Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

March 3, 2011: Gauntlet! The dish on that super-secret restaurant! And lunch at Refuel!

·

, ,

I was in the office today to watch the Day 1 mix of episode #220, Gauntlet.  And what a mix it was!  We had a grand total of two notes, and they were mere looping issues. Carl, who also had two notes, emailed them our way this morning.  They were: “31:00  Music cue over this montage is awesome.  40:40  Music cue over end of show montage is awesome.”  A terrific job by all involved, and an extra special thank you to composer Joel Goldsmith for his always excellent work.  The visual effects for this episode are almost complete (kudos to Mark Savela and co.) and they are incredible.  It’s a spectacular yet poignant season ender.  Hopefully, by the time its airs, we’ll have definite word on a potential movie or two. If it’s a go and fans can look forward to a proper end to Destiny’s mission, then Gauntlet will certainly set the stage for a grand conclusion.  If, on the other hand, things don’t pan out and Gauntlet does turn out to be the bittersweet finale, fans will be thrilled, touched, heartbroken – and left to wonder what could have been.

And Imagine Greater.

On our way out, Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Savela re-enacts the final outstanding VFX sequence from The Hunt.

Look at what I received in the mail today…

No, not HER.  The card she’s holding.

It’s a “looking forward to your dining with us” from E by Jose Andres, the intimate, super-secret restaurant we’ll be visiting in Vegas next week.  How super-secret?  Well, in order to get a reservation, you must contact them through a secret email address which is apparently known to only two dozen people at any one time.  Well, I’ve heard that whenever someone new learns the address, one of the versed insiders develops a sudden case of limited amnesia or disappears under mysterious circumstances.  Still, even knowledge of the secret email address does not guarantee a reservation UNLESS a very specific procedure is followed, a series of steps too complicated to go into but comprised of (among other things): a secret knock, a coded message, a cryptic ad in the Livestock section of the New York Post classifieds, two seemingly chance encounters, and a random alias derived from an approved list of 19th female authors (Harriet Beecher Stowe at your service).

This is gonna be fun!

Today, we hit Refuel for a marvelous lunch –

crispy pork cheek terrine with broccoli, roasted almonds, and a fried egg
bucatini all'amatriciana with cured pork and tomato sauce.
bc spot prawns with butternut squash ravioli, brown butter, and lemon.

Tonight, my farewell tour continues as I head out for dinner with my longtime nemesis, Ashleigh.

warm sugar pie with pear purée and vanilla ice cream

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

33 responses

  1. Don Avatar
    Don

    This might seem like a given but I’ll ask anyway.

    Do you think that a decision on SGU movies being made
    will largely be decided by the ratings on the back half of season 2?

    Reply
  2. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    Ok, let’s see if I can be the first reply tonight. Good to know that Gauntlet has turned out well. I will be looking forward to hearing whether a movie is a go or not. Hubby and I watched Resurgence this afternoon. He reminded me that he had never seen it because he had still been in the hospital from his surgery. He really enjoyed it, and we are both very much looking forward to Monday evening.

    Loved your food pictures. I told hubby that when we can go to regular restaurants again, I want to try some new foods. Yes, Joe, you have inspired me. 🙂

    Have fun on the next part of your farewell tour.

    Reply
  3. pg15 Avatar
    pg15

    I almost busted a gut laughing at the fact that, after mentioning Ashleigh, instead of showing a picture of her, you show a picture of a pie. It’s like, Joe’s nemesis is a pie. Of course! LOL.

    But…*sigh* reading the stuff about Gauntlet is just depressing. Given the hints dropped about the last 10 episodes, it’s already looking more amazing than the previous 10 and the 20 before that, with this season/series ender potentially topping them all, and then…nothing? Sure, there may be movies, but, to be blunt, that’s what we heard after Atlantis. The show ending on a high note may be pretty Awesome, but it would also remind us of what could be.

    Like I said before, I hope, hope, hope that Brad scores a victory on this, for all of us.

    Reply
  4. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    Ooooooh! I’m looking forward to hearing about your dining experience at the super secret restaurant!

    Thanks to Akemi for sharing the recipe: I think I’m going to try it this weekend!

