Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 365

December 30, 2015: Things – it may surprise you to know – I DON’T enjoy doing!

10. Renovations.

9. Facebook.

8. Listening to jazz.

7. Holding your baby.

6. Watching the NBA.

5. Tequila.

4. Beaches.

3. Breakfast.

2. New Years Eve parties.

1. Writing

December 29, 2015: Snowed in!

Hey!  Hey!!! What happened?!  Three days I was looking at this –

This morning, I woke up to this!

What happened?!

Help us, Global Warming!  You’re my only hope!

But rather than let it ruin my day, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to catch a matinee.  Between my busy production schedule and the home theater in my basement, I don’t really get out to movies much – but when I do, there’s nothing I love more than a matinee.  And Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight seemed like the perfect way to while away a wintry afternoon.

Despite the inclement weather, Akemi and I got in the car and made the 40 minute drive (normally 12 minutes) to Cinemas Guzzo to watch The Hateful Eight – only to be informed that, sorry, despite it being listed on their website as Playing Now, the movie won’t actually begin screening until Thursday.

So we went to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Sisters instead.

The moral of the story is – If planning to see a movie, place your trust in Famous Players Cinemas.

December 28, 2015: Snowed in!

Hey!  Hey!!! What happened?!  Three days I was looking at this –

This morning, I woke up to this!

What happened?!

Help us, Global Warming!  You’re my only hope!

But rather than let it ruin my day, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to catch a matinee.  Between my busy production schedule and the home theater in my basement, I don’t really get out to movies much – but when I do, there’s nothing I love more than a matinee.  And Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight seemed like the perfect way to while away a wintry afternoon.

Despite the inclement weather, Akemi and I got in the car and made the 40 minute drive (normally 12 minutes) to Cinemas Guzzo to watch The Hateful Eight – only to be informed that, sorry, despite it being listed on their website as Playing Now, the movie won’t actually begin screening until Thursday.

So we went to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Sisters instead.

The moral of the story is – If planning to see a movie, place your trust in Famous Players Cinemas.

December 28, 2015: This and that and maple syrup!

In about week from now, I’ll be back to this –

Hyperion-8 Gen. Pop.

And this –

Director Bruce McDonald in action.

And this –

Crew blocking the FIVE scene.

But, for now, it’s a lot of this –

Prepping Lulu for her wintry walk.

This –

Prepping Bubba for his wintry walk.

And, occasionally, this –

Hanging with the extended family – in this case, my cousin’s bulldog, Lola.

Today, Akemi and I braved the elements and headed downtown for some underground shopping.  Discovered an enormous liquor store where I picked up a bottle of marmalade vodka for a party I may or may not be attending tomorrow night depending on the weather, a bottle of 15 year old dark rum finished speyside for the Dark Matter whisky club, and a bottle from the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection for yours truly.  Then, it was off to Old Montreal where we practically froze our faces off before settling down for a sweeeeet feast at Maple Delights, a tiny shop where you can sample various types of maple ice cream, maple macarons, maple cookies, and a tire d’enable (that, for some reason, Akemi refers to as pira da bu) which involves pouring maple syrup onto snow, allowing it to solidify, and then eating it in its sticky, semi-solid state.

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2016 will be to cut down on sugar.   Starting January, it’ll be nothing but maple syrup!

 

December 27, 2015: Enjoyable Expressions!

Wouldn’t that jar your preserves?

This one was my father’s.  He used to say it, with absolutely no sense of irony, on those occasions when something would burn his ass (another favorite expression of his).

Shuck!

This one was my mother’s.  I always assumed it was simply her Italian way of attempting “Shucks” until the day our neighbor told me: “Shuck?  Who is your mind trying to kid?”

Jesus Crisis!

One of many delightful Akemi-isms.  As Martin Gero pointed out: “It actually makes sense.”

We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.

He may not be the original source, but I heard Executive Producer Elliot Sokolsky utter this little gem and I intended on making it my own.

I’m melty-sleepy!

Another Akemi-ism.  Definition: reeeaaally sleepy!

Don’t expect your parents or your money to last forever.

This one comes our way via Akemi’s grandmother – apparently a very practical woman.

Wine is for drinking. Water is for washing your face.

According to my uncle, this was the response his father gave his mother when she suggested he should try drinking something besides wine.  Addendum: He passed away from liver failure at age 67.

He’s an expiring director!

Guy I met the other night espousing unwitting pessimism in his son’s career choice.

Okay, the games aren’t yet over but I’m going to go ahead and project a Fantasy Football Championship win for Dark Matter Consulting Producer Ivon Bartok and his Running Dead.  Congrats to Ivon – who will no doubt celebrate by bringing in a pretty impressive bottle for the next time of the Dark Matter whisky/ey club!

December 26, 2015: Dinner at H4C!

The last time she was in Toronto, radio personality Sarah Bartok (sister of far less popular Dark Matter Consulting Producer Ivon Bartok) threw me a few Montreal restaurant recommendations.  At the top of her list was a place called H4C.  I immediately texted my sister and requested it be placed on the reservation rotation for my Christmas visit.  The other night, we went.  The verdict?  Sarah easily maintains her popularity edge over her brother.  Akemi absolutely loved H4C and is already talking about our next visit.

As is customary whenever I go out with my sister, we simply ordered almost everything on the menu, starting with the amuse bouche and home made bread with country style butter before segueing to…

Chicken liver mousse with sea buckthorn and and pickles.  Positively melted in our mouths, like sweet and savory ice cream.

Beets with wild cranberries, ricotta, Chateau de Bourgogne, and za’atar cheeses.  Artfully composed (like all the dishes on this night) but delicious.  The yellow beets were like candy.

Marinated mackerel with cucumber, buttermilk, avocado, and brioche.  The mackerel was not overpowering and nicely counterbalanced by the avocado.

Ricotta gnudi with sautéed mushroom and broth, parmesan.  This one was a challenge insofar as the elusive gnudi proved practically unskewereable.

Louis d’or cream tortellini with confit guinea fowl and corn.  Each dish is a culinary masterpiece and I imagine that the devil is in the delicious details.

Trout with carrots, quinoa, bbq, pumpkin seeds, and squash.  One of the uber-highlights on a night of consistent highlights.

Tandoori octopus with caramelized yogurt, red onions, basmati, cashews, and coconut.  Akemi declared it the most tender octopus she’s ever eaten.  The roasted onions filled with caramelized yogurt were a huge hit as well.

Braised beef blade with Jerusalem artichokes, eggplant, black rice, and sunflower seeds.  The tender beef and crunchy black rice was a  terrific textural combo.

Tomato tart with Brillat-Savarin, caramelized onions, chanterelles, and smoked walnuts.  Akemi’s favorite and one of the best vegetarian plates I’ve ever enjoyed.

http://leh4c.com/en/

Tonight, it’s tacos and more at Grumman 78!

December 25, 2015: Merry Christmas!

Late last night I sent Ivon the following texts:

Ate so much I think I may die…

And if I do, I just want you to remember one thing…

Please delete my search history.

The menu last night consisted of: soup, eggplant parmigiana, cannelloni, roasted shrimp, baked mussels, salmon, trout, meat, various cheeses, olives, crackers, bread and bagels, peppers both roasted and fried, and numerous desserts.  I consider myself fortunate mom forgot to serve the meat pies – and the other half of the desserts.

By the time I finished, I was ready for bed.  Our visiting neighbors, on the other hand, were pretty damn lively and partied well past 11 p.m.

I envied the dogs and their ability to just doze right off while still remaining an integral part of the gathering.

My sis brought her new pup, Kona.  She’s running a DNA test to check his breed status.  I say part Husky, part Rotty, and part Doberman.  Guesses?

Then, this morning, I was up bright and early (10 am IS early for Christmas Day!) for a walk with Bubba and my two gals – sporting their parkas.

My sister came over for the unwrapping-of-gifts, but first…lunch!

Akemi and I prepared our own plates.  Guess whose is which.

Your shameful assumption that Akemi’s dish is the one with the salad (while mine is the one laden with leftovers) only serves to reinforce gender stereotypes and antiquated cultural notions…however accurate.

Then, we unwrapped presents!  Highlights included cufflinks, individual-ice-cream makers, a jar of nutella with my name on the label and these handmade Jelly and Maximus key chains Akemi imported from Japan…

By the time the dust, ribbons, and wrapping paper settled, I was exhausted and ready for bed –

Unfortunately for me, it was only 2 p.m.

December 24, 2015: It’s a blue-green Christmas! Akemi’s Costco capers! Montreal vs. Toronto style bagels! What’s the difference?

This time last year, Montreal was in the deep-freeze, festooned with flurries, its streets and sidewalks treacherous with ice and snow.

This year, it’s more like this –

Blues skies, green lawns, and oh so warm.

I’ll never complain about global warming again.

Well, last year mom declared it would be the last time she prepped and cooked a big feast for over a dozen people.  I was, of course, dubious because she’d made the same declaration the previous year.  This year, as she preps and cooks a big feast for fourteen, she has declared it the very last year she does this.

Sure sure.

While mom was prepping for tonight’s dinner, Akemi, sis, and I were out running errands.  One of our stops was Costco which, it turns out, is like visiting Disneyland for Akemi.  She could barely contain her excitement as we drove into the lot, then was positively bursting with joy as she scurried from the economy-size bun display to the artichoke hearts tasting booth.

My sister offered to buy her a membership, but Akemi refused reasoning that, if she had easy access to Costco, then her visits would be less special.

“So sad it’s over,”she lamented as we pushed our cart back to the car.  Well, there’s always next year.

Before returning home with all our purchases (including about a thousand olives), we stopped by St. Viateur bagels because I’m partial to eating them with mom’s spicy peppers.  These are, of course, Montreal-style bagels as opposed to their Toronto counterparts.  What’s the difference?

PREPARATION

Montreal-style:  “A distinctive variety of handmade and wood-fired baked bagel. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, and no salt and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked.” (source: Wikipedia).

Toronto-style: Basically bread baked in the shape of a bagel.

TASTE AND TEXTURE

Montreal-style: Slightly sweet, slightly nutty, soft interior with a delightful chewy exterior.

Toronto-style: Bread, slightly stale.

EATING AND STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Montreal-style: Fresh and warm out of the oven, they should be eaten immediately or that same day.  They can be popped in the oven or the microwave for a nice next-day snack.

Toronto-style: Eaten fresh or three weeks old, they taste the same – like stale bread.  Make sure to have some water handy because they’re a choking hazard.

SOURCING

Montreal-style: Available at many great bagel institutions throughout the city. Places like St. Viateur, Fairmount, R.E.A.L. Bagels come readily to mind.

Toronto-style: Whether you pick them up at a specialty shop or the remainder bin of your local convenience store, they all taste the same – like stale bread. Seriously.  Just go out and buy yourself a loaf of plastic-sealed three-day-old bread.  It’s basically the same thing.

Off to help mom prepare her last-ever-Christmas-feast-for-more-than-a-dozen-people.  And then work on my tan.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!

Tagged: bagels, Montreal style bagels, Montreal style bagels vs Toronto style bagels, Toronto style bagels

December 23, 2015: Dinner at LeBremner!

It’s a Christmas holiday tradition.  I let my sister know when I’m coming into town and she books a bunch of dinners at some of Montreal’s best restaurants.  Last night, we kicked things off with a tremendous meal at LeBremner in Old Montreal.  The place is owned by celebrity Executive Chef Chuck Hughes with Top Chef Canada competitor Danny Smiles overseeing the kitchen action as Chef de Cuisine, and it’s one of Akemi’s favorites.

We were four and, since we were sharing, I opted for a thorough approach, pretty much ordering one of everything on the menu…  

Raw scallops on the half shell.   Sweet, clean, and delicious.  Given the choice, I’ll always pick them over oysters.

Brown butter lamb heart, remoulade, bitter greens, and slaw.  Thinly sliced with a texture and flavor akin to gyu-tan (thinly sliced tongue grilled over charcoal).

Butter-poached whelks with Jerusalem artichoke chips and puree.  Akemi’s favorite.  We’d have ordered a second plate if we didn’t have so much more coming.

Chips, labneh, lobster rosamarina.  The only misfire.  A pretty plate but the sour labneh thoroughly overpowered that subtle lobster flavor.

Pickled herring.  Surprisingly good.  As my sister put it: “The best pickled herring I’ve ever had.”

Fish sticks with tartar sauce.  This was a revelatory experience for Akemi.

Wild mushroom risotto.  Great.

Rib-eye with new potatoes and sauce aux poivres.  Since having wagyu in Japan, North American steak has rarely impressed – but this was one of those rare occasions.  A nice seared crust with a perfectly pink medium-rare center.

Hake, clams, and maple dashi.  My second time having this dish with its luxuriously rich broth.

Lamb neck cavatelli.  My second time having this dish as well.  The texture of the cavatelli is what puts this dish over the top.

Whole roasted sea bream with rapini and salsa verde.  My sister loved this one.

We ended the meal with four handmade Ferrer Rocher-like truffles stuffed with what tasted like warm Nutella!

Another day, another restaurant.  Looks like octopus is on the menu tonight!

December 22, 2015: Arax Nero and more Dark Matter casting announcements to come!

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, we’ve got big casting news coming your way – most likely early in the New Year.  We’ve already made it official with the character of Nyx who will be played by the amazing Melanie Liburd (https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/november-17-2016-dark-matter-season-2-casting-news-we-have-our-nyx/), but we’ve got a few more to go. In addition to Devon, Inspector Shaddick of the G.A.’s Serious Crimes Division, Misaki Han (Itoh-Shireikan of the Imperial Royal Guard of Ishida), there’S Arax Nero.

ARAX NERO: Male 40 – 50

A powerful prison boss and former underworld figure, he is a powerful force. Cool, calculated, sometimes uneasingly calm, he can be both a charming and chilling presence.

Any guesses here?  Come on!  You know who I’m talking about.  He’s perfect the role!

On the home front today, as planned – less driving and more eating.  Also, more prepping…

Every year, my exhausted mother swears it will be the last time she’ll prepare a huge Christmas meal.  Fast forward 12 months later and here she is prepping some lasagna parmigiana for Thursday night’s 14 person Christmas dinner.

Today, she drafted Akemi to help her with the chocolate cakes.

Slather on a layer of custard, melted chocolate, and whipped cream and we’re good to go!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter