Comment below with your favorite tune-to-get-down-to and enter to win two tickets to see Estelle perform at Anthology on February 8 plus a $50.00 gift card!

Winner will be chosen by random drawing on 2/6/12!

]]> http://www.pacificsandiego.com/2012/01/31/contest-sexy-sounds-contest/feed/ 53 http://www.pacificsandiego.com/2012/01/29/kendra-lovin-large/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kendra-lovin-large http://www.pacificsandiego.com/2012/01/29/kendra-lovin-large/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:09:45 +0000 alyson http://www.pacificsandiego.com/?p=13334 By Dean Lamanna
Photography: Brevin Blach
Fashion Director: Simone Perloff
Styling: Mitra Hosseini
Hair: Kimberly Hill
Make up: Allan Avandano
Photographer’s Assistant: Dustin Michelson

What’s not to love about Kendra Wilkinson? Popular E! reality TV star. Former Playboy Mansion fixture (and ex-Hugh Hefner girlfriend) with the infectious laugh. Self-branded business woman. Fearless Dancing with the Stars wind-breaker. Erstwhile tomboyish grade-schooler who once asked a Ouija Board if she’d ever have big boobs. (The answer: “Y-E-S.”)

Add “loud-and-proud San Diego native” to the love-her list of this ingratiatingly earthy, near-ethereally sexy 26-year-old guy’s gal, and you’ve achieved celebrity nirvana.

“I love San Diego!” says Kendra, who grew up in Clairemont and spent many fun times (and more than a few irresponsible ones) hanging out around Mission Bay and hitting the San Diego County Fair. “There’s no other city like it…and I know, because I’ve been in a lot of different places. It’s like a big small town, with so much to offer. Everybody’s active, everybody’s outside. I always lived on the beach—it’s in my blood. Life couldn’t get any better than living in San Diego.”

While Kendra’s mom, brother and grandmother still reside here, and she visits America’s Finest whenever she can, she’s busy making a home for her own family—husband Hank Baskett, a free-agent professional football player, and their two-year-old son Hank IV—close to the production headquarters of her reality TV show, Kendra, and other business interests in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. And it has become her most important role.

“This is our first home together as a family,” Kendra says. “Before Little Hank was born, my husband played football and never had a long-term contract. So we were bouncing all over the country, living out of our suitcases. It was an adventure—we lived in South Jersey, in Indianapolis—but when the baby came, it wasn’t so fun anymore.”

When it came time to resettle in Los Angeles last year, the clan looked at many spectacular homes, but none appealed to Kendra’s nesting instincts more than their present digs on a cozy cul-de-sac in a secured community (one she feels best approximates the qualities of San Diego).

“It’s comfortable and balanced for all of us,” she says of her five-bedroom mansionette, with its large, grassy backyard, luxe pool and spa, and plethora of flowering shrubs. “It’s very kid-friendly, yet it’s also adult-friendly. Little Hank has his playroom, and we have ours.”

Kendra and hubby call the latter, formerly an upstairs guest suite, their “man cave.” “It’s our sex room,” she explains matter-of-factly. “It has fuzzy walls and Hank’s football helmets everywhere, plus a big-ass screen TV. There’s a place for my stripper pole. Hank and I love to keep things fun; we love games. And we put a lock on the door.”

Not that the adjacent master bedroom, sporting romantic touches like genuine African wedding baskets on the walls, doesn’t see its share of action.

“We give each other massages,” Kendra says. “We use oil and it leads to other stuff, so having a massage table in the bedroom is very important. After two years of marriage, you’re not going to just be like, ‘Oh, I love you, baby—let’s light some candles.’ We love candles, but we also like to play with lingerie.”

Valentine’s Day is extra-special for the pair: each year, the Wilkinson-Basketts go to the Big Island of Hawaii to relax and watch whales leaping from the sea. “It’s the most romantic thing ever,” she says.

Fun and romance are spousal essentials. But Kendra also acknowledges that marriage and motherhood have shifted her priorities.

“I had lived to the fullest since my early teens,” she says, referring partly to her old, often drug-fueled partying days (chronicled explicitly in her recent best-selling memoir Sliding into Home). “Then I had a crazy, fun time at the Playboy Mansion. At twenty-four, I was ready to get married and have a kid—I didn’t see the point of going and partying for nothing anymore.”

