If you live in Seattle and have spent some time at Rumba or The Diller Room you have seen Tony Canepa’s artwork. It’s truly beautiful! Tony used to live in Seattle but has since moved down to Austin Texas. It sounds like there isn’t much Tiki going on down there but maybe Tony’s tiki art will give someone inspiration to build something great! Here is Tony’s story…
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know about McMenamins.
McMenamins restores old, classic, historical buildings and turns them into brewpubs, movie theaters, restaurants, and music venues. They do a really great job of maintaining the integrity of the buildings and the food and drinks are great! But what you may not know is that they also build Tiki bars…
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #46 Kapu Hut – McMenamins North Bank Eugene, OR”
It can be hard sometimes to come up with a cool name for your home tiki bar…
Or you could just use your last name. Well, that’s what Bill Straw did. There isn’t any straw in the Straw Hut but there’s tons of thatch. Close enough! Here is a look at this incredible home tiki bar…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #34 The Straw Hut, Hercules CA”
I remember making my first Mai-Tai…
The recipe called for Orgeat syrup. Back then I had no idea what this was, I just knew I needed it to make myself a Mai-Tai. I took a trip down to the local supermarket, found the isle that sold syrups and bought a bottle. My Mai-Tai was ok but it didn’t taste nearly as good one I would order at a Tiki bar. I couldn’t believe that one ingredient could totally alter the taste of a drink. This is where Blair Reynolds comes in handy, well actually his company BG Reynolds Syrups. BG Reynolds makes every type of syrup you need to make any Tiki drink you want. Not only will your drinks taste incredible but your Tiki drinks will taste correct. Let’s get to know Blair a little bit more…
Continue reading “Tiki VIP #29 Blair Reynolds – BG Reynolds Syrups”
I was sipping a Mai-Tai at Foundation with my good friend Lisa. Lisa loves Disney World and was excited about her upcoming trip to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. She has a family and everyone is coming along!
Now, Lisa lives in Milwaukee and what I’ve heard is that Cancun is the most popular tropical destination for Mid-Westerners. I asked Lisa what she thought about traveling to Cancun for vacation. She said she would much rather vacation at Disney. What about the Caribbean, or the Florida Keys for that matter? Lisa still preferred Disney. Lisa had my curiosity now. Why would she prefer somewhere that is completely made up over going to an actual tropical destination?
Continue reading “Tiki Bars—Even Better Than The Real Thing!”
Can a Chinese restaurant be more Tiki than a Tiki bar?
That answer is YES! Chef Shangri-La, located outside of Chicago’s city limits in North Riverside, has more Tikis than some Tiki bars!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #45 Chef Shangri-La North Riverside, IL”
I am very happy and proud to present to you all the first episode of Secret Tiki Escapes! This show is a collaboration between BossaNova Life, Sveinn Photography, and yours truly, Tiki With Ray. In each episode, we visit a home Tiki bar, talk to the owner, have a Tiki drink or two, and Sveinn does a photo shoot with a pinup model.
Continue reading “Secret Tiki Escapes – Episode 1: The Cave Of Kungaloosh”
Sometimes a band can make an impression that is deeper than you think!
I remember getting into The Cramps back in the mid ’80s. During that time, I was full-on into punk rock, listening to bands like The Ramones, The Misfits, and Black Flag. If it was loud, fast, and aggressive, I liked it! But The Cramps were different…
I remember when Palm Springs didn’t have any Tiki bars…
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #44 Caliente Tropics and the Reef Palm Springs, CA”
It’s hard to talk about Tonga Hut Palms Springs without talking about Tonga Hut North Hollywood…
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #43 Tonga Hut Palm Springs, CA”
