Psycho Suzi’s Patio – A Riverfront Paradise

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Minneapolis, Minnesota, Psycho Suzi's, Restaurants, Travel January 30, 2012

Part two of my ode to Psycho Suzi’s in Minneapolis continues with their patio. I love that there’s dark, atmospheric tiki bars here but also a tropical-style setting where you can enjoy the sunshine and water when the weather is right (probably not now, though).

According to this informative StarTribune article, the 7,000-square-foot terrace can seat more than 300 people. There’s a thatched hut plus lots of palapa umbrellas, tiki torches and a big Ku (photo below).

It may look familiar if you watched the season premiere of “Bizarre Foods” that aired last week. In this Twin Cities episode, host Andrew Zimmern and Psycho Suzi’s owner Leslie Bock were judges for a hot dish cooking competition so the show did a quick intro about her tiki bar.

Just like in the adjacent dining room there were some things I recognized from the original location of Psycho Suzi’s, such as these Moai that are now clustered together back to back.

A sign said “Seat yourself” and I can imagine that in the summertime there’s a lot of competition over snagging the best seats. The temperature was in the 60s or so during our visit but some folks were out there making the best of it. I’m sure the rum in a tiki drink or two could help ward off the chill.

You can have a front row seat for the Mississippi River, and the goings-on at the scrapyard directly across from the restaurant.

In the spring there’s going to be a dock where skippers can leave their boats and stop in for some grog. (Something to keep in mind as the parking lot out front can get rather full…)

It was neat to spot a Mai Tiki by the outside entrance to the terrace. I have a somewhat similar one that we picked up at the Wayne Coombs’ gallery in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Not only are four-legged friends welcome on the patio, but they even have three different kinds of dog food available for them. Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any more awesome I’d find another thoughtful touch like this.

After a leisurely lunch and browse through the gift shop, there was still a few more hours until the Shangri-la tiki bars upstairs opened. It was a gorgeous day so we explored the nearby Old St. Anthony district and Nicollet Island before heading BACK to Psycho Suzi’s. We weren’t quite ready to head back to reality just yet…

Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge – Minneapolis, MN

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Minneapolis, Minnesota, Psycho Suzi's, Restaurants, Tiki, Tiki Bars, Travel January 19, 2012

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.)

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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

Mixed Feelings About Mahiki – London

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with London, Mahiki, Restaurants, Tiki, Tiki Bars, Travel November 7, 2011

Mahiki was one of the first in a new breed of tiki bar—it’s really more of an exclusive lounge/nightclub with a tiki theme. (It’s a concept that’s already been cloned in a London a few times, and made its way across the pond with Riff Raff’s in NYC.)

Nightlife entrepreneurs Nick House and Piers Adam opened Mahiki in 2006 and it quickly became a hotspot thanks to frequent appearances by celebrities and Princes William and Harry (their friend Guy Pelly handled promotions). The brand has since expanded with launches of signature rum, limited-edition swimwear, and pop-up events, plus a second Mahiki location to open in Dubai, and a huge space to be converted into Mahiki East for the London Olympics.

An enjoyable, low-key time can be had at the Mahiki, but you have to follow these two rules: 1) Dress up. (No jeans or sneaks) 2) Arrive early. At 9 p.m. a velvet rope goes up out front, cover charges might apply (£15), tables are reserved for bottle service (though they’ll stay empty for a few hours until those folks actually show up) and the cocktail prices shoot up when the “moonlight menu” replaces the “sunset menu.”

Once inside, you head down a staircase—fitting as Mahiki is named for the path to the underworld in Polynesian mythology. The owners wisely brought in CheekyTiki to do the decor and they went all out. The lounge is filled with tons of bamboo, lauhala matting, shell lamps, rattan chairs and tikis. I especially loved this Hawaiian Chief seat of honor.

Another level below that is the nightclub, which seems to downplay the theme a bit in comparison, though there is a glassed-in tiki garden in amongst the big round booths and dance floor. Somewhere about is the “No-Tell Motel,” a retro-trashy styled private party space which from their photos has karaoke in a shower, disco balls galore, a bed and a stripper pole.

The modelesque hostesses wear tropical printed dresses and headsets, flitting about like secret agents out of “Hawaii 5-O.” At our service was a jolly fellow in full sailor suit, complete with a cap and faux American accent, who rolled around one of those Old World-style globe bars. Quite a juxtaposition between the serious and silly attitudes.

Food-wise there’s a short menu of “light bites” like calamari, mozzarella sticks and lobster nachos. The Sliders (£12), mini burgers on brioche buns, were juicy and flavorful, while the truffle and wild mushroom arancini (£7.50) couldn’t have been more perfect: light and crispy with rich, creamy risotto inside. I was swooning with every bite…

The beautifully designed cocktail menu offers about three dozen selections, including some classics like the Zombie, but mostly original creations by Soul Shakers. Mr. Hockey was a fan of the tart and bubbly Mahiki (£8), comprising Bacardi Gold, Sailor Jerry, pear and strawberry purée, lemon, crème de fraise and Champagne. Meanwhile, my favorite of the night was the off-menu Paradise Club made with Mahiki Coconut, coconut creme, lime and guava juice.

Round two kicked off with the Honolulu Honey (£7.50), an interesting concoction of Bacardi Gold, honey cream, mango, pineapple and lime. The Good Time Girl, however, was just an OK time. Rumored to be a favorite of Kate Middleton, it’s a bland blend of Finlandia vodka, mango and passion fruit purée, and vanilla ice cream. Mahiki has custom mugs made for them by Cheekytiki, including some neat designs by TikiRacer, but they’re not really for sale as souvenirs. (Apparently people just take the liberty of pocketing them instead.)

For £10, you can spin the Wheel of Fortune (a bit reminiscent of the Tiki-Ti) and land on a cocktail or possibly tap water, or be ordered to run around naked, or hit the jackpot! When we were there, two different parties were lucky enough to win the legendary Mahiki Treasure Chest (£135), rum punch topped off with a bottle of Moet & Chandon that does indeed arrive in a treasure chest and serves 8 people. (It’s just one of their creatively presented large-format drinks.)

Mahiki definitely does some things right, like the decor and the drinks, but they seem to give a cold shoulder to anyone that’s not a socialite or bigspender. There are numerous reviews online about people being rejected at the door for flimsy reasons (or being told there’s no guest list when there actually is), so proceed with caution. And if they give you any trouble, Trader Vic’s London is less than a kilometer away.

Mahiki
1 Dover St.
London, W1S 4LD, United Kingdom
020-7493-9529

The Tiki Chick

A California girl chronicling modern tiki culture

Tag Archives: Travel

Psycho Suzi’s Patio – A Riverfront Paradise

Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge – Minneapolis, MN

Mixed Feelings About Mahiki – London