180 Lunches

  • 26 in 26: Shoreline & Tulsi

    Here’s to a new restaurant challenge in a new year. 26 restaurants in 2026, all captured on a new project page. The simple math of keeping up with a new restaurant every two weeks was never lost on us last year. But, we also didn’t do a great job monitoring our pace. Something we endeavor to do better this year.

    Shoreline

    We don’t get a ton of great restaurants in our neck of the woods. So it is almost criminal it took us this long to visit Shoreline. A seafood market first, a lunch spot second, and potentially a dinner spot later this year? The crab roll, sticky rice fries, and grilled salmon salad were all excellent choices.

    Tulsi Indian Cuisine

    Walking up and down Carytown over the years I’ve clocked plenty of restaurants that we’ve never been to. So the “new to us” stipulation of this years challenge is part of the joy of dining out. Turns out Tulsi has killer Indian dishes that we could have/should have been enjoying this whole time. My lamb palak in particular was delicious.

  • Bad Bunny

    “Hey, have you heard of this Bad Bunny guy? His songs are pretty good” was the Dad joke that elicited teen eyes rolling in our house the week before the Super Bowl. In all honesty, not until that time had I really given it a try. I’m a non-Spanish speaking man in his 40s, that made a pact with the music devil in the late 80s to exclusively listen to rap and hip hop.

    That said, Bad Bunny is making some pretty damn good music. Turn it up in your car or home and watch as everyone present starts to uncontrollably nod and then eventually dance. It’s a fun time.

  • My Favorite Lyrics with Devon Walker

    I was a fan of Devon Walker on SNL, but didn’t know any of his other work until Langston Kerman and David Gborie guested on his podcast. Now I listen most weeks, I dug into his old stand up, and tune in when his name pops up.

  • Best Games: Absolum

    Best Games of the 2020’s is back with the first game in 2026. Well a 2025 released game and this post is 2026. Also, a proper skateboard sequel, that did it better on every front, is off the list.

    Absolum(2025) goes on at 40

    There are a lot of modern beat ’em up games out there. From recent entries like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to first wave games like 2008’s Castle Crashers. Those feel modern and were really fun to play, but not reimagined or innovative. Not till Absolum last year did we really experience a new twist to the formula.

    Absolum is a fantasy beat ’em up that looks great. A hand drawn design feel and a world that feels alive. What it brings new is very similar to what Hades has accomplished twice now. Replay-ability and narrative hooks. They infuse the start, fail, reset, and start again loop with a story that unravels around it and character progression.

    The story is interesting, the NPCs and characters are compelling, and the map evolves and branches the more you play. Throw online and couch co-op into the pot and you have a very interesting game. It only falls into the lower half of the list because I rolled credits at 20-ish hours and I didn’t feel as compelled to keep playing for post credit. Thought it looks to have a lot more on offer after that.

    OlliOlli World (2022) is a fantastic evolution of the original 2014 game. Every aspect matured to really bring together a fun game and realization of the concept.

  • Predator Badlands & VFX

    I’ve been eagerly awaiting Dan Trachtenberg‘s third Predator entry. After Prey and Killer of Killers where so great, I wanted more fresh takes on this world. We waited for it to hit streaming and then caught it on a snowed in weekend in late January. It was worth the wait, fun action, a story that isn’t just a back drop to that action, and some comedy to balance out the self seriousness. Also killer visual and practical effects, costumes, etc.

    Between Alien: Earth, Alien: Romulus, and these new predator movies I’m a really enjoying this generation the franchises. Where prior to the 2020’s, I’d have told you that all of it was bad since the original films. Well maybe, I never saw Aliens vs Predator – Requiem in 2007.

    Bonus & Big Spoilers: Corridor had on a guest from Weta FX to break down some of the VFX (visual effects). It is great, but heavy on spoilers, I’d highly recommend the movie first if you haven’t.

  • Solanke Scorpion

    Having Dominic Solanke back on the field feels like a foothold for Spurs to climb out of the hole they are in. Watching him score a firecracker of a scorpion kick against City was a moment of sunlight a gloomy season. The Frank era Spurs are currently just as bad as last seasons Postecoglou Spurs. It doesn’t feel the same, but the table tells no lies:

    PlaceSeasonWLDGDPts.
    14’24-2583131127
    14’25-26789229

    That said, this has been a season plagued by injuries and I generally like the tactics Frank deploys. Spurs started the season without Maddison, Kulusevski, and Solanke has been out since October. The list of first team players in and out of the line up is a big wet blanket to what Frank is trying to do, and I hope he gets the time this season and next to do it.

  • LaRussell is having fun

    Bay area rapper LaRussell is independent, making music his way, and always seems to be having the best time doing it. He is heavily influenced by the Bay sound, think E-40 or Mac Dre, but with his own 2020’s take on it. Add to that he host concerts at his childhood home (seen in the video above) and sold his most recent album direct to fans with a pay what you want model.

  • The Diplomat & Primal

    The Diplomat

    This is not usually the kind of show I bring to wife. But we were captive in a hotel room for a soccer weekend away and needed something to watch. We end up watching the first 3 episodes and coming home to zip through season one. A smart, no nonsense, but sometimes too smart and no nonsense for her own good ambassador lands in a diplomatic pressure cooker. All of the writing and acting is great.

    Primal

    Everywhere I look this is listed as Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal. A name I didn’t know at first glance, but he’s the Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars guy. Primal is very adult, by comparison to those titles, action horror animated series that has no dialogue. Just a cave man and his dinosaur friend surviving in a brutal world. It looks gorgeous and the emotion it can convey with no words is impressive. The only reason it popped up on my radar, is the third season just started airing after a four year hiatus.

  • What Now? w/ John Oliver

    What Now? is a podcast I’m aware of, but don’t listen to regularly. No shade, there are so many fish in that sea and only so many hours in a day. That said if you wanted to spend two great hours with Trevor Noah, Eugene Khoza, and John Oliver this is a good way to start. That’s a long listen, but I cracked up in the car, cooking in the kitchen, and on the treadmill at the gym.

    Bonus for the real ones…John Oliver on his annual Men in Blazers episode.

  • ABCs: Native Plate, The Roosevelt, & 1870

    I’m late on closing out the 2025 ABC challenge and also ashamed to share that we did not complete it. We missed it by two letters (K and V) and even had places ready to go during the holiday break. Then I threw my back out at the gym on Dec 27th and we scraped our plans because I couldn’t walk or sit up for a week.

    We are doing another restaurant challenge in 2026, but for now some quick thoughts on letters N, R, and “X”:

    Native Plate

    A wide variety of Asian cuisine + street food inspired options on the menu. We liked the vibe, food, and prices. All of it worked. If this place was just slightly closer we’d probably be regulars. It felt approachable, not like the spot for a special event, but a “you know where we haven’t been a while, we should go there tonight”.

    The Roosevelt

    Church Hill is the real MVP of our 2025 challenge. We couldn’t close out the year without hitting this staple that was on the list since January. It didn’t disappoint. Southern cuisine expertly elevated. But definitely a “fancy” date night spot. Get a reservation and give it a try.

    1870

    Good, but not great was the through line for every course we had at 1870. Cocktails a little too bland, appetizers a little underwhelming, and mains not completely in concert with each other. If we got invited to return by someone I’d be happy to go, but for the price tag, it isn’t a place I’d pick again.