    Joe: you keep taunting us with images of sugar pies with ice cream. What the heck is a sugar pie?

    Reply
  5. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Maybe Ashleigh could coordinate your move to Toronto. She is an Executive Assistant, correct? They can usually get anything done. Has she found another job yet?

    Reply
  6. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Gosh going to miss all the people you worked with, especially Ashleigh. Sure you can’t take her with you?

    Hope you are making headway on the housing.

    Reply
  7. Deni Avatar
    Deni

    Hi Joe, I thought I’d posted a thank you to all of you, but can’t seem to find it. To you, as always, thanks for the dedication, so sweet of you to care for all of us. To everyone else who commented, thanks so much for your kind words and virtual hugs – they mean a lot. 🙂

    Reply
  8. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    SGU news — possible movie options. That would be cool. Have a great time tonight. In 2 hours no more food or water for me. It’s then that I will suddenly get very thirsty and hungry. The games the mind can play.

    Reply
  9. hal ehrlich Avatar
    hal ehrlich

    WE WANT MOVIES!!! WE WANT MOVIES!!!
    I don’t know if you know this or not but today they had a marathon of season 2.0 on SYFY. Thisis the second time in about a month that they have done an SGU marathon..
    I have also seen quite a few ads running on SYFY about the season starting back up.
    I wish they would have put this much effort into advertising SGU in the past.
    I don’t understand that now that they decided to cancel, why are they advertising the show more than they ever have ?
    I wonder….
    I bet this second half of the season is going to be awesome!
    I already can’t wait until Monday!!!!
    I already made plans to get out of school early so I can watch it at 10 pm.
    Take Care!

    Reply
  10. Stentor Avatar
    Stentor

    Hey Joe, any idea what time the Thomas Haas store on Broadway closes on a Wednesday night?

    Reply
  11. Airelle Avatar
    Airelle

    Joe I hope you know the secret handshake and have your decoder ring at the ready. Sounds really special for them to actually send you a looking forward to… How cool is that!. I hope it is everything you imagined it will be. Akemi is a cutie. oh and Mark also, and food pictures, thanks. Will you have an assistant to help you out in TO.? Won’t be an ASHLEIGH, but what can I say.. Wonder if they will look at you funny or even let you take pictures at the restaurants in Vegas.. The adventure continues…

    Reply
  12. Sg1efc Avatar
    Sg1efc

    Yep, what “pg15” said. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Are you sure that’s not a picture of a distraught Mark Savela saying, “Joe, I’m gonna miss you so much! Come here and give me a hug!”

    Reply
  14. hal ehrlich Avatar
    hal ehrlich

    A Question for the mailbag:
    I was wondering if you guys have thrown any ideas around for another incarnation of Stargate ?
    just curious becuase I bet that SGU was not the last version of Stargate that you guys were going to do.
    Hopefully after SGU somehow gets completed we can look forward to another show.

    Reply
  15. DP Avatar
    DP

    Guess what I made.

    http://s1108.photobucket.com/albums/h409/cobbler2/?action=view&current=whatImade.jpg

    Reply
  16. jreeths Avatar
    jreeths

    Thanks for making me look insane. I laughed so hard at your ‘Imagine Greater’ dig I got strange looks. My roommates thought I had a mental breakdown due to midterms. I tried explaining it, but that made me look even crazier.

    Luckily, my last class of the week is a sci-fi/fantasy english class. They’ll understand there; it’s a room full of nerds.

    Reply
  17. for the love of Beckett Avatar
    for the love of Beckett

    Hate to start thinking about the end, but the 2nd half of SGU starts airing Monday in the U.S. Watching will be hard, but you can’t not watch, right? *sniff!* Am glad that we all will be watching these episodes “together.” Joe, we’re going to need those broad shoulders of yours. 🙂

    All these scrumptious food pictures (and recipes) to look at, and darling doggies pics, too. They’ve been a big treat. Does Jelly have her modeling contract ready?

