Phoenix Metblogs » pho_marc

Hello, Cupcake!

pho_marc — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 02:50:46 +0000

In a sort of random series of events, I ended up catching up with an old friend, Tania Katan, from high school tonight. To make a long story short, I found out that she had written a book about her life and experiences with breast cancer. She had a reading and book signing at the Borders in Tempe. She was much like what I remember her from high school – one of the most charismatic, funniest people I have ever met. Through the past 15 years, two separate enounters with breast cancer and two mastectomies, she has also added “inspiring” to her already formidable list of traits. Anyway, I would encourage anyone to buy a copy of her book, My One-Night Stand With Cancer. She is also having another reading and book signing at Borders at Biltmore Fashion Park, this Saturday the 8th at 3pm. She’s great to meet in person. Worth checking out!

Tania Katan, author of My One-Night Stand With Cancer
Borders – Biltmore Fashion Park
October 8, 2005 3:00 PM

Something different…

pho_marc — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 15:29:09 +0000

Its been a while since I’ve posted – between work and DJing at Club Miami, I haven’t really had time for much else. Not that I’m complaining, but felt like I was in a bit of a rut. So, on my way home from work I decided it was time for something a little different – at least in the dinner realm. For some reason I had a craving for Cuban food, which is pretty odd for me. In Phoenix its easy to get lulled into the belief that the only ethnic food out there is Mexican food (which I grew up with and love). Certainly, Mexican food predominates, but you can find just about anything else you’re looking for. So, I took the long way home and stopped by Havana Cafe on Camelback. The place is pretty small, but nice… definitely upscale. I was having trouble deciding between the Pollo Cubano (the house specialty) and the Paradise Pulled Pork. My waitress recommended the pork, even thought the chicken was the house specialty. I was NOT disappointed. A bit citrusy and very flavorful – definitely not for someone who prefers the bland. Between the food and a couple of Negra Modelos, I left the restaurant fat and happy… So, if you’re in the mood for something a little different, check out Havana Cafe.

Havana Cafe
4225 E Camelback Rd
Phoenix
(602) 952-1991

6245 E Bell Rd 111
Phoenix, AZ
(480) 991-1496

4232 E Chandler Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85048 – 8879
(480) 704-2600

A Quick Look

pho_marc — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:44:48 +0000

I know I mentioned to you guys that Club Miami was opening last week in downtown Phoenix. I figured I would give you a quick look at what the space looks like from up in the DJ booth. Hope you guys decide to come check it out!

Club Miami
716 N. Central Ave
Phoenix

Help for Katrina Victims

pho_marc — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 20:33:05 +0000

For anyone who is looking for a way to help all those affected by Hurricane Katrina, especially our friends in New Orleans, the American Red Cross is accepting donations on their website, or you can call their hotline at 1-800-435-7669.

I feel so full…

pho_marc — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 04:34:35 +0000

My alumni club just had their annual wine tasting at Giuseppe’s Restaurant in Scottsdale. We managed to knock back some very good wine along with a 5 course meal and dessert. Since we had the first wine tasting there 3 years ago, Giuseppe’s has become my favorite Italian restaurant by far. The food is absolutely amazing, the prices are reasonable and hopefully you’ll get a chance to meet the owner, Pasquale, who is warm, friendly, and incredibly funny… My recommendation is any pasta with the Cardinale sauce.

Giuseppe’s
13610 N Scottsdale Rd (Scottsdale Road & Thunderbird)
(480) 991-4792

Off the beaten path…

pho_marc — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 18:55:33 +0000

For those of you who don’t know me, my tastes tend to run toward the eclectic, especially in matters of Religion/Spirituality. So, I enjoy running across new things that may be of interest to some of you.

I was at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe and I received a flyer frrom the New Acropolis Cultural Association. They are having a 5-month “Ancient Wisdom of the East and West” course, which meets once a week. Topics will include: karma, reincarnation, The Bhagavad Gita, Plato, Socrates, the teaching of Buddah, the Mysteries of Tibet, and others. Sounds like it could be a very interesting course. New Acropolis is located at 3228 E. Indian School Road, Suite 107 in Phoenix. (480) 756-3910.

Also, Pandora’s Box in Chandler is hosting a Healing Circle every Wednesday night at 7PM, led by Leilani Schmidt. Leilani also does individual healing sessions and channeling sessions by appointment. Pandora’s Box is at 1949 W. Ray Road, #18 in Chandler. (480) 812-2900.

Speaking of Nuns…

pho_marc — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:50:31 +0000

Since we’ve brought up the topic of our sisters in the black habits, I don’t know if any of you have seen the show, Nunsense. I had the chance to see it a while back and I absolutely loved it. For those of you in the theatre mood, an updated version of Nunsense is being performed at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa through September 17th. I haven’t had a chance to check out this particular show, but I have been to the Broadway Palm and I was impressed both with the quality of the show as well as the food. Looking at the Broadway Palm’s schedule, there are a wide range of different upcoming shows, so if singing nuns aren’t to your liking, there’s bound to be something that will pique your interest. Worth giving a look!

Nunsense (through September 17)
The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
5247 E. Brown Road
Mesa, AZ 85205
(480) 325-6700
http://www.broadwaypalmwest.com

How Multicutural…

pho_marc — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 03:36:31 +0000

Other large cities end up segregating themselves into ethnic areas… China Town, Little Italy, etc. On the surface, Phoenix looks like one big, homogonized strip mall. Not true! There’s a surprising amount of ethnic diversity, if you know where to look for it. And my lunch trip today proves it. I’m doing a project for AmEx right off I-17 and Dunlap. I ended up going for Greek food at the Golden Greek, on 35th Avenue north of Glendale. In the little center was the Golden Greek, right next to the Arabic Market, along with several Latino-oriented shops. Right down the street you can find a Russian restaurant and an Asian market. Personally, I think its kind of cool to be able to find so many different kinds of ethnic specialties right next to each other instead of split off in different sections of the city.

Neighborhoods

pho_marc — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 01:38:03 +0000

I was talking with a friend of mine at work who has lived in several other big cities, including Boston, New York and San Francisco, though she was originally from San Francisco. Having come from San Francisco, she was very accustomed to very strong neighborhoods. She and her husband ended up buying a house in the Willo district. They’ve lived there for the past few years and have been very involved in the neighborhood there and they were very pleased to have found that kind of community. It got me thinking, aside from the Willo and Encanto-Palmcroft districts, does Phoenix have other really strong neighborhoods like that? We also were talking about how Central Avenue between Bethany Home and Northern reminds us a lot of a swanky part of Palo Alto…

Club Miami

pho_marc — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 01:12:40 +0000

The state of the gay dance scene in Phoenix has been pretty dismal since Crowbar and Boom became the latino-oriented Club Dwntwn and Club Karamba, respectively. Amsterdam has been talking about opening a new dance club for the past year-and-a-half, at least. I know that at times we figured it would never really come to pass, but the long wait is almost over. Club Miami will finally open its doors on Friday, August 26th. What’s more, they’ve asked me to DJ a VIP opening party on Wednesday the 24th. Needless to say, I’m about as excited as excited can be. So, come out and check out Club Miami when it opens on the 26th – located right next to Amsterdam, 718 N. Central, basically Central and Pierce.