No. No! Day #7?!!! It’s almost over! In a matter of days, I’ll be back in Vancouver, scrambling to plan and pack and make my way to Toronto for a seven month stay – one month of advance prep in which we’ll be filling out the director’s schedule, approving designs, hiring DOP’s and editors, start the ball rolling on casting (October), a couple of months of construction on our standing sets (late October through December), prep on our opening two-parter (December), then production itself (early January to May), and the post wrap-up (June-ish?). I suspect time will fly. Paul sent me his first draft of episode #5 the other day, and it’s fabulous. I suggested a few changes (minor) and now look forward to his draft of episode #6 (and Rob and Trevor’s drafts of episodes #7 and #8 respectively). My draft of episode #9, meanwhile, is already done and waiting to follow suit.
Last night, Akemi and I were greatly looking forward to dinner at Esquisse, one of our very favorite restaurants – and, as always, our old friend Chef Beccat mightily impressed. The restaurant holds special significance for us – or, more to the point, its fantastic chef, Lionel Beccat because he was overseeing the kitchen at Michel Troisgros on Akemi and my very first date…five years ago!
Akemi then.
And Akemi now (or, more specifically, last night).
Some of the highlights of our fabulous meal…
Bottled tea: jasmine and green tea.
The ever affable Chef Lionel Beccat.
Plump, creamy oyster with lemon gelee and fermented sake foam.
Cured toro (tuna belly) with tomato gelee.
Grilled grouper with lily root puree.
Spiced lamb with carrot puree.
Sweet corn polenta with sweet corn soup an orange sorbet.
The team: Takahashi-san, Beccat-san, and Ogasawara-san (our “sommelier”, not “the alcoholic” as Akemi mistakenly assumed his title to be).
A tremendous meal. Highly recommended. If you’re uncertain about splurging on dinner, opt for lunch. As Akemi says, it offers “good cost performance.”
This morning, we got up early and hit Tsukiji…
Akemi picks up some bonito.
Zoidberg has fallen on hard times since the cancellation of Futurama.
Wagyu!
For the bear who has everything…
Godzilla vs. Girlfriendzilla!
Tokyo is full of these little shops offering various foodstuffs from dedicated regions of the country.
Akemi and her buddy take break.
Breakingu Bad-o.
And two more terrific meals: sushi at Ichiyanagi and kaiseiki at Uchiyama. Both great places with wonderful, super-friendly customer service.
I leave you with Ginza at night…
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