So we’ve been in Montreal a little over a week and I’ve spent the better part of that time eating. Mom, as always, pulls out all the stops (and ingredients), and I’ve been fairly inundated with culinary delights: homemade pasta, eggplant parmesan, breaded veal cutlets, spicy peppers, roast lamb, cookies, friendship cake. If I’m not eating at home, I’m out with sis, Daisy, and Akemi, immersing myself in the local restaurant scene. To date, we’ve hit Vin Papillon (Akemi’s favorite), Foxy, Tiradito, Chez Sophie, a sushi restaurant I’d rather forget, and Maison Publique (My favorite). We still have another seven meals to go and haven’t even gotten around to Smoke Meat Pete, Hopkins, Damas, and whatever else mom has planned.
A few of the highlights…
The lobster ravioli at Chez Sophie.
The marmite oyster at Maison Publique.
Mom’s pasta e ceci.
Nutella on toasted brioche with whole roasted hazelnuts at La Bete A Pain.
While in town, we also paid a return visit to a condo we’ve had our eye on. This was one of those rather instances where a revisit resulted in Akemi actually liking a property more rather than less. Still, it’s overpriced and I’m thinking of waiting it out to see how both the Montreal and Toronto real estate markets respond to the new regulations that come into effect. Also, might be prudent to find out where I’ll be shooting my next show. If and when it happens, given the projects presently in play, I’d place the various odds at:
Vancouver = 2/1
Toronto = 3/1
Los Angeles = 5/1
Montreal = 10/1
Hawaii = 25/1
Guess which city Akemi would prefer?
I kicked off the New Year by purchasing 25 new books! I’m off to a roarin’ start in 2018!
Dr. Z asks: “Thanks Joe, for your recommendations, will check out some of those. But why stop at 30? I would like to know the other 10 books you left off.”
Thanks, doctor. I’m toying with the idea of doing a weekly Book Recommendations post that will cover the notable titles that just missed the Top 30. Stay tuned!
Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve done a mailbag. Post your burning questions in the comments section and I’ll field them in the next few days!
This is a question I asked before regarding your travel to and from Montreal and Toronto. Since they are both so close together, do you prefer air, car or train?
I’m deducing ur of Italian heritage. Have u ever been back to ur parents’ home towns? Oh & of course I wish u to land the best projects because u DESERVE the BEST but I will be sad if u leave Toronto. It feels great knowing u live here ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Maybe you could work on a science fiction reboot of Magnum P.I.. It could boost your chances of going to Hawaii. 🙂
Hawaii = 25/1 Need a Caddy ? let me know 😉
Montreal has not (yet) taken steps like Toronto & Vancouver have to try too cool the market. Prices are high for Montreal, but still way cheaper than those cities, and growing more slowly.
Also, just tried some Nutella crepe cake the other day…. Mmmm, nutella crepe cake.
“Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve done a mailbag. Post your burning questions in the comments section and I’ll field them in the next few days!”
Is your next show is accepted by a network already..and when we will know just a bit more what will it be like.. in a one sentence description ??
Yum. And here I was proud of my eggnog fudge. I still am, it was splendid. Still, that lobster ravioli is mighty tempting.
Have you been to Hawaii? If so, do you have a favorite location? If not, which island destination do you find intriguing? I adore Big Island, and have made myself sick on coffee samples at the tiny plantations. I’d do it again in a minute.
Go to Hawaii. I bet Jason Momoa has a place there you could stay at until you find something. Then I could come visit you… and him. 🙂
Your list of 30 best books of 2017 was really good. I would like to see a reference on your sidebar on where to find those lists. Just a “See Dec. 31, 2017 for Top Books of 2017”. That way I don’t have to go back and search for them all when I am looking for a good recommendation. Since you do them regularly.
I bet no one is better than your mama’s home cooking.
How many books do you think you could read in one year? Could you read one per day?
Oh and, after reading everyone’s New Years Resolutions, I’ve decided the best one for me is to declutter my house. I’ve been afraid to throw some things away because I thought I might need it in the future. But I’ve decided to go for it. However, if I get rid of something then later wish I still had it, I’m blaming all of you! 😉 😆
http://tmoliff.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/nottage-n.html
Nottage (n.)
Nottage is the collective name for things which you find a use for immediately after you’ve thrown them away. For instance, your greenhouse has been cluttered up for years with a huge piece of cardboard and great fronds of gardening string. You at last decide to clear all this stuff out, and you burn it. Within twenty-four hours you will urgently need to wrap a large parcel, and suddenly remember that luckily in your greenhouse there is some cardb…
That food looks delicious! Your mom should do a cookbook.
Why not buy a condo in two places? You could rent out one.
