2018
brewery bhavana / biscuitville / sunrise biscuit kitchen / saltbox seafood joint / clouds brewing / rose's noodles, dumplings, and sweets / saint james seafood / viceroy / rise / jack-tar and the colonel's daughter / m kokko / pizzeria toro / neomonde mediterranean / pincho loco / rose's noodles, dumplings, and sweets / sitar indian cuisine / saladelia cafe / goorsha / waffle house / cook out / guasaca

// Raleigh, NC

(Brewery Bhavana) is a combination taproom, flower shop, bookstore, and dim sum restaurant.


Scallion Pancakes (Brewery Bhavana)
bone marrow, coconut and oxtail jam

^ The jam is stupendous.


Crispy Pig Ears (Brewery Bhavana)
spicy nuoc cham fish sauce

// Durham, NC

Chatham Co. Crispy Pigs' Ears (Pizzeria Toro)
nc apple mostarda

^ Both crispy pig ear dishes are good. I preferred the apple mostarda to the nuoc cham, though.

// Chapel Hill, NC
Chicken Breast Biscuit (Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen)
—(Sunrise)'s biscuits are abnormally bread-y.

// Raleigh, NC

Spicy Chickaboom Chicken Biscuit (Rise)
with boom boom sauce, pickled jalapeños, and crispy onions

^ Not like this…

"Hashpuppies" (Rise)
grated idaho potatoes, cheddar cheese
—Oversized tater tots studded with pockets of melted cheese.

// Durham, NC al fine

Slaw Salad and Crispy Seasoned Potatoes (Saltbox Seafood Joint)
—Come for the seafood, stay for the remarkably refreshing side slaw and almost-chip potatoes.

Hush-Honeys (Saltbox Seafood Joint)
—I don't care for hush puppies or honey, but I enjoyed these.

Fried Lasagna (Clouds Brewing)
beer, bratwurst, marinara sauce, romano cheese, sides of salsa verde and sour cream
—Lame lasagna fingers.

Risotto Cakes (Clouds Brewing)
flash-fried arborio rice, romano cheese, country ham gravy, green onion
—Surprisingly delicious.

Chocolate Galette (Rose's Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets)

Passion Fruit Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich (Rose's Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets)
ginger snaps

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Ice Cream (Pincho Loco)
—Why isn't "honey roasted peanut" a more prevalent ice cream flavour?

Banana Pudding Ice Cream (Pincho Loco)
—The banana flavour tasted artificial.

Cook Out Tray: Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Onion Rings, Cajun Fries, Banana Pudding Shake (Cook Out)
—First time eating at (Cook Out). Its trays are an outrageous value, and its Banana Pudding Shake is outstanding.

Turducken Sausage (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
—Patties.

Gray's Mom's Lamb Spaghetti (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
buffalo ricotta, pecorino

Szechuan Peppercorn Hot Chicken (Jack-Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter)
hawaiian rolls, pickles
—Nummy.

Vegan Biang Biang Noodles (M Kokko)
soy-braised shiitake mushrooms, smoked tofu, yu choi, cilantro, crispy shallots, pickled mustard root, black vinaigrette, chilli oil
—No lamb, no problem.

"Chowder Fries" (Saint James Seafood)
old bay fries, clam chowder, aged white cheddar, benton's bacon
—Light on chowder.

Bollywood Poutine (Viceroy)
house-made rosemary white truffle fries topped with mumbai-spiced chicken keema and fresh peas, garnished with parmesan
—My fries were half-raw and topped with a cheese that doesn't melt.

(Viceroy)'s Indian food is the worst Indian food I have ever tried.

When ordering, my server asked me how spicy I wanted my food to be on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the spiciest.

"A scale of 1 to 6?," I thought. "Okay…"

"4," I replied.

None of my food was spicy whatsoever.

Thai Chili Naan (Viceroy)


Bhaji + Chaat (Viceroy)
mixed vegetable fritters with cilantro, chickpea masala, tomato, onion, yogurt, chutney

^ "Indian nachos."


Kitfo Goorsha (Goorsha)
minced beef tartare seasoned with mitmita, cardamom, ayeb, and goorsha’s spiced butter; served on a bed of spinach wrapped in injera

^ Ethiopian tacos. Injera doesn't really work as tortillas.

Guasaca Sauce (Guasaca)
—Venezuelan guacamole.

Dabuz gives cheetos to drunk people

on


The synopsis kinda buries the lead.

How was I not aware of this show until today? I know it's Canadian, but…the internet.

User Reviews:

The father is ex-police and suffered a brain injury so now he can not talk and his brain misfires sometimes.

The mother designs breakfast cereal.

One son is balding at a young age.

Mostly it seems to be about the son who has been kicked out the band and found he has a skill with Raccoon whispering. He sets himself up as a humane raccoon catcher and moves in with a vet student who lives in the storeroom of a shop.

if you think raccoons are funny, then i think you will really like it

It's no "Citizen Kane", but I've certainly seen worse.

Adam Riff™ Clip of the Week

on

46. Mr. Pickles Goes to Washington (Kidding, S01E10)

Honourable Mention

Stray Observations

  • Charlie singing along to Teska Industrija (The Little Drummer Girl, S01E03)
  • "For terror is theatre." (The Little Drummer Girl, S01E03)
  • "There's the quilt thief – the quief!"
    "Bob Belcher? I thought that was your car… I didn't figure you for a quief."
    "Stop saying that like it means 'quilt thief.'" (Bob's Burgers, S09E06)
  • Kidding Season Grade: C
  • "Um, he says he'll never come back again, but…we have to give up soy sauce and Red Dead Redemption 2."
    [pause]
    "Just plain rice?"
    [pause]
    "Yeah, that's what I thought." (South Park, S22E07)
  • "My hair is an eternal mystery, never to be fully understood." (American Horror Story: Apocalypse, S08E10)
  • "Purple is for royalty, dear, not middle management." (American Horror Story: Apocalypse, S08E10)
  • "It appears as though we're fucked, my dear." (American Horror Story: Apocalypse, S08E10)
  • "Satan has one son, but my sisters are legion, motherfucker." (American Horror Story: Apocalypse, S08E10)
  • American Horror Story: Apocalypse Season Grade: C
  • "I won't stop till somebody explains why the Mario raccoon can fly." (Fresh Off the Boat, S05E06)
  • Bodyguard Season Grade: C

Still the AR™TV World Drama Champion: Homecoming
Still the AR™TV World Comedy Champion: Who Is America?

After many a summer dies the swan

on

John Travolta plays a disgraced speedboat designer.

In a career that has included both L. Ron Hubbard-sized disgraces and unforeseeable, charm-filled comebacks, it has never been safe to bet that Travolta was out of the game for good. But with this utterly lifeless pic falling between the critical punching-bag Gotti and other in-post cheapies including a film directed by Fred (Limp Bizkit) Durst, 2018 may be the year that finally does him in.

Is… Is Devon Sawa the action hero?

Oh, Devon Sawa wrote a film!

"After several weeks, living on booze and chips."

American Playground

on

Don't tease me with "sprayable" if it's just a stream.

I am disappoint.

You know that bit "if nothing can destroy the black box, why don't they make the whole plane out of the black box?"

If Raising Cane's chicken fingers are only good because of its sauce, why don't they just sell "fingers" of their sauce? Freeze the sauce, slice it into strips, bread and deep fry them. Lower overhead, increase margin.