After the stunning reversal of fortune that saw Vancouver’s own Iron Chef champion, Rob Feenie, exit the two marquee restaurants he once called his own (the high-calibre, high-end Lumiere, and the more casual Feenies) and the ensuing closure of both locations, came the announcement that both establishments would re-open with famed Chef Daniel Boulud at the helm. While the changes to Lumiere were mainly on the menu, renovations utterly transformed it sister restaurant, from the bright and noisy Feenies to the chic D.B. Bistro. Well, the long wait is over as both restaurants opened their doors last week. And, last night, Fondy and I finally got the chance to check out the city’s most hotly anticipated new restaurants.
The room is gorgeous, elegant yet very warm and inviting. I dare say it’s probably the nicest dining area in Vancouver. The service was excellent. Our waitress was courteous and well-informed on all aspects of the menu. The food – well, to be honest, it was hit and miss, but definitely more hits and than misses.
The squash soup I had to start was fine. Chalk it up to personal preference, but I wasn’t a fan of the pieces of apple swimming within. Fondy found her Caesar salad a little heavy on the anchovy.
For my main course, I had the DB Burger – a ground sirloin patty with red wine-braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffle at its core served on a parmesan bun. It was excellent, as were the light and crispy fries that accompanied it. Fondy, meanwhile, had a fantastic pasta dish containing squash, chestnuts, button mushrooms and lamb(?). Although the menu claimed they were orechietti and, yes, they were dimpled, they were the thickest orechietti I’ve ever had, with a texture more akin to rice cake than pasta. Regardless, I did enjoy the density and this particular plate was perfection. Of the side dishes we ordered, we much preferred the super green spinach (how do they get the spinach that green?) over a disappointing poutine Lyonnaise.
When it came time for dessert, Fondy, the queen of apple tarts, wasn’t enamored of the DB version. She did, however, manage to console herself by helping me polish off my chocolate clafoutis, a decadent little lava cake accompanied by two scoops of ice cream – vanilla and chocolate.
All in all, a memorable meal. I look forward to a return visit so I can get acquainted with the rest of the menu. And reacquainted with that orechietti dish.
Mailbag:
Inpa writes: Couple of questions:
1. Will Carlyle be keeping his natural accent for the show?
2. Will Universe in general see more alien life forms then the other two shows? Any chance of more puppet style aliens along the lines of Thor, or Farscapes Rygel?
3. You wrote previously that Carl Binder would be producer while the other writers including you would only write the occasional script but be less involved. Is that still the case or will Gero, you and the others all be producing and involved full time?
4. Will the show contain a plot device which allows people on alien worlds to be human?”
Answers: 1. I don’t know. That’s a decision for Brad and Robert to make. For my part, I quite like the idea. 2. Yes. I don’t know if we’ll necessarily see more puppets, but certainly more of the CG variety. 3. Nothing has changed (or will change). Carl, Brad, and Robert will be producing the show. Paul, Martin, and I will only serve as consultants. 4. I’m not sure I understand the question.
Thornyrose writes: “So, the doggies are doomed to being boarded while you head eastward for the holidays, or are you boarding up a person to care for them instead?”
Answer: Yes, we are literally boarding someone up. Lawren will be house/dog-sitting for us while we’re away. We lock him in the day we leave, then let him out the day we come back.
Narelle from Aus writes: “Joe – Want me to go away again?”
Answer: No, no. Not yet. I’ll tell you when.
Dori writes: “Any idea when the show will air?”
Answer: If at all possible, summer of ‘09 would be great.
Sherwood Forest Maiden writes: “I dont see any Bailey’s in your liqueur cabinet – great for pouring over vanilla icecream and poach pears!!”
Answer: Oh, I’ve got the Baileys (another key ingredient in an Oatmeal Cookie). I just didn’t think consider it bizarre enough to warrant a special mention.
Kristen writes: “Two weeks ago David, Rachel, and Jason were asked about the upcoming movie at the Burbank Con. At that time they told people that no one has ever contacted them about casting for the movie and were pretty disappointed that wasn’t already done.
With the movie being written, why hasn’t that been a top priority?”
Answer: Alas, I WISH I was controlling the deal-making process. If I was, then Paul and I would certainly have a deal by now.
Sheryl writes: “Hey Joe, did you get the chestnuts?”
Answer: Haven’t been in the office in a while. Hopefully Tanya hasn’t eaten them.
David writes: “Anyway the point of all this babbling is to find out if you know of a way that I can audition for the part or talk to someone about auditioning?”
