It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week we’ll pull together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.
MAKE: Panzanella Salad
The classic caprese salad is perhaps the most famous of tomato-based salads, but in my book, a panzanella salad is just as delicious. (And who doesn’t love a “salad” that’s as much bread as it is vegetables?) Made from fresh tomatoes, basil, and rustic bread, and dressed with plenty of olive oil and shallot and garlic and vinegar, this is a simple yet absolutely delicious dish that makes a perfect weeknight meal. (Not to be a broken record here, but if you’re gonna panzanella — make sure to spring for heirloom/farmer’s market tomatoes. Trust me; it’ll be worth it.)
LEARN FROM: Milk Street Radio
Christopher Kimball is an American treasure. Founder of Cook’s Illustrated way back in 1980, in more recent years he’s run the magazine, website, and cooking school Milk Street, which tosses out complicated technique in favor of using bold spices and flavors from cuisines the world over. Their podcast, Milk Street Radio, is in my book the very best food podcast on air; in between fantastic weekly guests, Chris and chef Sara Moulton offer science-based cooking tips, recipes, deep dives, and folksy wisdom. If you want to up your game in the kitchen, this is a great place to start.
PLAY: Deathloop
Arkane Studios is known for making fantastic, sandboxy immersive sim games that give you a billion tools you can use to accomplish your goals. Want to shoot through a level guns ablazing? You can do it. Prefer to stick to the shadows and knock out guards, one-by-one? You can do that, too. Deathloop, their latest game, has already been hailed not only as Arkane’s best, but perhaps one of the best games of all time: a fusion of Arkane’s traditional immersive sim gameplay within the context of a Groundhog Day-style timeloop, Deathloop is a game I’m going to be playing for months on end. Out now on PC and PS5.
LISTEN: Dvořák’s From the New World
Dvorak’s hugely influential ninth symphony, aka, From the New World, is one of the most stunning, glorious orchestral works ever written. From the second movement’s English Horn solo — one of the most gorgeous melodies I’ve ever heard in my life — to the string bass opener in the fourth movement, which a certain composer cribbed and made famous in a little movie about a fish, this is classical music at its most accessible, approachable, and wonderous.
WATCH: Brand New Cherry Flavor
So, a warning here: this show is NOT for everyone. It is WEIRD — real, real weird. Within the first episode, the main character starts vomiting cats. It only gets grosser from there. But if you’re the type of person who loves weird, David Cronenberg, Twin Peaks-y body horror — this is the show for you. Brand New Cherry Flavor follows Lisa Nova, a filmmaker in the early ’90s whose short film is stolen by a washed-up Hollywood producer looking for his next big hit. Naturally, she recruits a witch to curse him — and that’s when things start to get very, very strange. Streams on Netflix.
About the author: Michael Robin is an LA-based television writer and tutoring company co-Founder. When he’s not working away on his latest pilot script, you can find him scuba diving, hosting Shabbat dinners, or goofing off with his goldendoodle, Biggie Lebowski.