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Hello, World!
Where have I been? In a word—busy. After a successful run with The Silver Lining, I’ve spent the last five years building The Quality Edit and Quality Media alongside Lee and Lauren. By all accounts, it’s been a rousing success: we’ve built an incredible team and business.
I hope Letter From The Editor builds on the early success and reception of The Silver Lining, following a familiar format for longtime subscribers. With the added perspective of building a new-age media business, I’ll also share insights, observations, and hard-earned lessons from that journey since we started.
I’m excited to get back to what started it all for me — a byline on Substack. With that, let’s dive back in.
Top Track
In the midst of Winter (if you can call it that in Los Angeles), this month’s Top Track leans into the cozy environs of chilly, slow mornings.
Bon Iver made news last week announcing its first new album in over six years will drop April 11.
SABLE, fABLE, builds on the 2024 EP SABLE, from which I selected Speyside for our Top Track. It’s classic Bon Iver: melancholy and haunting, placing Justin Vernon’s beautiful vocals front and center in this stripped down track. Best enjoyed with snow flurries or rain falling, IMO.
Artist Date
Pulled from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, I stay inspired in my creative pursuits by taking myself on an Artist Date each week.
With Oscar buzz building to a crescendo in our neck of the woods here in Los Angeles, I’ve caught screenings of most of the major contenders.
I took in The Brutalist with my dear friend Arielle, and it was a feast for all the senses. The reviews are accurate — it’s brilliant cinema; it is very long; and Adrian Brody probably does indeed deserve the Oscar.
We saw the film at the Culver Theatre in Culver City, which really is a delightful chill place to catch a flick in LA. The much talked about intermission half way through the 3 hour and 35 minute show runtime was a first for me — and I was not going to miss my opportunity to create history. We grabbed bagels at next door’s Pops Bagels (Hi Zach!), and as the second act began, house lights down, I enjoyed my first ever Everything Bagel w/ schmear in a movie theatre. 10/10, would do it again.
Barefoot Contessa Bootcamp
An ode to the Queen Ina Garten, in Barefoot Contessa Bootcamp we’ll tackle recipes I’m testing as a moonlighting home chef alongside tips and tricks to elevate entertaining at home. Unlike your personal trainer, this is all about working smarter, not harder.
In a rush to gather treats for an impromptu hang with her girlfriends, my wife Lee hit up the Larchmont Village holy trilogy of Cookbook, Larchmont Wine & Cheese, and Clark Street Bread for provisions.
But on her way home she passed by an Edible Arrangements on Melrose and the lighting bulb went off. Yes, that Edible Arrangements that launched in…checks notes…1999! It’s still very much around, and I’m here to report a major glow up. Look at these perfectly executed chocolate covered strawberries alongside a fresh new look-and-feel for the brand:
It got me curious about Edible’s origin story, and some quick research reveals some great company history. Tariq Farid and Kamran Farid launched their first store in East Haven, Connecticut, grew the brand via a franchise model over the next decade to 1,000+ stores, and took on PE growth funding in 2012 from L Catterton. Tariq then bought out the firm in 2017. Juicy!
Keeping it in the family business, Tariq’s daughter, Somia Farid Silber, ascended from VP of technology and e-commerce to President and, eventually, CEO in late 2024. Just last week Farid Silber sat down with QSR magazine to spotlight how the brand is evolving Edible for a new generation.
Growth equity strategies aside, we really did love the strawberries, and they’d make a great addition to your next gathering. Extra credit: score brownie points when you bring them as a host/hostess gift the next time you score an invite for a night out of the house.
SKU of the Month
From basics to statement pieces, I’m always looking for quality products. It’s a full time job for me and the nearly 50 writers and editors who contribute to The Quality Edit each month.
So when I came across these rolled t-shirts from Velva Sheen at the well-curated Men’s boutique Wittmore, I was intrigued by this new-to-me brand.
