Kevin Kauer

I love Seattle. And Kevin is a big part of why I love it so much. There isn’t a trip or a reason when I’m there, that we don’t hang out together. He is an amazing party promoter, DJ and photographer and has included me at numerous events in Seattle. He is also one of my many vegetarian friends. Kevin is one of the gracious ones, that never has a problem following me around from restaurant to restaurant on my world-wide, never-ending meat tasting tour. Currently he is relaunching his amazing Nark Magazine in March. And he is also lining up things for his big Pride Party in June at Neumos (Friday, June 22nd) which will include Hi Fashion, JD Samson, Phyllis Navidad and Sharon Needles. Every Sunday you can find him at The Cuff and creating the Bottom Forty queer DJ Collective.

What is your favorite dessert?

I fell hard for island produced honey while consuming açaí bowls in Hawaii. I landed up finding the best around and ordering a tub of it – Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Blossom, buy one -  seriously you won’t be disappointed. When it comes to desserts, layer it into some ice cream and wait until it freezes. It’s pretty much the bee’s knees – well, you get it.

What restaurant would you call your home?

Vegan / vegetarian restaurants are my favorite. Regardless of not being a meat-eater, I like to see how different places take on the task of creating alternatives to food that most people aren’t used to or instinctually dislike because it’s not “real”. I rarely make a trip to San Francisco without visiting Herbivore at least once, they have an array of delicious, creative and non-pretentious foods and desserts. At home in Seattle, I don’t think anyone handles their gourmet eats better than Cafe Flora, their vegan gluten-free pizza is the best I’ve had. Their cookbook is a great buy for any foodie, especially a vegetarian.

What is the strangest or most inspiring thing you’ve ever eaten?

The most inspiring food / cooking experience I’ve had was when I was staying out on a friend’s farmland. Getting to pull our eggs from the coop, and a wide array of produce right out of the ground, and then lay it out in front of us and come up with a meal was so great, made me wish I could have a garden and my own chickens! The salads were so refreshing, and we coddled one of Wine Dot’s eggs (that handsome chicken in the photo) to make the dressing.

Kevin answers my foodie questionnaire here:

What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Fruity Pebbles, but my mom rarely ever bought it for me since it was basically kiddie crystal.

What is your favorite food to pig-out on after the club?

BURRITOS. Everyone knows this. I think I almost got a burrito tattoo last time I was in town actually. Sadly it doesn’t happen here in Seattle because there isn’t anywhere around with decent Mexican food (at least not on Capitol Hill), so we settle for our street meat; cream cheese and onion hot dogs (tofurkey dogs in my case), or Big Mario’s which may possibly have the best pizza anywhere, if you can deal with the block long line of drunken hipsters.

Walter Gomez

I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure or in some cases the misfortune of meeting my son – the walking / talking Puerto Rican Parade of ONE, Walter Gomez.  Anyway, I’m sure that you will be extremely entertained by his razor-sharp tongue and fiery mouthful of sass that he spews on everyone and everything in his sight. All joking aside (although I’m not joking) he’s simply a joy. He’s patented his own little dance – arms flapping furiously, whilst turning from side to side and doesn’t normally like to wear pants. On the food front he is always a welcome guest at my table and has enjoyed many a gourmet meal here at Chez MORE! When we travel together, our priorities are to seek out new and exciting restaurants, ordering everything possible and all of the desserts.

We host a monthly party together every third Saturday of the month at the notorious SoMa bar Powerhouse called BEATPIG. It brings together the worlds of music, leather, fashion and drag.

Walter and I at BEATPIG.

Walter Gomez answers my foodie questionnaire here:

What is your favorite dessert?

I don’t think any meal is complete without dessert. In fact, I won’t assess a restaurant’s prowess until I get to the dessert. There’s very few dessert things I wouldn’t try, aside from the combination of mint and chocolate (it makes me poopy). After moving from Puerto Rico, I’ve become obsessed with trying flans whenever available. It’s such an easy dessert to make, but people in the west coast have perfected the art of fucking it up. So, a simple and smooth flan will make me a happy piglet.

Sassy face.

What restaurant would you call your home?

It would be a tie between Rocco’s Cafe and Basil Thai, both in SoMa. The pork chop sandwich (with added cheddar cheese) from the former is a must for lunch. And I’m pretty sure I’ve had the roasted duck curry from the latter roughly 49 times..

What is the strangest or most inspiring thing you’ve ever eaten?

Back home, morcillas (pig’s blood sausages) are kind of a big deal, especially over Christmas. I think they’re disgusting, and as a child, I was pressured into eating those abominations every year. As far as inspiring, I have to give props to Skool for introducing me to their uni flan; I never thought I’d enjoy sea urchin. Also, any pizza with an egg on it, because it’s fucking genius!

What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

I had surprisingly boring tastes as a kid, so Frosted Flakes or Corn Pops usually did the trick.

What is your favorite food to pig-out on after the club?

