Buffa's Buffet: 5 things on my mind

St. Louis says goodbye to a food favorite.

A good villain can change things for a tired franchise. Take the upcoming “Fast X” for example. After nine movies and very little plot, the Vin Diesel-led action adventure series will come to an end. But before it does on May 19 with the release of #10, the “Fast & Furious” is going to get a genuine blast of fun antagonistic fun with Jason Momoa’s villain. 

I don’t know the plot and haven’t watched the trailer that just dropped, because I am saving it for the Super Bowl spot. But seeing him ride around on a motorcycle looking like sex on fire, and seeing the film is finally returning to its L.A. roots, there’s some excitement for this one. 

Rita Moreno and Brie Larson also join the fun, making sure this one isn’t as hollow and ridiculous as the last one. John Cena and Diesel essentially endured a 2 hour long stare-off, producing zero sizzle for a climactic showdown that was as predictable as rain in St. Louis. Hopefully, a new director (Louis Leterrier) and an old school vibe brings back some thunder for the finale. 

Momoa should help. He’s stuffed with charisma and playing too many good guys, so a change of pace will suit him just as much as it does Diesel’s baby. 

Either way, the “Fast & Furious” franchise is ending. After watching the trailer, I can say it’s a wildly overstuffed batch of melodramatic action adventure goods. Same as the last one... hopefully not. 

It’s not the only popular entertainment Enterprise closing its doors in 2023. Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” could be closing up shop soon, after star Kevin Costner reportedly wants to leave the series after the half-finished fifth season. While most would cry and bitch about this, I’m at peace with the potential news. 

First, TV shows that go past 4-6 seasons usually start to suck. How many stories can you possibly write about a group of characters? Costner has revitalized his career in recent years, so he wants to do other things and not have a single show eat up half of his head. He was a movie star first, and 99% of actors who started as a movie star most likely want to return there before the end. 

Personally, I’d like this to open up possibilities for “Mr. Brooks 2,” a nearly forgotten movie from the early 2000s that flew under the radar and gained a cult following. Or he can explore more star driven roles like Netflix’s “The Highwaymen,” where he played one of the Texas Rangers who hunted down and killed Bonnie and Clyde. 

Give me some of that Costner, and let the rumored new “Yellowstone” player in Matthew McConaughey dig into Sheridan’s world. It’s not exactly an upgrade, but a fine replacement. Or give Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler his own spin-off. 

Shows aren’t meant to last forever, just like any great thing. Hopefully it leaves before its expiration date hits. The Dutton family has endured every kind of trauma and opposition. Let them keep their home and rest. 

Vladimir Tarasenko will now be resting his stuff and residency at Madison Square Garden. The former St. Louis Blues winger was traded to the New York Rangers Thursday afternoon, the first big player unload by Doug Armstrong as he starts a minor rebuilding process for the struggling hockey team. 

The sun got real low for the local hockey team this year, a crumbling started last year and slowly yet surely leaked into this current season. Tarasenko is in the middle of a down year, tallying just 10 goals in half a season. 

Couple that with the ticking time-bomb of a shoulder and his no trade clause (and an expiring contract), and you have a guy who already had a foot out the door. Shit happens when a star player endures multiple shoulder injuries, and that slow disconnect builds between team and player as age and decline creeps in. 

Tarasenko’s time in St. Louis reminds me of Scott Rolen’s time here. A great player hindered by a chronic shoulder problem. If Rolen doesn’t collide with Hee-seop Choi, he could have stayed in St. Louis longer than he did. Each won a title and put up solid stats. Injuries produce the most thought provoking what-ifs. 

The Blues did lose a good defenseman in Niko Mikkola, but gained a promising young defenseman in Hunter Skinner. Along with Skinner, the Blues will receive a conditional 2023 first round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth round pick. If Blues fans are mad about that, they need to have better sex. 

This isn’t the California Penal League, folks. It’s the pros. Armstrong dug himself a hole, and he’s starting to climb out of a self-imposed shit show. The reasons why a guy won’t give a few more million per year to a boss like Alex Pietrangelo yet give a softer than baby shit Colton Parayko an eight year deal. 

Speaking of Tarasenko, as I climb towards the end of this latest buffet, he scored a goal in his first game with New York, ironically against a few of his former teammates in Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn. It only took two shifts, his first goal since Dec. 23. 

Proud dad moments come in spurts, but with my son, they’re a very frequent thing. This morning, he competed in the District Science Fair for his school, Gateway Science Academy. The whiz kid flow is strong these days, friends. 

But the thing I’ll take away is that Vinny and I may have acquired a love for the game of chess. The Science Center chronicles the dawn and modern display of the world’s finest scientific creations and accomplishments, but there was also a chessboard. 

Surrounded by 3-4 much younger and much more adept players, the little dude and I battled Mano a Mano for 20 minutes. In the end, I got the best of him. But this may be the only game I win for a while. 

The idea of producing a human is to make a better model. A good egg. Someone the future needs. The Buffas are doing a fine job. I think. 

Last but not least, St. Louis foodies should pay a visit to Matt Borchardt’s delicious South City restaurant, Edibles and Essentials. After seven years of stuffing St. Louis foodies with French fries and fried ribs, Borchardt is taking his talents to the Ronald McDonald House of Charities. 

After serving up sandwiches as good as The Hill and turning master baker Jess loose with her gorgeously rendered post meal treats to the St. Louis Hills area, he’s going to cook for families in need. A St. Louis culinary knight turning the page to something that stays in the same ballpark yet moves up to a higher level of service. 

While I’m saddened I won’t get to taste food that you really can’t get anywhere else, it’s a good thing for Matt and his lovely wife, Mary Beth. Edibles is the kind of foodie joint that has a bar right next to the register that doubles as a VIP spot for family guests. 

You could be toasting with Mary Beth on one dinner occasion, and sharing a specially made plate of onion rings with Borchardt’s mother on a different night. Like Southwest Diner-another family driven restaurant that produces food love comas-it’s an establishment that will fill you up and make you happy all at once. The edibles are definitely essential at this place. 

You have until March 3 to get a last taste. I personally recommend a weekly visit. Have Mark make you a drink while badass Jen rings you up at the register. The guy with a beard and Matt cook up the goods. Have a night. 

Goodnight.