Established in 1932, Velva Sheen is hardly the new kid on the block. This OG Cincinnati based purveyor of sweats, t-shirts, jackets and gym shorts has been a mainstay for a reason. I loved the feel of this recreated tube tee from the late 1970's with no side seams from the first wear, and they’ve stayed soft as butter after several washes thanks to the 100% cotton slub material.
Editor’s Note: these tees run small, so size up one size.
Table for 2
When I caught wind that Kismet was celebrating their 8th anniversary with a special ‘Kismet Steakhouse’ concept, I was thrilled. A sucker for a shrimp cocktail, wedge, and a NY Strip, I live for a well-executed steakhouse meal.
Reservation secured, we had a delicious double-date last weekend. Below is my honest review of the meal.
- Shrimp Cocktail: Delicious, and the homemade cocktail sauce had just the right amount of kick.
- French Onion Soup: I can’t recall a better executed French Onion soup in LA. Better than Petit Trois, if I dare say so. The broth was rich in flavor and the cheese broiled to perfection on top.
- Wedge: Crip lettuce, well dressed, very impressed.
- Bistro Burger: We split the burger, and I’m glad we did. Raw onion was a nice touch to cut the richness of the patty.
- Flat Iron Steak: Totally satisfactory, but the steak ended up being the least memorable part of the meal. Go figure.
- Sides: It was a carb fest at our table:
- The mashed potatoes were an elevated, rich and creamy classic take on something from your childhood.
- The onion rings had more of a crispy panko crust which I loved, maybe skip if you’re more into the smooth floury breading type.
- The glazed carrots were a nice counterbalance and delivered some of Kismet’s signature veggie-forward greatness.
- Dessert: The Baked Alaska was another delicious throwback to family cruise memories; the Blueberry cheesecake was light and delicious with a great graham cracker crust.
Overall the food was fantastic and I can see why the Steakhouse concept was extended from just New Years Eve celebrations to all of January and now extended again through the end of the month. The ambiance and service left much to be desired at this price point, however.
TL,DR: If you’re a steakhouse fan, I’d make a point to go before the residency finishes up.
This month on TQE
Just a few of the highlights from our content calendar this month:
Hannah Baker, LA based writer with bylines in Cultured Magazine, Teen Vogue, Billboard and Rolling Stone India, penned our latest TV Style Guide to welcome in Season 2 of Severance. If I rode a motorcycle, I’d be saving up for Milchik’s amazing leather jacket from Season 2 Episode 2.
Atlanta based writer Bianca Lambert covers beauty and fashion beats for The Quality Edit. In addition to TQE, her work appears in Essence, People, Bustle, Byrdie, HuffPost and Who What Wear. This month, Bianca wrote a thoughtful deep dive into products that both matched her skin tone and were worth buying:
When I started wearing makeup in my young adult years, it felt like nothing ever properly matched my skin. Either the undertones were off, or the color payoff was minimal or ashy. This was an issue across the board, from drugstore products to luxury. I’d often feel the biggest letdown from the luxury brands because, with the price tags, I felt there was no excuse for not prioritizing deeper skin and giving us options using proper color theory to craft products to speak to the unique differences in our undertones.
Thankfully, a lot has changed, and those of us with skin hues deeper than tan can find products that not only work but feel elevated.
In a world where product gifting to even the smallest of influencers is rampant in our industry, we wanted a space for recommendations free of influence from the PR machine. So we created our newest column, Receipts.
Think of Receipts as a fun-things-only money diaries, spotlighting products purchased and loved outright by people you know, people you follow, and people you’ve definitely heard of.
LA based editor Annie Goodman rounds out our spotlight this month with another great addition of Receipts featuring Dianna Cohen, founder of Crown Affair. Cohen has managed to flip the haircare industry upside down by simply focusing on bringing the joy that comes from self-care rituals back into the mix.
That wraps the inaugural edition of Letter From the Editor! I’d love to hear from you either in the comments or via email, where you can drop me a line directly: scott@thequalityedit.com. Thanks for being here.