Denny’s now has a burger that has bacon, hash browns and a fried egg in it, and there’s one ‘conveniently’ located about 2 blocks from my house and open 24 hours. The heartburn you get from it the morning after is about as close to God as one can get.

Walter as a human ketchup holder for my fries.

Aaron Casey

I receive more food updates from Aaron then any other foodie I know. Sometimes I get three or four pictures a day of everything he intends to finish on his plate. Many times these are mass texts, which are meant more to excite than impress. Though, if you were to look at Aaron you would also question where he puts it. The amount of food this boy eats in a day is rather shocking. It’s more than double what I consume in calories.

Food image texts.

Here is what Aaron has to say about his daily consumption.

“Food is the third most important thing in the world to me. The other two things being fashion and fun, or is it air and water? I guess it just depends on the day. Anyway, I never pass up the opportunity to indulge in a fat girl party. The best thing about a FGP is it only takes one person to throw it.
San Francisco weather is a great complement to my eating habits. It’s never too hot to kill my appetite and never too cold to keep me indoors. I try to eat both Mexican and fried foods anywhere from 9 to 14 times a week. The emotional benefits of said foods outweigh any physical detriments. I make sure to drink tons of water, that way everything clears out fast and I’m always ready for my next (big) meal.

Pistachio macaron filled with ganache and raspberries / b. Patisserie

Currently my favorite pastry chef is by Belinda Leong of b. Patisserie, her Kouign Amann is the best thing since Tartine Bakery’s morning bun. My favorite nachos are from El Metate – add al pastor. And my favorite fried chicken is Brenda’s French Soul Food.

I always say when in doubt – add sour cream. And I prefer mayonnaise with my fries then Ketchup. And before I leave the apartment I make sure to pack my bag daily with honey roasted nuts or a bag of 4505 pork rinds.”

Johnny Dynell / Image Jeffrey Dwayne

Johnny Dynell is the NYC DJ and impresario that has been practicing his craft at places like The Mudd Club, Danceteria, The Pyramid, Area, BoyBar, Susanne Bartsch parties, The Tunnel, The Roxy, Jackie 60, Crobar, Mr. Black and Vandam – for over two and a half decades. Currently he is finishing up a voguing album on his Endless Night Music label with rtists like Princess Xtravaganza, Paul Alexander and Jocelyn Brown. He is also gearing up for the legendary (May 11th) Night of A Thousand Stevies 22, “Dreams Unwind”. I love sneaking up on Johnny in the DJ booth – he swears he always pee’s his pants.

What is your favorite dessert?
Chef David Waltuk’s (Chanterelle) chocolate ganache on ANYTHING!

What restaurant would you call your home?
Cafe Orlin in the East Village.

What is the strangest or most inspiring thing you’ve ever eaten?
The most inspiring food I’ve ever eaten was my first Po-Boy in New Orleans right after Katrina.

What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?
I liked plain Shredded Wheat with milk but no sugar.

What is your favorite food to pig-out on after the club?
Unfortunately after the age of 70 pigging out after the club is no longer an option.

Johnny Dynell / Image by Aaron Cobbett

6 skin-on chicken thighs
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 large carrots, peeled and cut
6 roasted, peeled and seeded green Anaheim chilies
1 tablespoon flour
8 cups chicken stock
2 potatoes, cut into 8 pieces each

Roast the chilies over an open flame until charred. Scrape off the skin, discard the seeds and stems – and chop into chunky pieces. Set aside until ready to use.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and cook the chicken on both sides until brown. Remove and hold.

Add the onions to the pot and brown them. Then add the garlic, cumin, carrots, tomatoes and the chilies. Spread the flour over the vegetables and stir well.

Add the chicken back to the pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour – adding the potatoes after the first 30 minutes. Let the stew rest for half an hour – giving the flavors a chance to fully round out.

Serve with warm tortillas.

Serves 6

Eden Slezin Eats Out

Eden Slezin

Eden is such a huge fitness buff – I don’t even believe he ever eats. He manages to keep in great shape by staying continually active. He recently started a clothing line adorably titled “Cute Tank” where he not only serves as co-owner (along with Lucas Ringhofer) and designer but also model. Cute Tank is getting ready to launch “Cute Bottoms” – which will appear on the runway of their first fashion show at the upcoming party ORGY in March. I sure hope Eden is one of the models! Eden will be escorting me out at the upcoming Valentine’s Day party and benefit “Cupid’s Back” – here is a piece of our conversation on deciding what to wear:

And here is Eden on the beach in one of his companies Cute Tanks!

Cute Tank / Image by Charles Thomas Rogers

What is your favorite dessert?

A vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and vanilla sprinkles!

What restaurant would you call your home?

Manora’s Thai.

What is the strangest or most inspiring thing you’ve ever eaten?

Waffle and salad with eggs!

What was your favorite breakfast cereal as a kid?

Honey Bunches of Oats

What is your favorite food to pig-out on after the club?

Cheeseburger and fries!