Review: Panda Express Cantonese BBQ Brisket

I go to Panda Express regularly, especially when the Dodgers win a home game. What do I usually get? Orange Chicken. It's packed with flavor, has a great texture, and very filling. 

I generally don't vary my order much but I decided to try the new Brisket item. While I generally don't eat that much beef, I make an occasional exception when it comes to brisket. I've never gotten excited for cuts of steak the way I do for brisket. There's something about a slow cooked and smoked piece of beef that really appeals to me. In my opinion the best ones fall apart very easily and have a good balance of fat.

Brisket comes in many shapes and forms. I particularly love the Texas BBQ style but we can't forget about other styles like the Jewish Ashkenazi dish.

Panda Express's spin claims set some boundaries right away using by naming this a Cantonese item. 

I will be avoiding the temptation to discuss whether this dish is authentic. I can only tell you that I enjoyed it quite a bit. There portion of pieces was generous (much more than any dish I've ever had at places that market themselves as BBQ focused like Lucille's).

The beef was tender and well sauced up. I order greens for my side so having a little extra sauce to season my kale/cabbage is not a problem but you might find this item a bit overwhelming if you had other side items like Chow Mein. I don't think there's any reason you would need to add soy sauce or any other condiment. You COULD add some chili sauce if you're really unable to enjoy foods that aren't spicy.

The flavor of the brisket feels like it is perfect for the Panda Express crowd. You get some American tang but also a little heat from Asian spices.

Visually, the brisket has a good amount of character. It carries some darkness around the edges which reflects a BBQ style cooking versus a longer braise method. A few pieces were a little drier but still had tons of flavor.

I'm not sure what level of work is involved to make the brisket but it does bump up your bill reasonably. If you get a two item combo and only get brisket for your main item, expect to pay similar to what I did ($3.90). I'm not sure when I'll get Panda again as there won't be any home games for awhile but I have zero regrets on trying their Cantonese BBQ Brisket.

I don't know if this should be a permanent item or if it carries the spirit of a limited regular item like the McRib. Panda Express seems to be doing just fine a week ago when it didn't have the Cantonese Brisket and I'm confident they'll be fine if they decide to end its run.

Receipt:

For reference, here's a promo video from Panda Express:

 

The Odyssey: Gatekeeping the best picture format is ridiculous

The Odyssey is coming out soon and I'm excited to see it but I really hate how complicated movie watching has become because of an artificial problem the studios created. I think studios should just do away with reserving the largest image for only a small amount of theaters and screens (some people prefer to wait for streaming!).

There are barely any theaters that are of showing The Odyssey in the largest format (1.43:1).

Rather than having conversions that begin with "what format did you watch it in?", people can actually just discuss the movie.

Do you know anyone that watches movies on a screen that isn't 16:9? It's fine if I see black bars on the side. Just format the movie for home video (digital or disc) consistently with the biggest format. It's really that simple.

Why are we creating a problem and changing the experience for so many people when it can simply be formatted the same for everyone?

Reminder: altering the original aspect ratio can even remove context

Source: https://www.odysseymovie.com/explore-formats/

Suffs on PBS

 

I saw this a few months ago and it is so good! Do enjoy it before this is no longer available on YouTube.

The real star of the 2026 Lexus ES is its camera system

I don't plan on getting a Tesla but I have to give the company credit for its camera system which really set the bar on features cars should include for safety.

Having cameras on cars is now a normal thing for all kinds of features and safety technology. Why not use them to record so we can don't have to setup dash cams that don't clutter visibility?

The Lexus ES also just seems like a great car for those that like hybrids. The all electric model seems pretty nice too if you can manage the range with your lifestyle.

source: Kelley Blue Book 

Ferrari Luce

This car is probably a ton of fun to drive but I don't think this really embodies the spirit of Ferrari. If you took off the badge, it would definitely be debatable who made this car. Does this mean a car designer should some day be offered the opportunity to design a phone? I don't think so.

When you look at cars like the VW ID. Buzz and the Dodge Challenger EV it is impossible to mistake the cars for who make them.

I'm sure Jony Ive worked on this very hard but I don't think it looks very good.

source: theverge.com

Instagram Instants

 Instagram created a new feature called Instants. It's another ephemeral feature because

"we also know that a lot of people don’t really share a lot to their profile grids anymore"

I still use the grid because it lets anyone catch up with me whenever they want. No one should feel pressured to open an app every day just to see pictures from friends. If you want to double check something I posted, all you have to do is revisit my profile.

It's still really annoying how algorithm driven the feed is. It doesn't seem like we're ever going back to chronological order on Instagram.

MapTag

MapTag is a fun daily game that you can add to your routine.

Geography has always been a blind spot for me and I'm hoping this game helps. I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't even tell you where exactly every state is in the USA!

Give yourself some grace though. The USA is definitely a large country. Imagine if state lines were like country borders!