Does Suji require a room just for her wardrobe? At least, her outfits are small.
Are you involved with the Scalzi Netflix project? I enjoy his fiction but I blocked him on twitter. I don’t disagree with him on most issues but he’s too intensely bitter. I might unblock him after the next election but right now, his tweets damage my calm.
I always enjoy your book recommendations. Can’t wait for more! I read several genres but my hubby sticks to hard sci-fi. Have you read any good new military Sci-fi books lately?
Gforce: If you enjoyed “Old Man’s War”, try “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman. I enjoyed both and it was interesting to see how trends in society came and went through vast amounts of time.
Thanks for the recommendation, Tam!
Bonne Année!
J’imagine que vous vouliez dire Montréal = 1 chance / 10 d’être la ville en question! Bonne chance! Vivement des nouvelles de tous ces projets!
Oh please let it be Vancouver! Of course, Victoria is a much better market for real estate 😀
Well, where ever you end up I do hope its working on a project you really like and can feel passionate about and not simply forced on you because its the only work available.
Wishing you much success in selling the anthology project when you return to LA this month.
Thanks for the cool food porn. It all looks yummy. Hope your mom is enjoying her new frig. xo
I vote for making your next show in beautiful Montreal, if there is a place called Butterfly Wine then it must be wonderful. Toronto is more practical but just look at those plates! Sat stupefied taking in those pics, lobster ravioli, pasta ceci, I want it all. Mrs. Mallozzi is looking gorgeous, if Montreal living makes you look that good I want to move there so I can eat pasta and look fabulous too. This is making all the Easy Bake creations I had over the holidays look positively shabby. Yes our chef was only eight and kept dropping bowls on the floor but next time I will demand lobster ravioli instead of strawberry frosted pretzels.
Mailbag: While catching up on a month’s worth of posts from you I watched the interview video you posted where you talked about the inception of Window of Opportunity and the changes that were made to your original story. Then I read the post about writer’s room personality types. Have you ever had a story idea that you were so attached to that you refused to change it even though everyone else in the room didn’t agree with you?
You’re making me hungry.
Stay in Montreal I will visit the set this summer ..if you want ..of course 😛
I’m born and raised in MTL, but I lived also in TO. In Whitby to be exact. What I missed the most from TO is Lake Ontario, especially after TO, I went on to live in Denver, in the desert. In Whitby, I was living south of the 401 and 5 minutes walk from the lakeshore. Been an insomniac, I loved getting there early in the morning to watch the sun rise on the lake. I missed that.
So if you move away from TO, what will you miss the most ?
Your mom’s pasta dish looks every bit as good as those fancy restaurant ones!
For some reason, it just seems more natural that you guys would be in Vancouver.
Betcha Akemi’s choice would be Tokyo, but, that was not on your list.
My choice, totally selfish would be Hawaii.
Hope you are able to discover soon.
Hawaii … also feels quite Japanese there too.
Merry Holidays & Happy New Year, everyone! Am so praying that 2018 will be a better year. 🙂 Lost family, friends, a mentor, a former co-worker. Eight in all. 🙁 Helping my parents with their health issues. No surprise (so far?) in the mail from Dark Matter. But! I did walk away from a car accident when another car totaled mine in a roundabout Am very glad to be here and my parents still here, too!
For my New Year’s To Do list, please see Maggiemayday’s. Great list. Except I don’t sew. Could instead very easily get rid of half the stuff that does not give me joy. Oh, and follow Suji on Instagram.
Good health and healthy relationships, everyone!
well at least you don’t have to worry about the next meal.
I would hold off on finding where the next show would be located, the way things are going and depending on the setting of the show, Vancouver still has strong possibilities.
Oh, O’ahu. I seriously dream that my show be filmed in Hawai’i. Surely, Peter Lenkov doesn’t have a monopoly on O’ahu. Other than the obvious benefits of filming in Hawai’i, I think the cultural aspects can be interestingly added into stories.
How cold is it there with the polar vortex and the frigid Arctic tundra conditions? Survival tips?
I’m loving all the food pics! Triple Yum!! Glad to see you are not suffering while in Montreal. Good luck on the house/condo hunting! How does Japan figure in the odds?
Enjoy your time with family & friends. Safe travels.
Mailbag question:
—first book read in 2018?
Question for mailbag Joe can you give us details on what was happening behind the scenes with the parties that were interested in saving dark matter.
I’m all for a regular book-club.. maybe monthly, though. I have no idea how you have the time to read so many books!!!
Mom Mallozzi’s cooking #nomnom
Mailbag question
As you had quite a few scripts already written, before production began, which scenes did you decide on for all the actors who auditioned to be part of the Raza?
Mailbag question
What was the very first scene shot in each Seasons?