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Archive for the ‘Eat, Drink & Be Mary’ Category
Friday, March 5th, 2010
I’m currently living in San Diego: home of fun, sun, and beautiful beaches. When you first enter Downtown via the I-5 South, you see a vast array of buildings, but one of them sticks out- a jet black rectangle with a blue “P” and a white “V”. That is the Porto Vista Hotel in the Little Italy region of Downtown San Diego. This chic boutique hotel embraces its Italian roots by having an on site Vespa dealership, a salon fit for an Italian model, and a wall mural in each room that brings you back to beautiful Roma. There are some areas that Porto Vista needs improvement on, such as creating some sort of an outdoor courtyard below where all the rooms are located. However, Porto Vista is still a reasonably priced, up and coming hotel. The hotel is in walking distance of some fine Italian cuisine, and my personal favorite Extraordinary Desserts- San Diego’s premier dessert shop. The best thing about Porto Vista is the rooftop- where you can watch an amazing sunset backdrop the San Diego Harbor, and this was where Porto Vista’s Ripassi Rooftop Happy Hour was located.
 The Porto Vista Hotel
Recently Porto Vista had its first gay happy hour ever, which is reportedly the only gay happy hour in the Little Italy area. I felt that much of the crowd was scared off by the possible rain that day (Southern Californians think the sky is falling whenever it rains). Thankfully, the sun shined on Porto Vista’s rooftop and the party had a great turnout for the expected rain. Porto Vista drew in a more mature crowd Sunday; all drinking, schmoozing, and watching a gorgeous sunset. This event is a great networking opportunity because the hotel managers plan on bringing in different vendors that cater to the gay community (HEADS UP- GayTravel will be coming to Porto Vista this May). And if work has got you down, the hotel offers a free masseur to rub away all of your troubles. When you go, I highly recommend ordering the Cabo Wabo from the bar- strong but good!
-Brendan
Tags: Gay San Diego
Posted in Eat, Drink & Be Mary | No Comments »
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
I’m definitely not a shopaholic compared to my “Devil Wears Prada” obsessed friends, but when I get the shopping bug- I just spend spend SPEND! I’m pretty young, and get a lot clothes from my family for Christmas. However, the sheen and fascination of these new clothes have worn out after a month and a half. I think I’m going to take a day trip to Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza pretty soon.
 South Coast Plaza at Night Costa Mesa is in the heart of the OC. Beautiful sun drenched beaches, hot surfer boys, and Disneyland are just a few of my favorite things about the OC, and Costa Mesa is just minutes away. Costa Mesa is also home to the Orange County Fair, which like any fair, has family fun for everyone. However, most Costa Mesa visitors come for the commerce.
For those of you who haven’t been, South Coast Plaza is Southern California’s number one shopping mall. Whether you’re shopping for yourself, a friend, or a loved one- there is something for everyone in this beautiful beacon of commercialism. As the third largest mall in the country, this is bound to capture any shopaholic’s eye. Most malls I know only have one or two department stores versus South Coast which has Saks Fifth, Macys, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Sears. Though it’s convenient having all those stores in one place, you can really find those about anywhere. However, South Coast also has chic and unique shops, and most of all my favorite- a La Coste store (my closet is full of La Coste polos!) South Coast is just the perfect place to grab your gays and fruit flies for a fun filled day of shopping.
 The Lab Anti-Mall If you’re tired of the whole mall experience, you may want to check out Costa Mesa’s alternative shopping experience SoBeCa. The SoBeCa district, which stands for South on Bristol, Entertainment, Culture and Arts, is composed of two “Anti-Malls”, the Lab and Camp. Some of the most out of the out of this world shops line these two Anti-Malls including the Buffalo Exchange, a chic thrift store where customers trade clothing, and 188 Degrees, a gourmet and raw organic food restaurant. The Lab and Camp often unite in having progressive events, such as Greenology Day, a green minded festival, and movie night.
As you can see, I’m having a little trouble trying to figure out where to spend my dollar. Do I go with the traditional mall or do I want to venture out into psychedelic shopping experience of the Anti-Mall. Oh well, I guess I will just have to go to both!
-Brendan
Tags: Gay California, Gay Costa Mesa, Gay Orange County, Gay Shopping
Posted in Eat, Drink & Be Mary | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
 Cooking Koshari
This always happens. I think to myself, “the weather is hot, I’ve never “loved” cuisine x in the past,” I’ll be fine and not gorge. Incorrect. Instead, I’ll get obsessed with a set three dishes and eat them over and over and over (and over) again until I have to pop the top button of my pants to not burst at the seams. Egypt is – miraculously – no different.
Somehow these foods of the pharaohs don’t hit you right away. At the beginning you just see the streetside vendors hawking giants pots of pasta with “stuff” for 65 cents and you wonder what on earth is in it. Then you decide – after a great deal of thought – to just go for it, so you walk up to the counter, point to the thing the same way you’ve watched Egyptians point and think to yourself, “success, it’s chow time.” Then the guy asks you a question in arabic and I have no clue what he’s saying. Not wanting to look ridiculous and assuming that it’s something like “now, would like sauce x on this?” or “is this to go?” I plaster a big grin on my face, nod and give the man a “thumbs up.”
At this point he apparently changes his course of action based on my response, though I can’t be certain because I haven’t seen the full ceremony without the question. I only prepared for one stream of interaction and that stream is now derailed. He goes about his merry way shaking this, dumping that, spinning this, pouring that; all with a giant grin that says “man, this guy has no idea what I’m saying or doing.” With every passing glance I just smile and nod (possibly one of the greatest traveling tips possible). More questions. More smiles. More nods.
The food preparation dance ends, I pay my 65 cents and minutes later I am forking into whatever it is I have both smiled and nodded to obtain. It is spectacular and I can’t hide it, shouting with a full mouth, “oh my god, this is so good.” I’m stopping locals on the street to let them in on the greatness. “Just smile and nod to every question and you’ll be as happy as me. Hey, why are running away? No, wait, this food is really good. Please go buy some.”
What, might you ask, is this dish that I have eaten at least once a day every day? Well, it’s apparently the “dish of the people” here in Egypt. Called koshari, it is a low-class filler consisting of pasta, rice, tomato sauce, grilled onions, lentils and chickpeas drowned in a blend of garlic and spice. Basically, it’s heaven on earth. Combine this with the greatest schwarma known to man, 10-cent falafel that’s delectable, Egyptian tea that must be sweetened with crack and a desert made entirely of vegetable oil and six types of sugar and you’ve got the five extra pounds I’m taking with me when I leave Egypt. Do I have to declare that at customs?
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Kyle Taylor
Tags: Egypt
Posted in Eat, Drink & Be Mary | No Comments »
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