Went out for dinner the other night. It had been a while since my last visit to Cobre, the self-styled “Nuevo Latino Cuisine” resto located in one of the city’s more colorful (read: skeevy) quarters. In fact, I believe that the last time I was in, I was with fellow producer Carl Binder, enjoying a meal and taking advantage of the neighborhood flavor and a local location shoot to play a guessing game I like to call “Tramp or Teamster”. Alas, no location shoot or window seat on this night so we had to settle for simple dinner conversation.
The menu is made up of plates of varying portion sizes, tapas ranging from small servings to bigger bites. “Hope you’re hungry,”said our waitress after we placed our order. We couldn’t help ourselves. Everything sounded so good. And, quite frankly, everything looked pretty damn good as well. How good? So good that on two separate occasions, we ended up adding to our initial order after seeing our neighbors being served. It reached the point where our waitress joked: “That’s it! I’m cutting you off!”
Our meal broke down thusly:
For me, the high point of the night turned out to be the duck. And the fact that, an hour into our meal, Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok and his hot date ended up being seated right beside us. I resisted the urge to make a surprising situation downright awkward by suggesting we pull our tables together and, instead, offered his date a word of advice. “Don’t believe him when he says he went to medical school!”is what I wanted to say. Instead, I went with: “Don’t order the corn bread!”
Otherwise a pretty darn quiet weekend. I read, studied my Japanese, walked the dogs, and, oh, checked out the following glowing review of the Stargate: Universe opening three-parter by Joseph Dilworth Jr. over at Pop Culture Zoo (http://popculturezoo.com/archives/4368). He has some wonderful things to say about Air I, II, and III, but one of the more noteworthy comments was this: “ Hell, even the background characters that have one or two lines really give their all. It is very apparent that the cast are on equal footing in their performances and they make each and every scene a joy to watch.”
Like I’ve been saying all along, our cast is terrific through and through, and while our main players have certainly impressed, our supporting players continue to step up and wow us as well. Like, for instance, Haig Sutherland who plays the role of the ever steady Sgt. Riley, a writers’ room favorite for his deadpan delivery and brilliant comic timing.
Haig splits his time between television and theater. He’s clearly passionate about the latter and, despite landing a recurring role on a t.v. series, has maintained his stage commitments, most recently playing the title role in in the local Bard on the Beach production of Richard II.
Is he related at all to Kiefer? IMDB doesn’t say, so I’m guessing not.
I can’t WAIT for October 2nd!!! I’ve got a countdown going on my twitter ;D
Nice to see that you and Ivon have decided to date other people. 😉
Have a good evening, sir! I’m totally pooped. Been a long, hard weekend…so now I’m gonna indulged myself and re-watch Lewis, and see if I can make it through the first act before falling asleep. Best scene in tonight’s ep? The oft-uptight Hathaway persuading Lewis to dump his old mattress illegally in a skip, waking the neighborhood, and then speeding away from the ‘crime scene’ amid their aggitated shouts, howling like a wolf. I guess that’s what woodentops in Oxford do for fun. 😀
das
I went to the Griffith Park Observatory today, anxious to see all the new stuff since the renovation. Really visually stunning, and it was wonderful to see so many kids there having fun and learning. I joined the Friends Society, and then nerded out and bought a glow in the dark Einstein tee…yep, just had to have it.
No Lulu plan for me this coming week. Nope, nope, nope. I’m celebrating my 45th birthday, again, for the last time. Plan to pig out and forget about my newly acquired bad knee, osteoporosis, elbow tendonitis, cranky back and neck, and…ah, what comes after 45?
Glad to hear about all the great reviews, and looking forward to visiting your Universe!
Cornbread? You want cornbread, come on down to North Carolina. Spent a few years off and on living down that way, and trust me, folks there know how to do cornbread. Another interesting looking meal. Have to admit the veggie dish did look edible. Do you keep a notepad handy to jot down reminders about the dishes, or perchance rely on a copy of the menu? Do the pictures job your memory when writing up the dishes, or is it just your natural eidactic memory that provides the information? Whatever the answer is, one of the local papers or magazines should be hiring you freelance for restaurant reviews. Loving the dog pics on Twitter. Speaking of which, I noticed that much of the production staff have twitter accounts, and follow one another. How much time do you spend/lose a day going through the tweets? Thanks for the chuckles for the day.
