My how time flies…
It was one year ago, almost to the week. I was at Hula Hula chatting with the bartender. She had good news and bad news.
The bad news was that Hula Hula was closing because the building was getting leveled for new development. The good news was that Hula Hula would live again in a new location. The owners just needed to find the right place…
Continue reading “Hula Hula Grand Re-Opening! Capitol Hill Seattle, WA”
And then there were two…
As I write this post, there are only two remaining Trader Vic’s locations in America. One in Atlanta, GA and the other in Emeryville, CA. Back in the ’50s/’60s during the height of Tiki popularity, there were around 25! What happened? Well, tastes changed. But if there is one word to describe a Trader Vic’s restaurant, that word would be HUGE! Imagine trying to maintain a large space with many rooms filled with various Tiki artifacts. It’s a miracle such a place is still around! That’s why visiting Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, CA was a big deal for me. It could all be gone tomorrow…
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #30 Trader Vic’s Emeryville, CA”
I’ll never forget seeing this clip on Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover.
It’s where Anthony checks out the Tonga Room in San Francisco. I’d been waiting for my day to come every since and I finally made it!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #29 Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar, San Francisco, CA”
I’ll never the forget the first time I set foot in Tacoma Cabana.
Standing behind the bar was this dude wearing an Aloha shirt and fez on his head. I didn’t know anything about this guy, but he had a presence to him that made him really stand out. Without saying a word, the message was clear: I’m here to make Tiki cocktails and trust me, they will blow you away. This man was and is Jason Alexander. He is the owner of Tacoma Cabana. Let’s get to know Jason a little bit more…
Continue reading “Tiki VIP #17 Jason Alexander (Tacoma Cabana)”
Hey, this used to be Barmacy!
When I first walked into Otto’s Shrunken Head, I felt like I’d been there before. I lived in New York back in the early 2000s and before Otto’s was Otto’s, it used to be Barmacy. Barmacy was a bar that was supposed to be a pharmacy that turned into a bar. Pretty interesting idea, but a Tiki bar is so much cooler!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #28 Otto’s Shrunken Head, NYC”
“You wanted the best and you got them! The hottest band in the land: KISS!”
Back in the ’70s, KISS ruled the school. They were huge! There were KISS toys, KISS comic books, KISS, well, pretty much anything Gene Simmons could think of! KISS was so big that the band even had it’s own army, the KISS Army!
Why was KISS so big and why were they so successful? One reason: seeing KISS live was a breathtaking, rocking spectacle that couldn’t be duplicated!
Why?
Every painting starts with one brush stroke. Each stroke that follows can make the painting better or worse.
The same thing is true with building a Tiki bar. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination, or to how much you care about building something special. I don’t want to say there’s a right or wrong way to build a Tiki bar, but as they say, “The proof is the pudding.” There are definite reasons why certain Tiki bars have lines outside the door and why others close a couple months after opening. Forbidden Island in Alameda, CA is not the later! Forbidden Island is one of the oldest of the new Tiki bars, opening its doors a decade ago in 2006.
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #27 Forbidden Island Alameda, CA”
New Luck Toy: three words that have three meanings in Seattle, WA.
New Luck Toy used to be a cool, kitschy Chinese restaurant that was located in West Seattle. It shut down about a decade ago.
New Luck Toy is also a punk rock band from Seattle.
And as of October 2016, New Luck Toy is a brand new bar in West Seattle!
And they have a slushie machine that pours out frozen Tiki drinks!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #26 New Luck Toy Seattle, WA”
Myth: There are tons of Tiki bars in Hawaii!
Reality: Well, not really…
The main appeal of a Tiki bar is to create the illusion that you are in a tropical paradise. When you’re actually in Hawaii, why would you need the illusion? You’re actually there! What’s tough is finding a bar that actually makes good drinks. All Mai Tais are not created equal in Hawaii and good luck finding a place that makes a good one. Well folks, if you happen to find yourself on the island of Maui you’re in luck. Head the directly to the Monkeypod!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #25 The Monkeypod Wailea, Maui”
If there is any Tiki bar that should get honorable mention, it should be the Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver, BC. The place is essentially a dance club. I can assure you, electronic dance music will be pumping out of the speakers—not Martin Denny. When I visited the Waldorf, I didn’t even have a drink. In fact, I don’t know if they even serve any Tiki cocktails at all.
So why am I writing about this place? Two reasons. Well, maybe three.
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #24 The Waldorf Vancouver, BC”