    Things have been a little sketchy here this week. Sassy Dad is having scary eye problems. He called the eye surgeon at home tonight, and we’re going to try to get him in for an appt. somewhere Friday, before the weekend starts. There’s a brown fog clouding the vision in his “distance eye.” Vertical and horizontal surfaces are also wavy. We’re hoping it isn’t a wet/bleeding problem inside the eye, as Dad also takes blood thinners to prevent blood clots. Staying positive and keeping our fingers crossed…

    Reply
  18. RFVdevil Avatar
    RFVdevil

    Hey Joe,

    Did Syfy hint at the “cliff hanger” in their 2.5 press release by stating Destiny will be left adrift at season’s end? Thus leaving things open with fans left wondering how they’re going to get out of this one, but also serving as a conclusion should the movies not get made?

    At least, that’s the impression I was left with upon reading the presser.

    Glad to hear we might not get one, but two movies!

    🙂

    Reply
  19. cherluvya Avatar
    cherluvya

    Hey Joe,

    Your blog is sooOOoooOoo much better than ANY magazine. I so LOVE your show-n-tell. Thank you for the picture of Mark (he always ROCKS) and the food is to die for. Where I live…there isn’t one place that delivers food…BUT…there is ONE place…that has a real chef. I’ve eaten there once…and it was as good as your’s looks. The chef grew up here and after training in Europe returned to this tiny town.

    My QUESTION for the Mail Bag: I read a tweet from @Syfy on March 1st that said:

    @Syfy Theoretically a huge, consistent rating for the final 10 might open discussions for some kind of continuation.

    Is that what the movie decision is waiting on? I was shocked that they even made a statement of the possibility of doing something! They so confuse me.

    Thought maybe it was a mistake…because I never have seen anyone talk about the tweet…I guess I could have missed reading you or someone else talking about it. Well Patrick Gilmore did RT it..I guess he is someone…but he back-tracks and deletes half of what he tweets…so it probably isn’t there to see. *goes to look* Yep…he did delete it…so HE doesn’t count.

    I promise NOT to be nudge about SGU…but I was wondering.

    Oh…do we get a “weird food” video from when you clean out your fridge and cupboards for the move? You haven’t done one for awhile AND if you move…you won’t be taking the weird stuff with..or will you? hmmmm

    Best to you Joe,
    Always,
    Cheryl 🙂

    P.S. Yes…I know…I am Chatty Cathy today. *smiles*

    Reply
  20. Simon Avatar
    Simon

    You tease!

    Counting down the days until SGU’s return – can’t wait to see some more Destiny!

    Reply
  21. E Avatar
    E

    I just can’t bring myself to get hyped. It’s a bittersweet feeling already, unfortunately more bitter than sweet…

    A two-part movie doesn’t sound that bad. Sure, it wouldn’t top a season or three, but three hours might just be enough to tell an awesome ending without rushing things too much.

    Reply
  22. Thornyrose Avatar
    Thornyrose

    Well, a movie would be a nice consolation prize. But honestly, I would rather see SGA Extinction go into production before a SGU movie. Ideally we’d see all three of the franchise shows live on in movie form, with my preferred order SGA, SGU, then SG-1. But I’m not counting on syfy to step up and ask for the movies, so I can only hope ther is a sci fi fan in a position of power in another network who would be interested.
    I hope the secret restaurant will at least let you take pictures of the dishes, if not of the decor. With all that hype, I doubt the food can live up to expectations. Even if that’s the case, you can still have fun with the experience of going there.
    Food looks delicious as usual. My thanks, and enjoy the Vegas outing. I’ll be counting on you for a list of places to check out the next time I get out that way.

    Reply
  23. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    @Did Syfy hint at the “cliff hanger” in their 2.5 press release by stating Destiny will be left adrift at season’s end?

    That could mean anything. It could mean Destiny has a huge battle between Galaxies and is left without the power to jump to FTL thus the crew goes into stasis.

    Or it could mean the crew decide once and for all to follow Destinys mission, and Destiny does more than drift around in space for all eternity till she reaches the end of her journey.