Marrying Baskett in June 2009, and giving birth to their son six months later, was “the piece that was missing to my life,” Kendra says. “Now it’s time for me to provide for Little Hank. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure his road in life is paved 100 percent right.”

While Kendra awaits word from E! on a possible fifth season of her show (a ratings blockbuster when it debuted three years ago), she’s anything but idle.

She’s overseeing interior decorating at her home and blogging constantly on her website, kendrawilkinson.com. And she has just developed and launched a line of adult romance products, LoveCandy, in partnership with Evolved Novelties—now available online (mylovecandy.com) and in stores. Have she and Hank fully road-tested LoveCandy’s sexy scents and lickable lotions? “Of course!” she laughs.

Kendra thanks none other than Paris Hilton for inspiring her business sense. “When I was on [the Playboy Mansion-set reality series] The Girls Next Door, seeing her business side encouraged me step away on my own. While I loved Playboy and Hef, I learned how to brand myself as Kendra.” And she likes where her evolution has led.

“I was a straight-up tomboy growing up in San Diego—and I went from that to an adult dancer to the Playboy world,” Kendra says. “I’ve never been a girly-girl, but I still have a sexy side of me that I’m going to keep in the spotlight. And that side will never fade away.”

Affairs of the art

Peaceful Chaos
Paintings by Sarah Stieber
Feb. 11 – Mar. 6
Cirello Gallery
3803 Ray St., North Park
cirellogallery.com

Passion becomes adventure in Sarah Stieber’s paintings as she douses her subjects—nude and seminude couples embracing, flirting and laughing—in vivid color. The striking images create a carefree aesthetic that exudes lust and love.

Sculpture in the Garden & Valentine’s Evening at the Garden
Feb. 14 (sculptures on display now through Apr. 16)
San Diego Botanic Garden
230 Quail Gardens Dr., Encinitas
sdbgarden.org

Spark Valentine’s Day romance with a sunset stroll (5-8 p.m.) through San Diego Botanic Garden’s “Sculpture in the Garden” exhibit, featuring the works of 26 regional artists set amid the park’s 35 lush acres. (The pieces on display are for sale, with proceeds benefiting the foundation that maintains the beautiful property.) Cap the evening at the Garden’s soiree, offering champagne, hors d’oeuvres, chocolates, live entertainment, mood-setting music and a souvenir photo of you two lovebirds. Price: $75 per couple.

Love (Live)

Courtesy of San Diego Symphony

A Valentine’s Romance
San Diego Symphony
Feb. 10–11
Copley Symphony Hall
750 B St., Downtown
sandiegosymphony.org

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Jennifer Holliday (Dreamgirls) and powerhouse film and stage composer Marvin Hamlisch (The Way We Were, A Chorus Line) combine creative forces for this performance straight from the heart.

Courtesy of the artist

Tony Bennett
Feb. 16
Pala Casino Spa Resort
11154 Hwy. 76, Pala
palacasino.com

Find out why your parents (and their parents) fell in love with the eternally hip crooner Tony Bennett—the 15-time Grammy winner whose signature song is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”—when the former World War II infantryman brings his smooth, jazzy stylings to Pala Casino right after Valentine’s Day.

Photo by Manuel Rotenberg

Romance
San Diego Ballet
Feb. 10–12
Lyceum Theatre
79 Horton Plaza, Gaslamp
sandiegoballet.org

See passion in motion, and love personified, in the graceful lifts and leaps of this compilation of highlights from San Diego Ballet’s past seasons. Directed by famed choreographer Javier Velasco, the eclectic program will feature selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo et Juliet along with numbers set to the vocals of Nat King Cole and Patsy Cline.

Photo courtesy of artist

Art Laboe’s Super Valentine Love Jam
Feb. 18
Valley View Casino Center
3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Sports Arena
valleyviewcasinocenter.com

A legendary voice on the radio since the 1940s, the boundlessly energetic Art Laboe will introduce this cavalcade of funky and soulful acts including Zapp, Rose Royce, Heatwave and The Originals—proving that love-infused “Oldies” (and the antique disc jockey himself) never fall out of fashion.

Photo by Adolfo Pérez Butrón

Lila Downs
Feb. 26
Balboa Theatre
868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp
sandiegotheatres.org

Hailing from Oaxaca, Mexico, singer-songwriter Lila Downs adds dashes of jazz and blues to traditional Mexican music to create a passionate celebration of her heritage. Performing in Spanish and English, Downs’s powerful delivery invariably draws vocal accompaniment—and tears—from her audiences. ¡Te quiero!

All you need is love

Copyright 2012 MPL Communications Inc.

Kisses on the Bottom
Paul McCartney
Debuts Feb. 7

Paul McCartney’s latest album is a loving ode to his musical influences, with endearing covers of songs by Fats Waller, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, as well as appearances by Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder. The album also features two McCartney originals, including the jazzy “My Valentine,” which is rumored to be the song McCartney sang to his wife Nancy at their wedding last October.

Multiplexual Relations

Provided by The Weinstein Company

W.E.
Opens Feb. 3

In this fantasy drama, pop-star-slash-movie director Madonna stays behind the camera to spin the tale of how England’s King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy) relinquished his throne in 1936 to marry an American divorcee (Andrea Riseborough). The story is told from the perspective of a present-day woman (Abbie Cornish) whose extramarital affair and obsession with the historic pair color her vision of romance in ways even Madonna’s own trespasses couldn’t.

Provided by Sony Pictures

The Vow
Opens Feb. 10

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum star as a young married couple who get into a car wreck that leaves the wife amnesic and unable to recognize her spouse. The plot chronicles hubby’s attempts to help his mate remember him and their love. (That nagging sense of déjà vu you’re feeling can be sourced to McAdams’ similarly tear-jerking 2004 drama The Notebook.)

Provided by Lionsgate

Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds
Opens Feb. 24

The tireless one-man brand known as Tyler Perry has written, produced and directed—and taken the male lead in—this feel-good flick about an engaged businessman whose brush with an office cleaning person (Thandie Newton) changes his life. The protagonist’s unlikely connection with this single mom leads him to question his values and what he’s sacrificed in the pursuit of wealth, showing him that the path to true happiness is anything but tidy.

Provided by Universal Pictures

Wanderlust
Opens Feb. 24

This R-rated yukfest from the makers of Role Models stars Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as uptight Manhattanites who, finding themselves unemployed, flee The Big Apple for Atlanta—only to wind up in a swinging 1970s-style commune. Devoid of urban stress (and most forms of dress), they’re free to be themselves and to find out if they’re romantically broken as well as being broke.

Romancing the tome

As if San Diego weren’t sexy enough, the city also happens to be a hotbed for romance novelists. With about 100 members, the local chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA) claims a chunk of the $1.3 billion national romance publishing market.

Yearning, lust and sex are what launch these novelists’ paperbacks off store shelves, but at least one of the group’s writers doesn’t cop to being so calculating.

“Whenever I write a romance, I don’t think about adding in the sex scenes at the end,” says HelenKay Dimon, who has penned 28 titles, including her Mystery Men series from Harlequin Intrigue. “They are intrinsic to whatever else you’re writing.”

Despite their reputation for cookie-cutter plots and clichéd couplings, romance novels encompass many subgenres. Books range from Amish love to erotica, gothic to steampunk, mystery to historical, and plain-old gay and lesbian.

There’s even a NASCAR series. As with the romance novel’s TV equivalent, the soap opera, no setting, course of action or character type can be deemed too outlandish.

“Whatever kind of love story you like, you can now find a million books,” says author Lisa Kessler, RWA San Diego Chapter president.

As in every publishing market, the romance novel survives on basic quality. Compelling prose and strong narratives are crucial. And key to its contemporary target audience (women, age 30 to 54), female protagonists are no longer helpless heel-breakers—they are independent and strong-willed.

“We still might have those fantasies of wanting to be saved, but in today’s romance novels the heroine isn’t waiting for the guy to save her,” notes successful local author Christie Ridgway, whose titles include Berkley Sensation’s Can’t Hurry Love. “She will do a lot of the saving herself.”

While the scenarios may change, the bodice-ripping siren song of romance novels remains the same. And they always have a happy ending.
rwasd.com

Boner-operated business

Sooner or later, every guy will know the heartbreak of a reluctant wiener. According to medical wizard Dr. Mehmet Oz, by the time a man reaches 40, he has a 20 percent chance of experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED)—with an additional percentage point tacked on every year.

Pills like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, which increase blood flow to the penis by affecting levels of penile muscle-controlling nitric oxide, have been the preferred remedy for more than a decade. Possible drawbacks: cardiovascular complications, loss of vision or hearing, headaches and erections that won’t quit.

San Diego-based specialty pharmaceutical company Apricus Bio is pushing an alternative prescription ED treatment called Vitaros. Unlike other medications, it is a topical, applied to the tip of the penis with an eyedropper-like dispenser.

“Vitaros is free of serious contraindications,” says Edward Cox (no kidding), vice president of corporate development and investor relations at Apricus. Side effects, he adds, are “generally mild, transient and topically related. Vitaros doesn’t cause blurry vision or hearing loss, and it produces an erection in 10 to 30 minutes, on average, that lasts about an hour.”

Cox says Vitaros is ideal for men with diabetes, hypertension and other cardiac issues; those taking nitrates and alpha-blockers; and prostatectomy patients. The drug has been approved in Canada and will be available there through Apricus partner Abbott Laboratories this year. Apricus is working with Warner Chilcott to get it approved in the U.S.—certainly uplifting news.

apricusbio.com

Harmonic Converging

Tantric sex, a lovemaking method developed in India during the 5th century, is a hot topic on the lips of today’s Hollywood glitterati.

Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Sean “Diddy” Combs—and, most vocally, Sting—are among the devotees of this erotic approach, which views sex as a spiritual, intimacy-boosting sacred act.

“Tantric sex marries yoga practices in intimate settings and generally refers to long, slow gazes, breathing in unison, meditation and visualization,” says Kamala Devi, a sacred sex and relationship coach in Pacific Beach. “It is divineness merging with all of a person, instead of just physically or emotionally.”

Devi recommends setting a blissful, multisensory mood: light candles or incense, put on music and clearly communicate to your partner what you want to create during lovemaking.

Next, begin “centering” exercises—prayer, meditation or eye-gazing. Then add massage, dance, chanting or partner yoga to heighten energy. Finally, listen to each other’s creative intuition as you both become open vessels, with source energy moving through you.

blisscoach.com

Main Squeeze

A “Kegel” is not a Jewish noodle casserole (that’s kugel). It’s an exercise created 60 years ago by Dr. Arnold Kegel, a University of Southern California gynecology professor, who saw the need to help women reduce urinary incontinence and ease childbirth.

Kegel exercises involve repeatedly squeezing the pelvic floor (or Kegel) muscle that controls urine flow, thereby strengthening it. Doctors recommend holding the squeeze for three to 10 seconds, doing 10 contractions three times a day.

Benefits of the internal flexing for both sexes include increased blood flow to the genitals, improved vaginal tone and ejaculatory control, and longer-lasting erections. “Kegel exercises are not only therapeutic, but also have recreational use,” says Dr. Johan Brahme of the La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre. “They increase sensitivity and heighten arousal for both partners.”

Best of all, you can limber up your love muscle discreetly—anywhere. So why not add a little rhythm to your morning commute?

ljcsc.com

By Michelle Poveda

If the bar scene, Craigslist personals and lame introductions foisted on you by friends and family have failed to produce viable BF or GF material, quit procrasti-dating already—and get in touch with these San Diego relationship pros who’ve built their companies on creating the chance for romance.

IT STARTS WITH COFFEE

Founded: early 2011
Age Range: youngest member, 28; oldest, 75
Cost: $49 per month and up (month-to-month contract)
itstartswithcoffee.com

Shortly after getting married, Nicole Bhagate created a social group for married women with single friends in the hopes of helping to find mates for the unbetrothed among them.

The overwhelming response from single women propelled Bhagate and her husband Vinay to launch It Starts with Coffee, a matchmaking service intended to fill the gap between national dating sites and more personalized (ergo, more expensive) boutique companies.

It Starts with Coffee members discuss their ideal mates with staff matchmakers, who then arrange coffee dates with promising prospects. Follow-up interviews are conducted after each date to evaluate compatibility, ensuring the next cup of joe is richer and sweeter—or darker and more bitter, depending on clients’ wishes.

“Our members are professionals who work late and don’t have time to browse online profiles or attend parties,” says Vinay. “We take the work out of dating for them.”

LUCKY 7 MATCH

Founded: 2004 (purchased by current owners in 2010)
Age Range: varies by event; events for 30-40 year-olds are most popular
Cost: Free to $50
lucky7match.com

When he bought Lucky 7 Match (with financial partner Rich Mino) two years ago, Reza Garajedaghi saw an opportunity to expand the company’s services beyond speed-dating events to include a variety of singles’ gatherings.

Today, San Diegans on the hunt for romance can visit lucky7match.com to sign up for a weekly newsletter, which notifies them of upcoming social events based on their age. Garajedaghi prefers this system to the use of personal profiles.

“Online, you can spend all this time talking to someone, and then meet and realize that person isn’t for you,” he says. “With our events, you know instantly whether or not there’s a connection.”

FITTOGETHER.COM

Founded: 2009
Age Range: 25-35
Cost: Free
fittogether.com

Three years ago, Scott Bowen left a corporate IT career to create FitTogether.com, a social network that combines his love of fitness with his knowledge of technology. Bowen describes his brainchild as “a social platform that extends beyond the Internet to bring together fitness-oriented individuals.”

After creating online profiles that list their favorite sports, hobbies and interests, FitTogether members can communicate with each other via private messages or directly on their profiles. “It’s LinkedIn meets Facebook…almost meets Match.com,” Bowen says.

Though Bowen doesn’t market the site as a dating service, he acknowledges that it has helped forge relationships based on common interests. “If it allows people to find someone to keep them warm during those cold winter nights,” he says, “then so be it.”

Reel-time dating

Not enough fish locally? Cast a wider internet with these national sites

PLENTYOFFISH.COM
With 30,000 new sign-ups daily and a whopping 32 million members exchanging 15 million messages every day, this free website has become a top online dating destination—proving that anyone can have a lure.

EHARMONY.COM
According to eHarmony, an average of 542 people (in the U.S.) get married each day thanks to the company’s online dating interface. Additionally, the site claims to have helped 1.13 million 20-54 year-olds make sweet music in the form of committed relationships.

MATCH.COM
Boasting more “relationships and more marriages than any other site,” Match.com is the grand dame of online dating. About 29 percent of members are under the age of 30, 51 percent are 30-49, and 20 percent are 50-plus. The eldest of the three groups is also the fastest growing, suggesting Boomers can be late-bloomers.

Lusty app-etites

Phone-friendly programs that call for a tap of the finger—and the desire to hit “Enter”

I JUST MADE LOVE
When ready to crow about your latest sexcapade, proclaim the when, how and what form of protection you used with this exhibitionistic app, which offers a world-view map to show precisely where users just got their rocks off.
ijustmadelove.com

GRINDR
“Gaydar” springs from the palm of your hand with this mobile service, billed as the “largest all-male location-based mobile network tool.” View pics and stats of local ready-and-willing guys, whether they’re in the next town or sitting at the next café table.
grindr.com

BLENDR
This inclusive Grindr spin-off fosters fast connections between men and women—and various combinations thereof. Use the app to determine the exact distance (in feet) between you and your next lust object, send a message, then proceed to bridge the gap.
blendr.com

Feb. 27
Soma, near Sports Arena
$16 advance
somasandiego.com

Photo by Pieter M Van Hattem

When Irvine rockers Young the Giant (YTG) learned that famed producer Joe Chiccarelli (U2, Beck, Elton John) would record their debut album, they knew they had to get their sh!t together.

“It was eye-opening, and we grew from it immensely,” says YTG’s lead-howler Sameer Gadhia, who cites Radiohead, Dr. Dre and The Walkmen as influences. You may be hard-pressed to hear Dre’s influence in YTG’s soaring rock-anthems, but the band’s tunes do float around in the moody guitar-hook territory that Radiohead perfected (and Coldplay diluted and popularized).

Last year, the band killed Lollapalooza and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; now they’re psyched for a promising 2012. “We have a big North American tour from February to April—by far the biggest shows we’ve ever headlined,” Gadhia tells PacificSD, enthused that most of their dates have already sold out. “It’s pretty nuts.” —TD

Photo by Carol Friedman

Bobby McFerrin

Feb. 22
Balboa Theatre, Downtown
$26-80
livenation.com

Bobby McFerrin is best known for his 1988 pop classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” which was hijacked by the elder President Bush during his White House run that year. McFerrin has collaborated with instrumental legends including Herbie Hancock and Yo-Yo Ma. In 1984, he released the first-ever vocals-only jazz record, The Voice, on which he sings and plays percussion by tapping beats on his chest.

An early-2011 Facebook post by singer-pianist Bruce Hornsby suggested that McFerrin was forming a vocal supergroup for debut this year, which would be remarkable were it not that the Grammy Award magnet (he’s got 10) and beatbox pioneer was a one-man super-band himself. —Ryan Hume

Gardens & Villa

Feb. 17
The Casbah, Little Italy
$10
casbahmusic.com

Photo by Luca Venter

It’s hard to look (and sound) cool while wailing on a flute in an indie rock band, but Santa Barbara pop luminaries Gardens & Villa manage to pull it off. Lead singer/flautist Chris Lynch dons a quiver of flutes, which he whips out like so many arrows during live jaunts. Exhibiting the youthful exuberance of off-center popsters Men at Work, MGMT and The Kinks, Gardens & Villa explore future-pop soundscapes oozing mainstream appeal. Given their recent booking by Coachella 2012, the band’s February 17 gig at The Casbah could be the last chance to catch them at a micro-venue before they blow up. —TD

Photo by Danny Clinch

Jake Shimabukuro

Feb. 15
Balboa Theatre, Downtown
$20-40
livenation.com

Jake Shimabukuro has a motto: “If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.” Better still would be if everyone could play the ukulele like Shimabukuro, whose finger-picking virtuosity is on par with the classic rock-guitar shredding of Jimi Hendrix. The Honolulu-born musician’s performance technique is a must-see/ must-hear for anyone who can appreciate rock, jazz, flamenco and island-style numbers flawlessly executed on a two-octave instrument. —TD

Other shows:

2/1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com
2/2: Storm Large @ Anthology, anthologysd.com
2/3: MuteMath @ 4th & B, 4thandbevents.com
2/4: Adam Ant @ 4th & B, 4thandbevents.com
2/7: Dr Dog/Purling Hiss @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/10: Young the Giant @ SOMA, somasandiego.com
2/11: Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/13: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/14: The Darcys @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/14: Love is in the Air: Sinatra Tribute @ Anthology, anthologysd.com
2/15: Jake Shimabukuro @ Balboa Theatre, livenation.com
2/15: Jimmy Cliff @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/16: The Fray @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/17: Gardens & Villa @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/19: G. Love & Special Sauce @ HOB, houseofblues.com
2/22: Bobby McFerrin @ Balboa Theatre, livenation.com
2/23: Ra Ra Riot @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/25: Grimes @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com
2/26: Cursive @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com
2/27-28: Ozomatli @ Belly Up, bellyup.com
2/29: Cloud Nothings @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

Oysters

In addition to their high levels of zinc, a key mineral in testosterone production, these slippery bivalves boast the natural flavors of saline and butter with a snip of fruitiness on the finish—bewitching the palate and, in some cases, the eyes. “Anytime I can watch my date slurp something, I’m in,” says Chef Anthony Sinsay of Harney Sushi, who just introduced oyster- champagne shooters (made with sustainable oysters from Carlsbad Aqua Farms) in cucumber-basil consommé. Sold in trios, these love shots get their tickling effervescence from champagne and extra sweetness from local apple mignonette.

$7 during happy hour; $11 thereafter
3964 Harney St., Old Town
619.295.3272
301 Mission Ave., Oceanside
760.967.1820
harneysushi.com

Avocados

It wasn’t some sex-crazed hedonist who dubbed them “testicle trees”—it was the (sex-crazed) Aztecs who originally noted the way avocados hang from their branches in pairs. The creamy green fruit has since been framed as more than just a visual suggestion of sex, given its superior measures of oleic acid for heart health and stamina, Vitamin A for maintaining good vision (and accurately sizing up new romantic prospects), and Vitamin B6 for regulating hormone balance. At Candelas in Coronado and Downtown, the spell is cast through the Estructura de Aguacate starter: whole Haas avocados, halved and stuffed with lime-marinated scallops, shrimp and crabmeat and given a sensual top-off of cilantro cream and mango vinaigrette. It’s an appetizer that challenges couples to stay in their seats for the remaining courses.

$12
416 Third Ave., Gaslamp
619.702.4455
1201 First St., Coronado
619.435.4900
candelas-sd.com

Coriander

If your affection for another goes unrequited, take a cue from the ancient Chinese by making a love potion from coriander (a.k.a cilantro seed). Even easier, nudge the person into ordering channa masala at Ashoka the Great, which uses cilantro seeds as a main ingredient in the aromatic sauce covering garbanzo beans. The vegetarian dish also features fresh ginger, another organic touted for its aphrodisiacal oomph. “But the coriander has to be there for making a fragrant masala,” says manager Jagrup Singh, who imports the spice from India. The seeds are pulverized with cardamom, cinnamon and black peppercorns and start releasing their charm (and antioxidants) faster than you can play footsie under the table.

$9.95
9474 Black Mountain Rd., Ste. G, Mira Mesa
858.695.9749
ashokasd.com

Figs

Common to the fabled Dionysian orgies of ancient Greece, voluptuous figs hit the taste buds with a fleshy texture and honeyed nectar that can turn unsuspecting humans into amorous spring bees. Fibrous and full of potassium, they’re known to alleviate fatigue, which plays favorably for post-dinner romance. Look no further than The Fig Tree Café in Hillcrest for mouthfuls of the sexy fruit set within a mantle of buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and zippy arugula. For obvious shows of affection, Chef Alberto Morreale assists by shaping the pizza crust into a darling heart.

$14.95
416 University Ave., Hillcrest
619.298.2010
figtreecafehillcrest.com

Chocolate

The mother of all aphrodisiacs shows up in a new collection of Valentine’s Day indulgences by wholesaler San Diego chocolatier David Bacco, who insists his heart-shaped sweets “work just as well for males.” Indeed, studies have proven that macho brains enjoy the same stimulating punch from chocolate as women, thanks to the superfood’s hefty levels of phenethylamine (a.k.a. “the love drug”). Bacco’s latest creations include Incantato, made with milk chocolate, passion fruit and caramel; plus Captive, which combines the chocolate with mango ganache and balsamic reduction. Fall under Bacco’s sweet spell on Valentine’s Day, when he works his chocolate magic into each phase of a four-course, $65-per-person prix-fixe menu at North Park’s Sea Rocket Bistro (6 and 8:30 p.m. seatings on Feb. 14). His products are available at Jonathan’s in La Jolla, Seaside Market in Cardiff, Albertson’s in Del Mar and Harvest Ranch stores.

9888 Waples St., Sorrento Valley
888.560.5535
bacco-chocolatier.com

Medic-alert your grandmother—Madonna to headline Super Bowl halftime show huddling to the oldies

In keeping with its long-standing tradition of presenting half-time acts that are at least 25 years past their prime, the NFL is foisting the legendary diva Madonna upon us for the big game’s intermission on February 5. The so-called “Material Girl,” who first gained prominence during the first Reagan administration, is currently receiving thrice-daily hormone injections from a 24- year old French dancer, who is not FDA approved.

Always looking ahead, the NFL has already booked Katy Perry for the half-time show in 2045, to be followed by the Jonas Brothers in 2046. The league was hoping to secure Justin Bieber for the 2047 game, but Mr. Bieber is already headlining the continental breakfast alcove at the Bullhead City Comfort Inn that weekend.
This year’s national anthem will be sung by American Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson, who is expected to provide a well-rounded, full- bodied performance. Ms. Clarkson won’t be the only American Idol alumnus working the game. Season five winner Taylor Hicks will be selling churros in the upper deck; and the first attendee who

Funnyball

Decorum dictates that I veil my suspicions of Brad Pitt’s marital relations, having not witnessed them first-hand (my hidden camera ran out of batteries, dammit), but I suspect both he and his wife could be watching Ellen at the same time, and Brad would be closer to the set.

Phallus in Dallas

There is considerable debate among anthropologists over whether or not Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are of the same species, with the general belief that Lamar is the human. In the absence of DNA testing, we project a sex life consistent with a specimen the size of a power forward—same goes for Lamar. Another debate rages over whether or not Khloe shares the same father as Kim and Kourtney. If she isn’t a biological match, then mother Kris must have dallied with a gigolo of actual wit and intelligence during her marriage to the late O.J. enabler, as Kim and Kourtney’s combined IQs recently topped out at negative 59.