Answer: Sorry, David. Auditions were already held in L.A. and they have already narrowed down the choices.
Urgh. That burger is ginormous!
Hehe I like the idea of boarding a person up in your house to watch the puppies 🙂 I’ve done that for family friends… quite the awesome deal, that. Getting paid to watch a house where there is cable TV (I’ve none at home) and to take care of three of the most beautiful golden retrievers ever… hehe I’d pay for that opportunity!!!
Universe gets more and more exciting by the minute!!! Just hoping it will be on iTunes soon after it’s aired, because I don’t have cable in the summer!!!
How on earth do you get a bite of a burger that big? And am I to understand there are actual spare ribs inside?
Wow.
That lava cake certainly would have been my choice as well!
Hey Joe! I’m pretty sure what Inpa was trying to ask was whether or not there would be an explanation for humans to live on the world the Destiny would encounter (if there are to be human aliens at all). Both previous “batches” of humans had explanations: Milky Way humans were created with the Dakara device on Earth, Goa’uld spread them out throughout the galaxy after Ra’s arrival. Pegasus humans were seeded by the Ancients as Pegasus was devoid of life, etc. Assuming human aliens thrive in the other galaxies the Destiny encounters, are there good explanations for why they are there?
a ground sirloin patty
Uh, Joe – that’s not so much a patty as it is a ground sirloin soccerball.
The poutine and the spinach look fabulous! I wish someone sold poutine around here – my arteries could do with some hardening.
Hello Mr. M.
How are Lulu and the other pups doing? Are they still on the sickly side or have they turned the corner?
I’m disappointed you’ve chosen Lauren as your puppy sitter. I was hoping for the job. Didn’t you get my resume’… I need a vacation!
Cheers
Patricia Lee
Now you have the perfect plot for a horror movie. Psychotic author/scriptwriter lures unsuspecting friend/student/stranger into the house, only to lock the unfortunate in with a pack of semi-crazed and bowel challenged pooches. The hero/heroine struggles to survive as the villian flies across the continent for a week or two.
You’re making any prospective tours of Vancouver ever more expensive, by making all the eateries look so interesting to visit. Do you by chance ever venture into mundane “fast food” places during your normal routines? It seems to me that you are owed an award by the city, or at least the restaurant owners, for encouraging people to try out their dining establishments.
Thanks for the mailbag, and best wishes in advance on your holiday adventures.
Joe, dinner looks delicious! The orecchietti sounds divine but looks a little odd — my grandmother’s homemade ones were pretty thick, but nothing like the ones in that picture; they don’t look like “little ears” to me. She never made them with chestnuts and squash — maybe it’s just not a southern Italian thing. Chestnuts went into pastries at Christmas and squash never went into the pasta, just steamed on the side.
A couple of questions:
How do you get a burger that size in your mouth?
Is that white and dark chocolate in the center of the Clafoutis?
Okay, if you don’t consider Bailey’s bizarre, you really need to see this clip. And yes, you have to watch all 7 minutes of it. I’m serious. It’s torturous, but it will change your life.
Hi Joe!
Took a couple-week break from your blog due to busy life stuff. 🙁 And catching up on Dr. Who and Torchwood DVDs. 🙂
Glad to see things are going well here still! Awesome food pics, some cool vids from Identity, and good ol’ Joe Goodness! 🙂
Enjoyed Infection and Identity – liked the first “I” better than the second, but both filled me with Gatey Goodness.
So glad to hear Robert Carlyle will be joining SGU! He was great on 24: Redemption.
That’s it for now – except super cool seeing Carl as “Mr. Keller.” ROTF!
Take care!!!
eddy
P.S. Love the “snow blog” theme.
Hey Joe,
News from John Twelve Hawks:
“I am happy to announce that Twentieth Century Fox has optioned the trilogy.”
Andrew Tannenbaum of the Bourne films is one of the Producers.
Check. I’ll wait for the code word for me to go, or failing that the not so subtle, “Will you take your inane prattling and bugger off”. Either-or.
I REALLY need to stop reading your blog after dinner. That DB burger looks so good… as in reason enough to take a trip to Vancouver. Not quite sure how I’d fit my mouth around it, but still.
Hey Narelle, if Joe wants anyone to take their inane prattling and bugger off we’re all screwed!
I’ve decided to try and keep my inane prattle to my own blog but as you can see its not working that well.
Perragrin said:
Awww Perragrin that’s really sweet. **hugs**
Let me catch you all up. I’m not really sure what I’ve done to piss technology off but I need make amends.
The SNAFU started a couple of weeks ago when my home phone line died – it crackled like there was water on the line then the next day there was no dial tone. I’ve had three technicians drop by to test/fix the line, two of them fixing a variety of things without actually diagnosing the problem. One of them didn’t even realise I lived in a unit, argued with the third technician that it was a house. It turned out that the fault was on the exterior of my unit. Now my phone sounds freaky clear, better than it’s been for ages.
Then it was my mobile phone. I got kicked off the network for not using the phone enough :-D. I use all sorts of gadgets but I don’t really use a mobile phone much. I know, it’s weird. I prefer to catch up with people when I want.
The third one happened last week. The power supply went on my Mac, 3 months out of warranty – nice! It’s been in the shop getting fixed and has been the reason for my absence.
Man I have sooo much to catch up on here. What have I missed? I’ve just been skimming the posts and comments – saw something about Robert Carlyle. Is he the skinny guy from the stripper movie? 😀 I promise to diligently read all of the repartee.
I feel so much better now I’m online. It’s good to catch up with you all.
Joe, that looks like half a cow in that burger. I would have loved to have seen a vid of you eating it.
Cheers, Chev
p.s. I haven’t shared a link for a while. Check out the following article on Jay Walker’s Super Cool Library
I watched the movie “Young People F’ing” yesterday and thought it was a MUH better movie than the title suggests. I quite liked it, easily an 8 out of 10 for edgy comedy. (I still can’t figure out why Gero would give a title like this to a movie he wants people to see). Written and directed by Gero, produced by Cooper, the casting was fantastic, totally convincing by all, and terrific acting. Do you know if any of the actors in YPF auditioned or were considered for any parts in SGU? All of them fit the age span you’re all looking for, and I could easily see any of them fitting into the roles of inexperienced SGC members.
By the way, I’d like to ask you a question that would not be appropriate for public consumption. Is there an email address I might send it to so that you would be able to read it and possibly respond?
If you and Paul are going to be consultants on Universe who are the show writers.???
Hey Joe,
I was wondering if you could help me by answering this because I’m now totally confused.
On one side people are saying Universe is going to premiere as a 2 hour event.
On the other side people are saying the series premiere is a 3 parter.
So what is it?, 2 hour event or 3 part premiere?, Or both?
First start with a 2 hour event and then officially start the show with the first 3 episodes? (Thus “kind of” giving us 22 episodes? 😛 )
hmm I thought I’d posted.
Hey Joe, that carnisphere would pack a lot of calories. Did you eat it all? Be honest! Did you roll the remainder of it home?
So are you saying that Jason, David and Rachel might NOT be in the SGA movie? If they’ve not been approached, that is just preposterous!!
Coucou Joseph!
Sa va ?? Moi oui, j’ai mon aprés midi de libre, demain lycée sera encore bloquer pff en plus j’ai des cours important..je m’en fiche, je fonce dans le tas!! (glourp j’espert qu’ils sont pacifique O.o)
Je n’ai plus beaucoup de devoir en ce moment hhumm sa sens les vacances^^! je suis si impatiente, en plus je suis tellement happy en cette période!!
Passer une trés bonne journée! Bisou Bisou
After 5 minutes playing with the snow on your weblog, I really have to get back to work. It’s just so fascinating.
You ever try Pama? Now there is a drink. Who could resist a beverage that cleans the toxins out while getting you buzzed?
Another good one, if you like sweet, is Golden Pear. It’s a weird one from Turkey (I think) and it is delicious. A nice little apperatiff.
Mutant burgers. Yum.
Narelle, thanks for the update on John Twelvehawks! Traveler was a very interesting book and I hope the movie can do it justice.
Joe,
Jewel Staite must be TV Guide’s favorite too. 😛
Nice little interview with her regarding her thoughts on the show and the end.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tvguide/390610_tvgif4.html?source=rss
either that is a small bun or the biggest ball of meat i have ever seen
Joe, Please call your studio and have them put the chestnuts in the fridge. They will keep better. ENJOY, Sheryl
Chev: *returns hugs*
I was starting to worry that something had happened.. Like you being carted off by a bunch of well-armed men in an armada of black, unmarked vehicles.. maybe an aussie Wraith.. or even a Shep look-alike 😛
Glad to hear you’re okay though, despite the fiasco with tech and shoddy workmanship. You’ve been missed 😀
Mr. M,
I have a question regarding Wraith feeding:
1. Are Wraith capable of drawing nourishment from other rational creatures besides humans? Perhaps Asgard or Goua’ld symbiotes?