    2 Definitions of Adrift

    -Drifting or floating freely; not anchored.
    -Without direction or purpose

    Reply
  24. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    Wait a second….. Monday? They moved it to Monday? And put it at 9 p.m. opposite Castle, one of the only shows I still watch on a regular basis? (what can I say? I’m a sucker for Nathan Fillion) *sigh* Don’t know who is in change of SyFy scheduling, but they sabotaged me again!

    Well, at least HBO has cooperated so far by putting “A Game of Thrones” on Sunday night. Beginning April 17th. w00t!

    And, for the record, I agree with pg15; I get all melancholic just thinking about the last SGU episodes.

    Reply
  25. Tammy Dixon Avatar
    Tammy Dixon

    Will you have to sign a non-disclosure before dining at the super-secret restaurant?

    Reply
  26. Duptiang. Avatar
    Duptiang.

    I wait in GREAT anticipation for any positive news regarding movies of the SG franchise. While a movie is not quite as satisfying as a season of episodes, as I paraphrase Robert Cooper from his commentary in Unending, it is still a joy because it is a robust medium for story telling. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with the ratings due to my cableless existence. But, with digital broadcasts I do not see why more stations, or cable networks to not take greater advantage of this medium (back to the numbers game).

    Wish I could help you with your move with your dogs. While I work with an airline, you only know me through this blog. I know my mother, as senior as she is, travels back and forth from her southern winter roost to her northern “estate” each year with her pooch. Maybe a road trip could be the answer, as well as offering a degree of inspiration and a less anxious experience for your pooches. It helped Neil Peart write a book. Hey, I think Alex Lifeson likes to do some acting too. I am certain you will have it all worked out. You have many options.

    Those pictures from Refuel are really increasing my desire to visit YVR. I might call it “Restaurants of the SGC” trip. Would like to know what special food the secret restaurant offers (Will they allow you to take pictures?). I will go to my local Irish Pub and have a glass of Lagavulin (neat) to wish you a fine dining experience.

    Reply
  27. Quade Avatar
    Quade

    Joe seeing as you have a background in TV, I was wondering.

    1) What ever happened to the 20+ episodes per season, 1 new episode a week excluding holidays & December format?
    2) Do you think the change from that format to this new “mid-season hiatus”, airing episodes sporadicly through the year is what is actually hurting the TV industry?

    I remember when I was a kid and we KNEW that at 7o’clock our show would be on. Now it’s hit or miss, even the Guide on the cable box gets it wrong now and again. Now with all the time shifting, day changing, 12+week mid season breaks, is it really a surprise that fans are PVRing or finding other means to watch their shows? I gave up on my PVR because it would record the show and when I went to watch it, it was something completely different!! Recently I have resorted to watching shows on demand on my computer from their websites, which might i say is less than ideal.

    Reply
  28. Joan001 Avatar
    Joan001

    Randomness said, “…2 Definitions of Adrift

    -Drifting or floating freely; not anchored.
    -Without direction or purpose”

    —————————————–

    … doesn’t SyFy come to mind?? (the devil made me write that..)

    Reply
  29. majorsal Avatar
    majorsal

    “Hopefully, by the time its airs, we’ll have definite word on a potential movie or two.”

    movie or two? is the ‘two’ another sgu movie, or the sg1?

    Reply
  30. Luis Avatar
    Luis

    Joe,
    What happens to the SG Set at the end of SGU? are most of the writer’s and producer’s already gone to other projects??

    Reply
  31. Luis Avatar
    Luis

    Found a place in Toronto yet for you Akemi and the Pups???

    Reply
  32. Shiny Avatar
    Shiny

    The bucatini looks so very delicious, so do the prawns over ravioli.

    The exclusive invite was so cool; Jaelo mean’s mischief or “to party down,” but in a good way, the kind that sweeps you into the fun of carnaval.

    Trying not to get the SGU bends while waiting for new eps but it’s hard, I’m distracting myself with whatever random stuff I can find on Hulu. I feel like “CharlieSheen!” without his crak pipe, jonesin’ for some great SGU action.

    Reply
  33. Timothy Hutama Avatar
    Timothy Hutama

    Write an official book to conclude the story. It might not be the same as a film but it will give a greater sense of closure to those who have been faithful in watching the series.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest episodes

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading