Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney -- these exciting cities are standard fare in the life of flight attendant Todd Eisenbraun, and he chases a romance with sexy-but-straight Josh through them all. Closer to home, a new neighbor in his San Francisco apartment building has a huge crush on Todd. His friends -- Katie, a flight attendant-turned-small appliance repairwoman, and Marzipan Q. Thespian, a man-dangling local philanthropist -- think Todd should at least give Chris a shot. Sure, he’s overweight, but he’s also handsome, a hilarious playwright, and a great cook ... what’s not to love? Todd and Chris become quick friends, but Todd’s idea of the perfect man is skinny and straight, and Chris is decidedly neither. Josh may have a fiancée and a teenaged son, but Todd just knows he’s “the One.” But if Josh is straight, the road to love is not; Todd is jostled by internalized homophobia, body image issues, exotic locales, the glamorous world of sewing machine repair, and a community theater musical salute to the life of Judy Garland before he arrives at the realization that he’s been looking way too hard for something he may have already found.

Kiss Me, Straight

It took us a while to peruse the four-page martini menu; Chris eventually settled on a cookies-and-cream martini, while I ventured to try the pepper and cucumber Martini of the Day. I very often go for the House Specialty or Chef’s Selection or Whatever of the Day because these items very often showcase fresh ingredients or fresh ideas. You gotta watch out for places that use the Special of the Day as a way to unload the not-so-special of yesterday, but for the most part I feel like the chef usually steers you in the right direction. Marzipan! exemplifies this practice, and my cocktail companion here had proven his mettle with the Nightly Fish Special on more than one occasion in the weeks he had been cooking there.


Chapter 30