Tag Archives: Travel

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.

Trio Restaurant – Palm Springs, CA

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

Although big on most things mid-century, Palm Springs is somewhat lacking in terms of tiki bars and restaurants. Well, aside from the bachelorette party fave/gay tiki bar Toucan’s. I’m more interested in a good cocktail than dancing the night away so we hit up Trio, where Rory “Wildsville Man” Snyder has created a few tiki drinks for the menu. (Editor’s note: These cocktails are no longer available.)

Trio, which just happens to be located right next door to the Shag Store, made its debut on the dining scene a year and a half ago and has attracted quite a following. The design is very mod, with interesting light fixtures and lots of white, mauve and mellow orange tones.

It was a bustling Saturday night, but we were able to be seated right away at a tall table in the bar area. If you’d prefer something a little more formal, I’d recommend making reservations.

There were three tiki-style rum cocktails on the menu: the Uptown Mai Tai, Palm Springs Punch and Rory’s Tiki Monkey. I opted for the latter, which was made with Appleton rum, pineapple juice, St-Germain, Canton ginger liqueur, creme de noyeaux and simple syrup. Absolutely delicious!  (Editor’s note: These cocktails are no longer available.)

Trio specializes in what’s grown to be my favorite kind of cuisine: creative, upscale comfort food. The rich and hearty crawfish étouffée pot pie was right up my alley.

My date Mr. Baseball also picked a winner with the baked Rigatoni Al Forno with chicken, spinach, mushrooms, fontina, mozzarella and parmesan. Mmmm, carbs and cheese.

I’m thinking a return visit is necessary next time we’re in town. There are so many more tempting dishes to be tried, like fried artichoke hearts with caper aoili and macaroni with five cheeses and bacon. Bonus: Their web site features specials like a 10% off dining coupon and $19 three-course prix-fixe menu from 4 p.m.-6 p.m., plus there’s happy hour in the bar until 7 p.m. with discounted drinks (though not any of the specialty cocktails, alas).

Trio
707 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-864-TRIO (8746)

 

Trio Restaurant on Urbanspoon

A Retro Retreat in Palm Springs – The Riviera

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , , ,

We had some time to spare in Palm Springs before “The Book of Tiki” anniversary art exhibition, so we made a quick side-trip to check out The Riviera hotel. This old-school stunner made its debut in 1959 and counted Frank Sinatra and Elvis among its high-profile patrons. It re-opened to much fanfare in 2008 after a year and a half of renovations.

It’s super swank all the way, and there’s nothing very tiki about it except the Shag prints hanging up along the Starlight Lounge just off the lobby.

Some parts of the resort are sort of mid-century modern meets Lady Gaga (or Liberace, if the thought of Lady Gaga makes you gag). Anyway, it’s very Vegas.

One of the walls in the gift acknowledges another desert hotspot for Old Hollywood: the Chi Chi. That nightclub is now, unfortunately, a shopping center but in its heyday it hosted Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, to name just a few.

That they featured so many jazz greats is already interesting to me, but the Chi Chi was also a Polynesian-style restaurant that at some point was decorated with thatch and tapa cloth. This menu borrowed from Edgar Leeteg’s black velvet painting “Hina Rapa,” an image they also co-opted for cocktail napkins and plates (Images from PalmSpringsLife.com/Palm Springs Historical Society).

The gift shop also had some rad art by Chris Reccardi, who’s worked on tons of cartoon projects including “Spongebob Squarepants,” “Powerpuff Girls,” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” I really dig the futuristic mod style.

If I had my pick of places to stay in Palm Springs, The Riviera would be it. That pool was just made for lounging, and the rooms look pretty snazzy too.

The Riviera Resort & Spa
1600 N. Indian Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-327-8311