2. Does mass have an effect on how much nourishment a wraith takes from its victim?
Cool ! I just noticed that the snow follows the mouse – like a mouse tracker. I noticed it was changing direction and was wondering how it did that, then I realized it was me.
Hey, just a clarrification for my previous question, the Milky Way loads of planets were populated by humans, because the Goa’uld spread them through the galaxy. In Pegasus planets were populated by humans because the Ancients seeded that life there. I was asking if the planets and galaxies that will be encountered in Universe will also have humans on them through some means, or will planets generally be populated by other life forms?
Heh. Spare ribs. I always thought that was funny.
I haven’t got a rib…
Want a spare?
Check.
Joe,
“My name is Scott” beat me to the punch.
I’m curious, now, too. Is the fact that there are gates where these involuntary travelers are going explanation enough for there to be humanoid homosapien-esque people existing by some Ancient breeding or some such or is there going to be some sort of further explanation or is there going to be more exploration into other types of corporeal and non corporeal life forms?
And I’m a bit disappointed there isn’t a plan to have more puppetry or robotics as apposed to CG. I have a special fondness in my heart for well done robotic puppets. And, if it’s done right, in my opinion, they are far more realistic than a computerized graphic of a character.
Then again, I’m a geek for AI and interactive robotics.
That is a giant burger, you should have seen my eyes widen when I saw it. I’m just trying to imagine someone wrapping their mouth around that…
…Ok seriously, do you have some kind of snake jaw thing going on?
Hey Joe,
Your best wishes for me concerning the loss of my job and all, along with many others and their prayers has had effect.
Today I landed a new job. Technical Writers unite! 😀
Now I can enjoy the holidays, “Vegas”, “Enemies at the Gate” and all other encompassing things Stargate and Sanctuary.
@Narelle from Aus if all our inane prattling were abruptly gone, Joe wouldn’t have such a popular bog, would he? 😉
Huzzah!
Carol Z in New Jersey
… br-r-r… c-c-cold here tonight
Hey Joe,
With all this talk of the SGA movie, I was surfing on IMDb and saw there’s a listing up for it:
http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1288405/
Is this an official listing? Or someone’s wishful thinking?
@ TJ I would have liked to view this, but alas, I’m not paying IMdB $12.95/month for the pleasure.
Thanks anyway!
Carol Z in NJ
… still br-r c-c-cold…
PLEASE USE HIS NATURAL ACCENT!!!
@ Carol Z – Congrats on the job! It’s not so easy these days – so glad you found something!
@ Joe – I’m another one putting in a vote for RC to use his natural accent. I love several new shows with non-American actors, but am always sad to hear them forced to use a flat, nasally American accent instead of their natural, melodious voice.
@ PG15, Sparrrow_hawk, et al… – For some reason, right after you posted your little thing about the Wraith, PG…I suddenly ran out of intelligent things to say about them. Just like that. I can’t tell if it’s because I guess there’s really nothing else to say, considering the end is nigh and there’s little that can be done with them except to continue down the road that’s already been taken, or what. Or maybe I just have other things on my mind at the moment. But I think it’s more the former…I can envision something much different for the characters, but it’ll never happen, so why continue to dream? There is just so much we’ll never really know because there’s really no time left to explore it all (and certainly not enough time in a movie), and so I doubt we’ll ever see the Wraith as anything more than what they are now – the goth kids who get beaten up on the playground by the jocks and cheerleaders. 🙄
das
Wow, that is a hugh burger.
I finally got to order and drink an oatmeal cookie tonight. I knew there must of been Bailey’s in it. However, the taste was just not for me. I am not a big Bailey’s fan, it leaves an after taste for me. The drink was not awful, I drank it quit quickly. It just tasted like I was drinking a cinnamon candle. No, I never drank a candle, but it tasted like I would imagine a cinnamon candle to taste. Is there cinnamon in it? Didn’t taste a lot of the butterscotch schnapps in it. It did give me the start for a fun evening though, but went back to my blue margaritas in the end.
PS @ Joe – You made me google ‘Rob Feenie’. Burger looks amazing…and yes, I am a tad behind in my reading.
PS @ Sparrow_hawk – I managed to track down the Elric…or more specifically…the Stormbringer… tpb/graphic novel. It’s not written by Moorcock, but an adaptation. Still, it will give me an idea as to whether or not I like the story and the characters. Will let you know what I think once I get it.
das
That burger is huge! Still think I’d be able to finish it though