Side Dish, the Affleck Edition

Hello and welcome to Side Dish, our weekly round-up of industry news, hot goss and things you might have missed. Now, let’s get to it...

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• Maybe it’s not Ben & Jerry’s. Maybe it’s Jerry..and it’s Ben. Will he be Benough?

• In this week’s things we didn’t know we needed: Fried Clam Strip Soap.

• A soul food homecoming, Nordic branzino, Alpine frog legs. Peek at Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants of 2025.

• We’re sorry Polynesian. Please pack your knives and go.

• T Magazine tries to convince us jelly foods are back. Meats in aspic? We’re good.

• Pouring one out for craft brewery 21^st Amendment as it shuts down after 25 years.

• Demons. K-Pop. Squid Game. Korea continues to dominate pop culture with the release of “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” on Netflix.

• bon app takes us inside the first Martini Expo. There were mini-tinis, wee pink Gibsons, tomato martinis. Will this show go on the road? Stay tuned.

• Meanwhile in L.A., Punch nerds out on data and margs.

• New York Mag says I Cavallini is the embodiment of “take one accessory off before leaving the house.” Also Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz were there.

• We need to 86 the UPFs PDQ. Here’s how.

• The New Yorker goes bananas for Bong in Crown Heights.

• Chobani is in the hot seat for its newest partnership. Here’s why.

• The New York Times continues its review road trip with a stop at Alinea. We’re getting hints of BDSM with a wagyu climax.

• Meet the Apple-rol Spritz, a crisp cider twist on the classic Aperol spritz. Just in time for sweater weather.

• Can’t decide between that Martini or Old Fashioned? Relax, these bars will pick for you.

• Graza x De Soi are taking over rooftops with movies, spritzes and olive oil popcorn.

• Clove x Land O’Lakes dropped a butter box with butter-yellow sneakers, delivered by a butter butler.

• Dessert’s done, dishes are stacked, guests are still lingering. Here’s how pros say to end a dinner party.

• The TSA might ease up on that 3.4 oz liquids rule. This does not, however, include bear spray, gasoline or grain alcohol. You’ve been warned.

• CNN shares the North American airports we find the most satisfying. Surprise, surprise, Newark was at the bottom of the list.

• You’ll need a Scotch or three when you check into the new Scottish hotel, Ardbeg House. That’s a lot of look.

• Booze cruise – upgraded. Thank Jacquemus & Veuve for the chicest toast in town.

• Raw dogging is so 2024. Meet the “flight pathers,” passengers who treat the seat-back map like must-see TV.

• From saunas to Soho House, members clubs are the new passport stamp for

  status-hungry travelers.

• American motels are back, reimagined as boutique stays from Route 66 pitstops to desert hideaways.

• From the Arctic to Antarctica, pole-to-pole cruises promise penguins and polar bears.

• Hiking and diet food? Who needs ‘em. Wellness retreats are embracing Ozempic and chill.

• Midnight eggs hit different. These hotels prove the 24/7 breakfast is peak travel luxury.

• Forget cherry blossoms. Japan’s autumn maples are the real show. Explore the tradition of momijigari, or “hunting autumn leaves.”

• Once a secret, fall is now peak season. See how autumn travel is booming worldwide.

• Spot Diplo as a merman at Silverton Casino in Vegas.

• Stop and smell the itinerary. Farmluxe floral retreats bring bouquet-filled escapes to the West in 2026.

• It’s an Affleck family reunion in Dunkin’s new ad for its value menu.

• Are funerals the new fashion shows? Death becomes them.

• Starbucks is taking PSL to the tracks with a four-car, PSL-themed New York subway train (the L, duh) through early November.

• Labubu x Louis Vuitton? Not quite, but fellow LVMH house Moynat x Kasing Lung (Labubu creator) just dropped a monster collab.

• Man’s Best Friend says she manifested her 2025 Coachella headlining gig.

• Nips were the star of New York Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2026 season.

• Pierced nails with dagger sharp tips paired with neon polish also stole the show. And that’s all we have to say about that.

• More women are realizing the “lost girls” weren’t lazy or careless. They had ADHD all along.

• Coach cracked Gen Z with quirky bags and cafés. Now it’s chasing $10B, can the streak last?

• Too busy for the patch? Hire a pumpkin concierge to turn your porch into a fall fantasy.

• Forget the golf course. Networking just got hotter, and it starts in the sauna.

• In the Ozempic era of tech, Apple drops the iPhone Air, its slimmest, chicest phone yet.

• Trouble sleeping? TikTok swears by “dark showering,” the trend rooted in science that helps calm your nervous system before bed.

• Vampy girl fall = plum lipstick, peacock lids, cashmere primer.

• GWYN by Gwyneth Paltrow made its NYFW debut, serving chic Goop energy in runway form.

• Are celebs spreading themselves too thin? Hollywood’s brand-ambassador hustle may have officially hit oversaturation.

• The NFL just named Abercrombie & Fitch its first Official Fashion Partner, complete with player-led campaigns and co-designed gear.

• You stink everywhere, according to whole-body deodorant. Ads are selling

  paranoia by the spritz.

• Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???

• We’re not ones to say we told you so. But...well, yes we are. Ciggie inspired design