Category Archives: Bar & Restaurant Reviews

Trader Vic’s – Scottsdale, AZ

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Last month Mr. Hockey morphed back into Mr. Baseball when he went to Cubs fantasy camp at their spring training grounds in Mesa, AZ. I flew out there to cheer him on…and drag him (and various other members of our families) to a couple tiki spots, like Trader Vic’s in neighboring Scottsdale.

When we first walked in, I was impressed by the huge Japanese fish floats hanging over the reservation stand. (Or as Mr. Baseball might so eloquently put it: Nice balls!)

According to my trusty Tiki Road Trip guide, this branch opened at the Hotel Valley Ho in 2006. The previous Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale operated for almost 40 years (1962-1990) before shuttering.

There are some traditional design elements, like tall tiki columns, tribal masks, and a glass-enclosed Chinese oven, but it also feels very modern with the floor-to-ceiling windows and industrial touches like exposed ducts and cement.

One nitpicky detail I noticed was the shade of the Maori candleholders on the tables was a lot lighter compared to the one I picked up at the Trader Vic’s warehouse sale.

We headed to the bar and took a couple low-slung seats around a drum-inspired table. We were still able to enjoy the perpetually fair weather, though, because the lounge area opens up to the outdoors where there’s a fountain and swank fire pit

At Trader Vic’s Scottsdale, there’s double happy hour: Monday through Saturday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. and 9 p.m.-11 p.m., and all day on Sundays starting at 4 p.m. Bar bites are $5, beers $3, glasses of wine and six classic Vic’s cocktails (Mai Tai, Bahia, Zombie, etc.) are $6.

The food and drink menus seem to be pretty standard across most Trader Vic’s. However, each of them has a different signature drink. The Cactus Bloom was a bubblegum pink concoction made with tequila, Pisco brandy, lemoncello, fruit juices and prickly pear syrup. My companions opted for the Gun Club Punch and Zombie (middle & right).

Also unique to this location were the happy hour offerings. Unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan of the Char Siu Bao: two giant snowball-sized steamed buns with barbecue pork, chili-garlic sauce and pickled daikon. The shredded meat inside was kind of dry, and there wasn’t enough sauce to overcome it.

I kept stealing bites of what Mr. Baseball ordered: the Chinese Oven Roasted Maui Burger with sweet potato fries. The Hawaiian flatbread (more like ciabatta) and sambal cream cheese were a very tasty twist. I noticed a lot of people ordering it. And of all the $5 “tidbits” available, I think it gives you the most bang for your buck.

It may not be the most tiki of all Trader Vic’s, but I thought the Scottsdale location still had a lot of style. The hosts and servers were super nice, and big bonus points for having such a great weekend happy hour.

Trader Vic’s Scottsdale
Hotel Valley Ho
6850 E. Main St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-248-2000

(UPDATE: Trader Vic’s Scottsdale closed July 30, 2011)

Trader Vic's on Urbanspoon

Pizza Oom Mow Mow – California Adventure

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

I’ve put off posting about the restaurant Pizza Oom Mow Mow at Disneyland’s California Adventure theme park for awhile now. These pictures are actually from last January.

I remember eating here when it first opened, oh, like ten years ago (!). I had no real desire to return, though, until I noticed this surfer dude tiki column at the entrance…

…and his tiki wahine counterpart. They were very cartoony and of course “Disney-fied,” but I thought they were kind of cute. (Especially since I’ve been subjected to far worse.)

The pizzas and pastas—the same served up elsewhere in the park—were pretty bland. I’d much rather go for one of those crazy delicious corn dogs or a po’ boy from Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen.

The name was inspired by the doo-wop song “Papa Oom Mow Mow” that was covered by the Beach Boys, to go with the 1960s surf shack vibe they had going on here. (You might recognize the tune better as Family Guy favorite “Surfin’ Bird.”) I really dug all the chunky swag lamps hanging about.

Now this pizza-munching tiki hanging out over the registers reminded me of those weird tikis lurking at the Boutiki at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Funny how Disney can get it so right and so wrong.

They had some either neat design elements, too, like surf movie posters on the wall and these vintage California postcards. So when we came around this place this place in October, I was shocked to find this:

The restaurant was completely gutted, but that surfin’ tiki was still standing. By December, he was gone. (I wonder if somebody “adopted” him?) Pizza Oom Mow Mow was a casualty of the extensive re-branding they’ve done at the park recently. The space is being turned into Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta, opening this spring.

Tiki No Bar – North Hollywood, CA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

Tiki No sign

Here in “The Valley” we already have the Tonga Hut, and the Tiki-Ti is just over the hill, but it was still very exciting to hear that a new tiki bar was opening last month in North Hollywood: Tiki No (as in NoHo).

Bar at Tiki No in North Hollywood

There were initially rumors that maybe it was a reincarnation of the Lucky Tiki (the defunct Mission Hills bar that was also my first tiki bar visit). But no, apparently the space used to be a low-key lounge called Match, and the owners decided to turn it tiki!

Bamboo booths at Tiki No

And they hired the right beachbum for the job: Bamboo Ben. The decor is topnotch, with pufferfish lights, bamboo-lined walls, and thatch rooves over the bar and booths. I especially liked the shipping containers hanging from the ceiling, kind of gave it the feeling of an island trading post.

Sup and All Black cocktails at Tiki No

A lot of patrons, including us, started off by asking the bartender what she recommended. When she replied, “Sup,” this was almost always responded to with a “Huh?” The menu revealed that the Sup ($11) is their very tasty version of a Painkiller. (It’s kind of like a Piña Colada, but it doesn’t sound as silly to order.)

On the left is the All-Black ($15), made with dark rum, blackberry juice and kiwi purée. I was a little put off by the texture and spice flavors, but I’d give this one another shot though since it seems to be a favorite with others.

Raging Bull at Tiki No

She also told us how nobody believes her that the Raging Bull ($10), a nightcap of Scotch, milk and honey, is actually pretty good. Mr. Hockey decided to live dangerously and order it, and we had to agree. The interwebs say this has been a popular drink over the years for folks with ulcers and, according to Esquire, Dizzy Gillespie.

Tiki No drink menu

These tiki cocktails can add up, so for the cost-conscious the Mai Tai is always $5, and there’s happy hour on weekdays from 4-7 p.m. I believe their mugs were also available to keep for an extra $2 — they said they didn’t have any plans yet for signature designs.

Tiki at Tiki No Bar

There’s plenty of things to look at behind the bar (Chinese dragon…pig with a jaunty cap…) but they also have a couple vintage-style televisions that were showing “The Magnificent Seven” when we were there. We dug the eclectic music, ranging from Fats Domino and Elvis to Bob Dylan to The Bird and the Bee.

Outdoor patio at Tiki No

I hear there’s DJs on Fridays and Saturdays, though I prefer the more chill vibe of an off-night. There’s a covered patio where smokers can congregate; it’s not tiki but the Edison-esque pendant lights are a neat touch.

Inside Tiki No in No-Ho

Overall I think Tiki No is an excellent addition to the So Cal tiki scene. Like Frankie’s Tiki Room in Vegas, it really nails the feeling of pseudo-Polynesian escapism. And when I want to introduce folks to the wonderful world of tiki, I might just start taking them here.

Tiki fire pit

Tiki No
4657 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
818-766-0116

Tiki No on Urbanspoon