Can you please share why you don’t weight 1000 pounds? OMG. Sounds like great time. Yep to DeLynn, just a little while longer til new SG fix begins. 🙂
Sheesh. No wonder SciFi shows have their own awards ceremonies. The Emmys hate SciFi! Although they seem to be in love with cable dramas and Tina Fey. Not saying they didn’t deserve the awards they got, just that maybe the nominations should be a little more spread out? Gah it’s late…. I’m going to sleep before I offend someone! ;-D
How sad the cornbread wasn’t any good! I love cornbread. Like, a lot. The tortilla things certainly look good. Although the popcorn made me laugh.
Thanks for the pictures! It’s getting closer to airing (heh)!!
Joe, my big brother and fellow fan Bob L. flew in for the funeral, followed by dinner at 410 Diner tonight (homestyle cooking). Sorry, no photos.
http://www.google.com/search?q=410+diner&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
His parting comment was “I’m impressed that Lou Diamond Phillips is in” SGU. I cautioned him that LDP may play a recurring, not regular, role. Gotta do right by big brother, who introduced me to comic books and scifi…!
BTW, our mother was a Southern cook, and HER baked cornbread was unsweetened and sometimes dry. I think Daddy preferred it that way. One of his fave snacks was cornbread crumbled into a glass of buttermilk. Probably ate it that way as an Arkansas farmboy during the Depression.
As you may know, I don’t cook; never learned Mom’s recipe. Restaurants in San Antonio tend to serve sweet, cake-like cornbread. I like it if the sweetness is subtle and no jalapeños are added. Biting into unexpected hot pepper is probably like finding an M&M candy in foie gras.
I hope that Ivon and his date had a good time. I’m sure they appreciated you steering them away from a disappointing dish. Naturally, in the Southwest it’s much easier to find well-done Latino cuisine, traditional or nuevo.
As for your game of “tramp vs. teamster,” it must be a real let-down to the locals when they haven’t been advised that you’re going to tour the barrio, and wouldn’t mind them putting on a show so you can amuse yourself with an unworthy mental pursuit that’s not only incredibly sexist but unbelievably judgmental in general. So much for a level playing field, as long as people with this sort of outlook — whatever their ethnicity, social status, or gender — are primarily the ones who set the rules.
PS: Please don’t delude yourself with the thought that previous comments of this nature have gone unnoticed. — Oh, of course, you would remember that others have raised similar issues. I think some of them took such matters rather personally, and now I can see that they could well have been justified in doing so. And you’ve made some diabolical cuts with that scalpel of yours.
In remembrance of meerkats and coquettes.
Hey Joe,
The corn bread (blue corn? didn’t look yellow) but your statement “I’d sooner caulk my bathroom with it than eat it.” lol
The food did look good (as I guess it does always). Ivon walking in and sitting next to you. LMAO I am sorry, can’t stop laughing…I’m sure he loved the idea you could hear everything said. Probably changed their conversation…hmmm just a little.
Sutherland, I’ll keep an eye out for him. The metal suit they wear is something else.
Best to you Joe,
Cheryl 🙂
Skeevy? Huh?
Cornbread without sugar? It can be done, but you have to go with chiles and bacon as additions. I usually make good cornbread, sweet and light, or savory and dense, but the last time I failed. I accidentally switched my whole wheat pancake mix for my whole wheat flour. Oops. Hubby ate it, but he’s not overly critical. Plus he doused it in my beer chili. Beer chili makes anything taste better.
The food looks great! Guacamole is one of my favorite foods. I can eat it smeared on, almost, anything. I have my avocados ripening in the kitchen, as I type this. Ymmmm.
Cornbread is one constant food we had plenty of in my childhood. Mostly, coated in bacon grease. Everyone here has a “cornbread skillet”. I like it cooked with a crispy bottom, cut open and slathered in butter. No diet with our cornbread!
The promos on SGU are heating up and look great! Can’t wait for the premiere.
Tam
Gilder: Yes, my dad used to like the cornbread crumbled with buttermilk or plain milk (depending on what we had available). Our cornbread is only slightly sweetened, since corn is sweet anyway, you don’t need to add more than a teaspoon or two or sugar/honey.
You heat up the skillet with 2 T. or so of bacon grease in the bottom. When the skillet is heated up in the oven, you pour in the lumpy cornbread dough (it will sizzle). The bacon grease works throughout. It’s awesome because the bottom crust gets crunchy.
I swear, if we didn’t have cornbread and beans growing up, we would have gone hungry most days. It’s the true cheap food for the poor. Much better for you than fast food and a lot cheaper.
