Eat, Drink, Watch: Weekends are for upsets
It's been a long week. You're tired. You're hungry. You're thirsty. You just want to find something to watch and unwind only to find not only do you have too many games to choose from on any given night to watch, there is an entire catalog of shows and movies you can barely keep up on. When did our weekends turn into so much work?
Let's make it simple. Here is what you want to eat, this is what you want to drink and this is what you want to watch over the next 48 hours or so of "freedom" you have in your life. Maybe. Have you done your taxes yet? Time is running out to get going on those. Also, it's going to be nice out, so schedule some time with your friends and family to go for a hike. Not a long one, just long enough to say you didn't spend the entire weekend inside the house watching basketball. Or some hockey. Or binged watched all of the MST3K episodes you could find. Whatever it takes to take your mind off the busy week ahead and forget the busy week you left behind. Here is your chill out guide for the weekend of March 24, 2017.
Eat
Spring is here so we're ready to start grilling as much as possible. Luckily for us "something on a stick day" is this week (don't ask us, we don't make the calendar) so we have an excuse to make all the kebabs we want and more now that the weather is getting warmer. Brussels sprouts and scallops on the grill? Yes, please.
Drink
This past St. Patrick's Day weekend we were introduced to variant on our beloved Manhattan, the Emerald. Normally we'd steer clear of anything that says "emerald" in its name out of fear it would be some sort of Midori mess or worse, an Irish coffee topped with green whipped cream, but the Emerald follows the classic Manhattan ratio of 2:1 whiskey – specifically calling for Irish whiskey – to sweet vermouth. Instead of Angostura bitters, the Emerald gets a splash of orange bitters and a lemon twist in place of the traditional cherry.
It's bright alternative to what can sometimes be an overly sweet drink (especially when made with particular bourbons) that's easy sipping for when you're trying to get over your busted bracket.
Watch
Sports
Hot weekend of NHL and college basketball action, let's get to it.
NCAA Basketball: Up to date tourney action for the weekend can be found here for the men's tournament and here for the women's bracket as the matchups unfold. How many more updates can we see this weekend? We root for chaos, so hoping for a lot.
MLB: With the World Baseball Classic over, the MLB Network is back to their wall-to-wall spring training games schedule if you want to get one last glimpse of some ball before Opening Day next weekend.
Friday
NBA: Hawks-Bucks should be a fun one as Milwaukee looks to gain some ground on Atlanta with the playoffs in sight (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, NBATV).
NHL: The Islanders are not that far out of a wild card slot but unfortunately they're running smack into a hot Pens team as the playoffs loom (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, NHLN). Later in the evening the Sharks will look to sharpen up before their postseason run taking on Dallas (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, FS-SW, CSN-CA).
Golf: Defending World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play champ Jason Day withdrew from the tourney on Wednesday for personal reasons, opening the field up a bit for someone to grab the purse (2-8 p.m ET/ 11 a.m. PT-5 p.m. PT, Golf Channel).
Saturday
NBA: We still can't get enough of the return of the Wizards in the East, so happy to see them going against the drama-filled Cavs (what's new there, though) for the prime time game (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, ABC). Hopefully everyone suits up.
NHL: While the Flyers postseason hopes will have to wait another year, the Blue Jackets will be fighting for points as they look to catch up with the Caps and Penguins when Columbus plays Philly (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, NHLN) followed by a rivalry night battle between the Sens and the Habs with all sorts of playoff implications for the Atlantic Division (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, SN, TVAS), Bruins-Islanders in another wild card fight (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, MSG+, NESN) and Sharks-Preds (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, FS-TN, CSN-CA).
Soccer: There are worse ways to wake up on a Saturday morning; so grab the remote for Liverpool-Everton (7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT, NBCN) followed by a mid-table battle of Southampton-Bournemouth (12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT, NBCN).
It's a quiet weekend for MLS action, but worth seeing if the Timbers can keep their opening undefeated streak alive against the Columbus Crew and go 4-0 to start the season (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, RSNW, WWHO).
Golf: World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play continues at 10 a.m.-2 p.m ET/ 7 a.m.-11 a.m. PT on the Golf Channel then continues at 2-6 p.m. ET/11 a.m. - 3 p.m. PT on NBC.
Sunday
NBA: Both Bulls-Bucks (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT, League Pass) and Thunder-Rockets (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT, ABC) feel like we're getting a peek at the playoffs, so have the remote ready for juggling both games at the same time, with a nice Heat-Celtics chaser to follow (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, League Pass).
NHL: After a busy Saturday, it will be good to settle into the usual blood match between the Flyers and the Pens, but inside this time.
Soccer: The MLS is off today, but Man City-Arsenal at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT is the type of beans and toast brunch watch you want after a long Saturday night out. (Note to self, check to make sure we have Heinz beans, bread, cheddar cheese and some basil).
Golf: World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play continues at 10 a.m.-2 p.m ET/ 7 a.m.-11 a.m. PT on the Golf Channel then continues at 2-6 p.m. ET/11 a.m. - 3 p.m. PT on NBC.
NASCAR: Racing heads to Fontana this weekend for the Auto Club 400 (3:46 p.m. ET/12:46 p.m. PT, Fox). It's early in the season, but there's already a bottleneck at the top of the field with Larson, Keselowski and Elliot nearly 20 points ahead of the pack.
Movies
Life isn't going to make anyone forget Alien anytime soon, it's a decently fun space movie to zone out to if you like, so what we're recommending for this weekend is the British dark, dark comedy/horror film Prevenge about a pregnant woman who goes on killing spree as commanded by her unborn child.
Streaming
There is not just one, there are two Dave Chappelle specials out on Netflix this week (along with the return of the rather sweet and hilarious Grace & Frankie), but what we're excited about is Gimme Danger, the Jim Jarmusch documentary about one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, The Stooges. The musical doc shows up on Amazon Prime this weekend.
And if that isn't enough for you, Fear the Walking Dead: Season 2 is now available on Hulu.
TV
Forgive us for recommending a show that isn't part of the usual Sunday lineup, but if we haven't convinced you to watch Billions by now, we don't know what else to do for you. We're pretty far behind on our DVR though what with the tourney, the World Baseball Classic and the usual NBA/NHL watching, so this weekend might turn out to be the weekend we catch up with Empire if any of the games turn out to be duds.
Previously on the Eat, Drink, Watch:
More must-reads: