Tag Archives: Tiki Bars

Lamenting the Short-Lived Lani Kai in New York

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

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Sadly, 2012 saw the closing of several tiki bars, including the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach, Hong Kong Inn in Ventura, Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge in Hawaii, Trader Vic’s Palo Alto, and Lani Kai in New York. I visited the latter before it closed in September, so here’s a tribute to one of the Polynesian-style places we lost last year.

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Julie Reiner (Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club) opened Lani Kai in October 2010, naming it after an Oahu beach she frequented while growing up in Hawaii. On the bar’s web site, she stated: “My favorite drinks are the Manhattan and the Mai Tai, and I have always wanted to create a destination that blends the two places I call home.”

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In interviews she made sure to clarify that Lani Kai was not a tiki bar but a “modern tropical” cocktail lounge with more minimalist décor — and indeed there were no tikis, thatch or bamboo to be found. Rather, the dimly lit dining area featured whitewashed brick walls with boxes of tropical plants and orchids, a bar in the back with a wooden trellis above, and an impressive capiz shell chandelier suspended over the stairwell.

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Downstairs was the lounge area with red banquettes, simple wooden tables and chairs, bamboo wallpaper, hanging ferns and a stone fireplace, plus another bar.

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The menu was pretty brief and seemed to offer mostly small plates. We composed our own pupu platter with awesome bacon-wrapped shrimp and crab rangoon, along with huli huli yakitori (chicken skewers), char siu baby back ribs, and chicken wings with basil dipping sauce.

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We also put away a few of the pork belly buns (though not enough, apparently, to spare me from a hangover the next day after we continued the evening at PKNY).

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I wanted to try a straightforward tiki drink so I opted for the Kamehameha Rum Punch ($13, Nicaraguan and dark Jamaican rums, lemon, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine and crème de mure), based on a 1960s recipe from the Hotel King Kamehameha, while Mr. Baseball’s drink was made with whisky and absinthe. Both were perfectly balanced and exactly what I’d expect from a high-quality establishment, though in hindsight I wish I’d gone for one of the creative concoctions made with tea-infused spirits, lemongrass, lychee or jalapeno syrups.

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So this brings me to another resolution we all should make for 2013 — support your local (and not so local) tiki bars!

Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge at Psycho Suzi’s

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

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I’ve already praised the main dining area and patio of Psycho Suzi’s, but there’s still more to this behemoth of a tiki bar. Upstairs is the Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge, a large space that houses three themed areas each with their own menus of six signature drinks. These bars are only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight.

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My favorite from the trio was the Forbidden Cove, which is straight ahead when you walk in. I loved the dark, romantic mood created with the orange glowing fish floats and string lights reflecting in the mirrors. The walls were also festooned with tons of plastic tropical flowers and foliage, and the tables featured fiberoptic centerpieces and peacock chairs.

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It doesn’t matter what section you sit in, you can still order from any of the Shangri-La menus. The very thirsty can undertake the Mender of Broken Dreams ($58), a three-tiered marvel that serves about 10 and includes a bottle of champagne, rum, other liquor, strawberry, pineapple, coconut, banana and lime.

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The other five signature drinks are all blended. On the advice of our waitress I opted for the Forbidden Cove ($10), a sweet blue slushie served in a coconut perched on top of a glass. It went down real easy and I preferred it over the Zombie Slush we tried downstairs. Meanwhile, my brother went for a Shasta Tiki Punch soda and my mum ordered the Poisoned Spear ($8.95) from the Shrunken Head side of the menu, made with various rums, cinnamon, pineapple and almond. How cool is that swizzle?

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On the left is the Ports of Pleasure with tiki poles, more string lights, nautical rope and ship’s wheels. There’s seating at the bar and at nearby tables with stools. It must also be mentioned that you can order food off the full menu from the dining room downstairs.

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I concluded our drinking tour with the lychee, mango and lime flavored Wangiwangi ($8.95) from the “Distant Shore Tropicals.” It was a bit bigger than I’d bargained for but that’s no complaint. (I’ll make the joke for you: “That’s what she said…”

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The Shrunken Head bar on the opposite end features neat atomic lamps, lots of tables, a long bar with a thatched overhang and, of course, some shrunken heads. The other side of that bar is kind of secluded — it’s where the cool kids like to hang out.

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In addition to the strong and spicy “Tribal Coolers” at the Shrunken Head, they also have a few local Minnesota beers on tap plus nearly two dozen more canned and bottled options ranging from PBR tall boys (for the hipsters) to Brooklyn Lager (for the beer snob hipsters).

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Just as we were heading out the house band, Exotik-a-GoGo, was starting to set up in the middle of the room. They play every Friday and Saturday night from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. (and they’ll also be performing at Hukilau this year.)

Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge – Minneapolis, MN

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

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Forget the Mall of America — if you’re in the Twin Cities you have to check out Psycho Suzi’s. A little more than a year ago they moved to this larger location that was just a few blocks away. Starting with the giant roadside sign redone with their logo tiki it was clear Psycho Suzi’s had come back bigger and better.

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This space in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District was previously a saloon-turned-hiphop-club named Gabby’s, but apparently it was originally designed to be a church. (This is fairly obvious from the outside.) Making the move more than quadrupled Psycho Suzi’s inside capacity, not to mention the 300-plus seats on the terrace.

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As if that weren’t noteworthy enough, there’s also a big waterfall fountain in the lobby, views of the Mississippi from the riverfront patio, a gift shop with greatly expanded signature merchandise, and three tiki bars upstairs in “Shangri-la” that are only open Friday and Saturday nights. (We were there in October, hence the Halloween decorations.)

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They seem to have a tongue-in-cheek attitude about the whole tiki theme, but you can tell that there’s true passion for it lurking underneath the ironic front. I was instantly charmed by the custom-designed carpet that resembles wooden planks with nails, like the deck of a ship.

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It looks like most of the decor from the previous location, including the Mender of Broken Dreams neon sign above the bar, made it over here. So even though the dining room was much larger, it still felt familiar. (Check out my past Psycho Suzi’s post if you want to see how the original looked.)

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The downstairs area had retro brown vinyl seating juxtaposed with lauhala matted walls, tiki masks backed with leopard print shields, a curtain of bamboo pieces, and shelves of mugs, plus those lamps I love, giant wooden forks and spoons, and other tiki art.

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The Psycho Zombie Slush, a slushie made with rum (possibly overproof), lime, cola and cherry flavors, will set you up for a brain freeze, sugar rush and future hangover all at the same time! I can’t for the life of me remember what drink I ordered but I do recall that it was good. Judging by the mug, I’m guessing it was The Native’s Curse: “mango and lemon tropical rum swill.”

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They also demonstrate their sense of humor with the food. There’s self-described “trashy” appetizers like Potluck Pickle Roll-ups with ham and cream cheese (a.k.a. Minnesota Sushi) and Red Rockets, which are lightly beer-battered cocktail weenies served with honey mustard. Both were fine but next time I’ll opt for the fried cheese curds and bacon-wrapped smokies we tried on our first visit.

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The Suzi Burger with caramelized onions, provolone and red pepper mayo definitely packed some heat. There’s also salads, sandwiches and pizzas (both regular and a version of deep dish). If we hadn’t been so stuffed with tater tots I would have gone for the deep-fried Snickers bar for dessert.

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I was so impressed Psycho Suzi’s that it’s now taking spot #4 in my power rankings for the best tiki bars in the United States, bringing some geographical diversity to that list. It’s well worth a visit for the atomic-inflected tiki decor, fun food, decent drinks and tons of signature merch.

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Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge
1900 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-788-9069