MaggieMay: Those additions are great in cornbread but most days we don’t add them in. The cornbread is so good plain, you just don’t need them.
Tam
Tam
Oops, just one Tam please 🙂 .
What a great review of Air. It sounds so good – like a whole new level of SciFi television programming. Can’t wait to see it and just under two weeks to go now. Only thing – no cameo of Teal’c? Bummer. My husband and I love Chris Judge.
Dinner looks great – even if the cornbread was not. The rest seems quite yummy. Lucky dogs (I mean Lulu & company). We just got back from visiting our nephew in Charlotte, NC. I did not get cornbread while there – faux pas. But we did go to Lexington Barbecue – that was great.
@ for the love of Beckett – Let there be light!!! Woo! Thank you SO much!! I’ll put the you-know-what in the mail today! 😀
das
Hey Joe,
It seems you slipped up on your prep for Japan… Must be nice to be a guy and eat a TON of food! I’m the typ of person that’s a waste to take to a buffet… I never finish anything I order… ever. Unless it’s in a cup and from Starbucks! 😀
@Das: ROFL!!! Now I have an image of Ivon and Joe dating… 😯 Well… I will go poke my eyes out.
And yeah… Joe just wanted me to go to bed and THEN post. So inconsiderate. I was up PAST my bedtime, too and still… nothin’. 😛
For some reason I’m really craving Taco Bell.
Trish 😀
@ Tammy Dixon – Actually, a Tim Tam would be even better! 😀
das
That was an excellent review of the upcoming Universe premiere. It makes me glad I’ve avoided all the spoilers and harping on fansites. It’s also reassuring to know that while Universe is going for dark drama, it won’t be the dreary angst-wallow that BSG was.
@ Trish – I’ll never forget Fondy’s words (July 18, 2009) regarding Joe’s dinner with Ivon, and his mother, “Wow…He’s introducing you to his mother. It must be serious!”.
Ever since, I’ve suspected the worst. 😉
das
Das: my brother’s name is Tim (I call him Timbo). Many a days seeing my parents scream our names and get them missed up.
Tam
Coucou Joseph! ça va ? Moi oui =P
Vous m’angez dans tellement de restaurant comment faites vous pour gardez la ligne? ^^!
Merci pour ces photos!
Vous n’avez d’info concernant la sortie de sgu dans de nouveaux pays?
Bisou Bisou
A plus tard
Hi Mr M!!!
Just a quick word to the many devotees of Guinness in Vancouver. Guinness celebrates its 250th Birthday this Thursday and to celebrate, a Global Toast will occur at one minute to 6 pm (that’s 17-59…a bit corny but good) Anyhoo check out the Guinness Webpage for more details to find an event near you!
I understand that Mr Anderson is a fan (he told me so himself!) and also Mr Momoa….I actually bought him a pint of the black stuff last year!
Any-hoo, moving on to other pseudo-SG related matters: Congratulations to Mr Wright on hitting a 73 in a recent round of golf…… Boy, those SGU vibes must be strong…Nicely done!
And finally, loved the review of air by Kevin at Fused Film…..it all bodes well!!
Best to all
S’n’T
@ Tammy – But are you both covered in rich, dark chocolate??! 😀
Oh…and on a side note…I seem to be running a 101 degree fever. Headachy, tired…those (so far) are my only symptoms. I better not have pig flu! I’ve been taking vitamins, eating veggies, staying away from sick people…and what do I have to show for it? Another illness.
I’m gonna follow Lulu’s advice and take a nap. 😛
das
Me revoila, je voulais vous laisser un lien avant d’aller au lit.
Tout pleins de compliments sur SGU et la production:
http://www.wormholeriders.com/blog/?p=1923
Bisou,
bonne nuit =P
sweet cornbread should be called cake.
looking forward to the first episdoe of SGU!
@Otros and Das. Can you drop me a line on email? my computer ate my address list…. thanks.
Hi Joe,
Sorry I didn’t ask this yesterday, but I just saw this Q/A:
Ccdsah also writes: “BTW I thought (from the Trio cut scene) that Jack was supposed to retire? How come he gets promoted? Do you really think making Jack general and especially having him get a deskjob at Pentagon in season 9 was in-character for Jack?”
Answer: As you pointed out, the scene you’re referring to didn’t make the cut so there’s no point in using it as reference.
Does that mean that the rest of what Sam says in that cut scene can’t be used as a point of reference, either? Between the rumors about the pictures Jack does or doesn’t have in his office in Air and the delay in the movies, it’s a hard time to be a fan of the Jack/Sam romance. Any words of encouragement?
