Eric Larson, besides being a connoisseur of fine wines, Roots albums and travelling is one of our News Editors and A GREAT GUY.
The Spectator Starter Kit is designed to help you get to know our staffers and learn about some of the things that influence them the most. You maybe might even get hooked!
Favorite TV Show:
The League
An episode to get you started:
“The Anniversary Party”
Admittedly, I’m not that big of a sports guy. I’ve only been in one fantasy football league. Jay Cutler was my QB and my team finished the season dead last. Amateur with a capital ‘A’.
That’s why I was hesitant when I was introduced to “The League” last year; I mean, how was I supposed to enjoy a show about fantasy football? The idea seemed more foreign to me than Charlie Sheen and a rational frame of reference.
To my surprise, though, I was hooked after only two episodes.
The show revolves around a bunch of friends in Chicago in a fantasy league. But instead of focusing on just football, the majority of the episodes highlight the insanity of the cast’s personal lives: cop impersonations, toilet seats made out of cocaine … you know, customary comedy.
Check out “The League” on FX, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
Favorite Artist:
The Strokes
A song to get you started:
“Under Cover of Darkness”
Ah, The Strokes … these five rebels from the Big Apple have been one of my favorite bands since the 7th grade. The memories of listening to their urban, New York City-garage rock from the suburbs of my Midwestern home are as ironic as they are irreplaceable.
Their sound is great: grungy composure with snappy lyrics, fast rhythms and squealing guitar solos. Plus, their lead singer Julian Casablancas was first introduced to guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. at a boarding school in Switzerland — a school both of them were shipped to at age 13 to overcome drug problems. (If that’s not rock ‘n’ roll, I don’t know what is).
The flamboyantly-bright cover art for their new album “Angles” may be hideous, but the album’s first single, “Under Cover of Darkness,” is anything but.
Check out the album in stores March 22.
Favorite Local Restaurant:
Altoona Family Restaurant
A menu item to get you started:
Mexican Skillet
In my four (fine, five) years of living here, I’ve heard a lot of spots be named the supreme breakfast locales — Chick-A-Dee’s, Racy’s, or Randy’s Family Restaurant, for example.
I’m not trying to discredit any of them; they’re all delicious. But the ultimate (and somewhat hidden treasure) of all of them, I’d say, would be Altoona Family Restaurant.
As the title suggests, it’s a quaint, family diner that serves up heaping dishes of homemade goodness. In particular, the Mexican skillet — golden hash browns covered in ground beef, green papers, diced tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and salsa — is enough food for two (maybe three) sufficient meals. It’s quality food at cheap prices; the Promised Land for your breakfast-craving needs.
Check out Altoona Family Restaurant on 2000 North Hillcrest Pkwy, Hwy 12
