Tag Archives: Tiki Bars

Mai-Kai Happy Hour at the Molokai Bar

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

When friends of ours told us they were getting married in Miami, my first thought was: “Congratulations!” And then my second thought was: “I get to go to the MAI KAI!”

The Mai-Kai is one of the most impressive (and last remaining) original Polynesia-inspired palaces. For more than fifty years its thatched A-frame has stood on a once remote (now industrial) stretch of highway in Fort Lauderdale.

Spending an evening here is not just dinner, it’s an event. And you must start off in the Molokai Bar, which resembles the belly of a storm-faring ship complete with carved wooden figureheads, rigging and nautical lanterns.

Simulated rain streams down the angled windows, adding to the sense of escapism. And there are plenty of tikis out there to spot, too.

You might be so distracted by the surroundings (and the bandeau/sarong-draped lady servers) that you don’t even notice there aren’t any bartenders around. Rather, they’re kept behind closed doors in part to preserve the long-held secrets of the recipes.

Mariano Licudine, a former Don the Beachcomber bartender, created the cocktail menu with variations of Don’s drinks and new signatures like the Derby Daiquiri and Mystery Drink (more on that later). I picked up this repro of a vintage menu in the gift shop.

Happy hour is from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and appetizers and almost all the drinks are half price. As advertised and classified, the Jet Pilot ($6.50) was seriously potent. Mr. Baseball opted for the non-alcoholic Tropical Punch ($3.25) which is made with pineapple juice, passionfruit syrup and guava and papaya nectars, according to this article.

We also ordered the won ton soup ($3.25) and my favorite Polynesian app: crab rangoon ($4.75) flavored with cheese and curry and served with barbecue, sweet and sour and hot mustard. There’s lots of other fried delights, including intriguing things called Tahitian cheese tangs, plus oysters Rockefeller and even escargots.

Happy hour at the Molokai Bar was just the beginning of our night at the magical Mai-Kai. There’s still the garden and dinner and show and, of course, more cocktails.

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

More Tiki on Tasting Table

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Other Tiki Topics and tagged with , , , ,

The accolades just keep accumulating for Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. Bon Appétit named it one of the Top 10 New Cocktail Bars, then a month or so ago it nabbed a spot on GQ’s Best Spirit-Specific Cocktail Bars in America, and now it’s included on Tasting Table San Francisco’s guide to The Best Cocktails & Where to Drink Them. (I had already guessed it would be on there, as soon as I saw the headline.)

Tasting Table chose 15 Bay area bars and restaurants and posted a representative recipe for each one. Here’s what they had to say about Smuggler’s Cove and the drink The Dead Reckoning:

“The tiki bar trend began after American Prohibition in Los Angeles at Don the Beachbomber and at Trader Vic’s in Oakland. The elaborate kitsch palaces then spread around the country and the world until the movement’s decline in the 1980s. Martin Cate, owner of Smuggler’s Cove, has helped restore tiki cocktails to their former glory, offering the original versions of classics like the Mai Tai and the Zombie, along with new cocktails like this one.

2 ounces premium aged rum (such as Cruzan Single Barrel, Mount Gay Sugar Cane or Appleton Estate Reserve)
½ ounce Navan vanilla liqueur
½ ounce pure maple syrup
½ ounce tawny port
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Cracked ice
1 ounce soda water
Mint sprig and lemon zest spiral, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, vanilla liqueur, maple syrup, port, lemon juice, pineapple juice and bitters. Add the cracked ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh cracked ice. Top with the soda water, garnish with the mint sprig and lemon zest, and serve immediately.”

— Reprinted from Tasting Table San Francisco

The New York version of the Best Cocktails of 2010 also had some touches of tiki in it. Newcomer bar Painkiller was included, though they skipped over all the rum drinks and instead featured the Negroni Swizzle. Also meriting a mention was the Witchy Woman from the Lani Kai, a Hawaiian-inspired cocktail lounge that’s also fresh on the scene (but lacking in actual tikis, so says the word on the street).