Hi Joe,
On a random not, glad to hear telfords not dead. Look forward to his return. Also about to head out on another trip tomorrow. Ill try to post here as much as I can.
Also one thing Joe. Now that I know there are 80-90 people on the Destiny, ive been trying to count how many military are on the ship. Ive used pics and videos and come up with a number/ I count 10-12 no name marines, about 5-7 airforce personell and then the military from the main and reacurring cast. So I am going to say there are about 25-30 military on the destiny. My only question is..
Are all the people wearing the icarus base uniform military, or is there a mix between military and civilian wearing the uniform?
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
@ Thornyrose – I think I found your e-mail addy…lol…I sometimes can’t remember what name goes to which address! That Deni is the worst…I keep thinking I’m getting mail from Sam. 😉
das
Here ya go Joe. An aquatherapy possibility for Jelly.
Awesome review on PopCultureZoo.
Haig Sutherland looks like a younger Donald Sutherland so there has to be some blood line in there somewhere. Maybe Kiefer’s cousin or nephew?
I didn’t even know what cornbread was until I moved to Texas when I was 18. I don’t like it, at least the varieties I’ve tried, and forget the jalapeno unless you want to take me to the emergency room and pay the bill for an anaphylactic reaction.
Love the Lulu plan to getting fit. My golden retriever would be lucky to live to 12-14 years, so I think I’d like a shorter lifespan myself. She is extremely active, too (2-3 mile walk per day, fetching a ball and swimming in the pool for at least 1-2 hours per day). Of course, if it is raining out, that gets curtailed and we pay the price for it with a very rowdy dog inside. I never had to exercise my previous goldens this much (a 2-mile walk per day was fine with them plus a fetching a ball session). I wonder if it isn’t how she was bred (to be a hunting dog).
Wow! That was a truly glowing review of “AIR I, II, III” from Mr. Joseph Dilworth, Jr. I’m newly excited and full of anticipation.
I eagerly await the debut of Stargate’s third fabulous incarnation!
Woo-hoo! Go SGU!
@ Shirt’n’Tie… I like Guinness, but it doesn’t like me. Very little and I’m drunk. It’s not fair. Congratulations on the 250th b-day!
@paloosa… you said, “I’m celebrating my 45th birthday, again, for the last time. Plan to pig out and forget about my newly acquired bad knee, osteoporosis, elbow tendonitis, cranky back and neck, and…ah, what comes after 45?”
Answer: More of the same, sigh… Buck up and hang in there 😉
You are ALIVE!
2cats
Hey, Joey! My great-granddaddy was a knee-breaker for one of the first unions out in the midwest. I still have his metal pipe…so, ya know…you’d better behave. 😉
das
Wow! That was indeed a praise-worthy review. As if I wasn’t excited enough to see the show, now I’m doing a mental countdown and October 2nd seems ages away.
Others have already offered, but if you ever get to Alabama, I’ll fix you some GOOD cornbread! 🙂
More on cornbread.
Cobre’s name, “cornbread azul”, answers the question…azul translates to blue.
There are two types: baked and fried. My mother made both, but I think she stopped frying after Daddy’s 1977 heart surgery.
The wonderful Ronny Cox (“Sen. Kinsey” of SG1) wrote a song about the fried type, “Hot Water Cornbread”. I’ll try to link in separate post.
Having trouble linking the audio. Here’s the lyrics:
http://www.ronnycox.com/lyrics/lyricslive.html
Have to give you breadcrumbs…
http://www.ronnycox.com /click Music /click Ronny Cox Live /click Hot Water Cornbread.
Ronny provides full audio files, not just samples. Please take time to read the paragraphs at the bottom of the album page.
Oh, and Joe…just so we’re all clear…
By ‘tramp’, which do you mean?
1: a disreputable vagrant; “a homeless tramp” [syn: hobo, bum]
2: a foot traveler; someone who goes on an extended walk (for pleasure) [syn: hiker, tramper]
3: a person who engages freely in promiscuous sex 4: a commercial steamer for hire; one having no regular schedule [syn: tramp steamer, tramp]
(Can ya tell I’m bored??)
das
Are there any space battle scenes planned for season one? I am a big fan of sweet explosions…
I just noticed you inferred cornbread should have sugar in it. Where I come from, we call that cake. Ok, fine, I’m citified now. I agree. Sugar is good in cornbread.