Schwing and a prayer

Denver quarterback Tim Tebow is a devout virgin (and will remain so until marriage, we presume). Because he’s never been caught in the act, picturing him having sex requires imagining his origin. To many believers, particularly in Florida and Colorado, Tebow’s was an Immaculate Conception: the long-awaited “second coming.” However, there is a dissenting faction of academics who contend Tebow was conceived via a conventional biological position consistent with his parents, who were missionaries.

Heavy petting

Not surprisingly, professional quarterback and former canine pugilism promoter Michael Vick was conceived doggie-style. However, the terms of his probation prohibit him from engaging in that particular method himself. Rather, Vick is required to do it PETA-style, which sadly for all concerned, is meatless…and fur-free.

Stick it in your ear

Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin, perhaps best known for lip-reading at a party for George Costanza on Seinfeld, is strictly into aural sex. It wasn’t always that way with Ms. Matlin— she had a more conventional sex life until her long-time relationship with a famous actor ended back in the ’90s, because William Hurt.

By Brandon Hernández

Miller’s Field bartender Ciara Guedesse has had a front-row view of San Diego’s beach-bar scene since she began serving the hard-partying masses in 2001. In August 2009, she was named PacificSD’s co-Bartender of the Month (along with younger sister Lindsay Willis).

With more than a decade behind the bar, Guedesse has gained a sobering perspective: that despite the camaraderie among their patrons, bar owners were competing against each other in ways that didn’t contribute to the common good.

Six months ago, to establish greater solidarity in her sandy corner of the industry, Guedesse formed the Beach Bar Guild—a collective of bar owners and their staff who meet each month at one of the member’s venues. To date, nearly 20 bars and restaurants have joined the group.

“The idea came about when I started seeing a disconnect between the staffs at Pacific Beach bars,” says Guedesse. “People were becoming overly competitive as opposed to cooperative, and it hit me that we’d all be better off if we worked with each other.”
Guild members, for example, strive to prevent drunk driving, collaborating with RADD (Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving) and the Hospitality Task Force of Discover Pacific Beach (the neighborhood’s business improvement district) to make sure all bartenders, servers and security personnel are better trained to protect their customers.

They’re also pooling resources in support of neighborhood fundraisers and community causes (like saving the Pacific Beach Christmas Parade) in an effort to improve business for all members, as well as the bar- going experience for patrons.

“The Guild is open to anyone in PB or Mission Beach who wants to work to create a better industry,” says Guedesse. “We are adamant about giving back to the community we work and live in—and unifying the beach bar community, one bar at a time.” Safer drinking, better service and more profits? If Guedesse has anything to do with it…“Guild” it, and they will come.

ciara.beachbarguild@gmail.com

BEACH BAR GUILD MEMBERS

Brewley’s Pint
Bub’s Dive Bar
Cabo Cantina
Dirty Birds
Firehouse
Fred’s Mexican Café
Guava Beach Bar & Grill
Miller’s Field
Moondoggies
Pacific Beach Alehouse
PB Shore Club
RT’s Longboard Grill
Sandbar Sports Grill
Sneak Joint
Tap Room
Thrusters Lounge
Typhoon Saloon

Nicki Minaj

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Feb. 14

Trinidad-born and Queens, New York-bred Nicki Minaj started writing raps at age 12, developing alter egos to help herself cope with the emotional challenges of a rough, impoverished childhood. While she may overdo the fantastical, Lil’ Kim-inspired aesthetic, Minaj is a gifted emcee with an otherworldly pop vision. In her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (to be released on Valentine’s Day as a follow-up to her sales record-breaking debut, Pink Friday) Minaj channels her alter ego Roman, a “little gay-boy” who favors motorcycles and violence. Kiss-kiss, vroom-vroom! —Tim Donnelly

Cranberries

Roses

Feb. 27

In the mid-1990s, The Cranberries dominated MTV and the alt-rock airwaves with “Zombie,” a single whose plaintive vocals managed to temporarily consume the American rock-conscious with the lyrics: “With their tanks and their bombs. And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head…” While lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s pipes can induce aural exhaustion at times, musically, The Cranberries certainly know their way around mournful pop hooks a la The Smiths. Roses, the band’s first release in more than a decade, is worth a listen if, come Valentine’s Day, you’re dateless, drinking heavily and dosing yourself with chocolates out of self-pity. —TD

Photo by Jess Baumung