Tiki Tolteca at Felipe’s Taqueria – New Orleans, LA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Felipe's Taqueria, New Orleans, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Tiki, Tiki Bars, Tiki Tolteca, Travel August 22, 2013

For a town that really enjoys rum, New Orleans hasn’t had much going on in the way of tiki bars until recently. The original midcentury ones closed by the 1980s — a common story around the country. But now Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, who is the ultimate authority on tiki drinks, is rumored to have something brewing, and in May 2013 a tiki bar turned up in an unexpected place: Felipe’s Taqueria.

The private party space upstairs from this Mexican restaurant in the French Quarter has been turned into Tiki Tolteca, a “pop-up” tiki bar that’s open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to midnight, plus some Fridays and Saturdays 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Pop-ups tend to be temporary but I got the impression that they’d keep it going as long as there is interest.

Tiki Tolteca has its own separate entrance off the street. A black chalkboard on the sidewalk points you to the stairwell and a couple of tikis signal that you’re headed in the right direction.

I chatted with bartender Richard “Trader Dick” and he said part of the inspiration for this Latin-Polynesian mash-up was Thor Heyerdahl and his Kon-Tiki expedition. In 1947, this Norwegian anthropologist sailed from Peru to the South Pacific on a primitive raft to support his theory that the ancient Polynesians may have migrated from South America.

The bar is just off the right when you walk in, then there’s a few tall tables and several wood & leather couches with cowhide cushions. On the brick walls are small carved tikis and ship’s figureheads straight from the Oceanic Arts catalog. Large Moai, colorful fish floats, bamboo room dividers, thatch and coconut pirate heads further contribute to the scene. The decor may be a bit minimalist for a tiki bar, but at least there’s no sign of anything from Party City.

Also adding to the atmosphere the night we were there was a soundtrack alternating between surf music (The Ventures), exotica (Arthur Lyman), Doo-Wop (“Sh-Boom”) and Latin (“Oye Como Va”). Thursdays are “Exotica Lounge” nights with DJ Beach Bunny.

The cocktail menu offers about a dozen tiki drinks, both classics and originals by Felipe’s bar staff. Half highlight rum while the others showcase south-of-the-border spirits like tequila, mezcal, pisco and cachaça. On the sweeter side is La Conchita ($8), an El Dorado 5 and Smith & Cross creation by Danielle. The Original Hurricane ($7) is bold and tart just as it ought to be, far from the alcoholic Kool-aid you find now at Pat O’Brien’s.

The chef at Felipe’s Taqueria created a short list of small plates influenced by Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil and Peru. Paying tribute to tiki tradition is the classic rumaki. Reportedly invented by Trader Vic, it’s bacon-wrapped chicken livers and water chestnuts. Pineapple gastrique gives this version a nice hint of sweetness.

My favorite of the food we tried was the sweet corn tamale cake ($7), a warm, comforting dish served with salsa verde, avocado and Mexican crema picante.

On the other hand, I was hoping the tostones ($7) would have more flavor considering the crispy fried plantains were topped with habanero jelly and pulled pork. I’d say go for one of the other tempting offerings like the pupusas; Louisiana gulf shrimp ceviche with coconut milk, lime and pineapple salsa; or brigadeiros (Brazilian chocolate truffles).

For round two, I went for the Subtropical Itch ($7), a Sazerac Rye cocktail created by “Trader Dick.” He told me how he has fun loading this drink up with garnishes, including a backscratcher (naturally).

Patrons can take home a souvenir mug (Dynasty Easter Islander with “Tiki Tolteca” inked in permanent marker) for an additional $8. “Mai Time” happy hour is 11 p.m. to closing, with Mai Tais, Hurricanes and 151 Swizzles priced at $5.

There’s a fun sense of humor here — their Mai Tai is described as “Trader Dick’s take on Trader Vic’s take on the QB Cooler” — but make no mistake these are serious cocktails. And considering the care and quality ingredients going into them, they are very reasonably priced too ($5-10, Escorpion Punch serves 2-3 for $25). ¡Viva Tiki Tolteca!

Tiki Tolteca
Upstairs from Felipe’s Taqueria
301 N. Peters St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-267-4406

A Tiki Bar in the Galapagos?

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Ecuador, Galapagos, Honu Tiki Bar, National Geographic Islander, Tiki, Tiki Bars, Travel August 15, 2013

Most of my vacations are planned around visiting as many tiki bars in the area as possible, but not my most recent destination: The Galapagos.

Instead, we admired the unique shell shapes of the saddleback tortoises for which the islands are named…

snorkeled with curious sea lions and indifferent sharks…

tried not to accidentally step on the marine iguanas in heaps of hundreds at our feet on Fernandina…

marveled at the seeming absurdity of penguins living on the equator…

and witnessed the mating dance of the aptly named blue-footed boobies.

We spent a week on the National Geographic Islander and had little contact with civilization aside from a day spent on Santa Cruz. We strolled along the “T-Shirt Mile” in Puerto Ayora, where you can stock up on all your “I Love Boobies” souvenir needs. (Or “I Love Bobbies” for the tourists that aren’t so sharp-eyed.)

I did a doubletake when I saw a sign for Honu Tiki Restaurant in bamboo letters. A tiki bar in the Galapagos?! According to their Facebook page, which has a nice logo featuring Moai mugs, it made its debut in August 2012. I know “honu” means “turtle” in Hawaiian but some sources say it can also refer to the land tortoise, so it’s fitting that they named the tiki bar after one of the most iconic animals in the Galapagos. (It also happens to be down the street from the giant tortoise breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station.)

As they weren’t open at the time, I unfortunately wasn’t able to experience it for myself. However I could still get a look at the covered patio from the sidewalk. I didn’t see any carved tikis but there do appear to be some colorful tikis stenciled on the gray wall in the back, plus plenty of bamboo chairs and a tropical mural. Perhaps my next trip to the Galapagos actually will revolve around visiting a tiki bar.

Port of Call – New Orleans, LA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with Burgers, New Orleans, Port of Call, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Tiki, Travel July 19, 2013

There are many restaurants in New Orleans that are famous for a particular dish: oysters Rockefeller at Antoine’s, barbecue shrimp at Mr. B’s…and burgers at Port of Call. The latter had been highly recommended to us by a Southern friend, and several other locals we encountered in The Big Easy also told tales of the huge hamburgers and super-strong drinks.

Dating back to 1963, this nautical dive bar is located on the northeast edge of the French Quarter, on the border of the Marigny neighborhood. (A couple blocks farther over on Frenchmen Street is Port of Call’s sister establishment Snug Harbor, which serves up the same burgers. It also offers a more extensive menu and is a decent jazz club, apparently.)

Because of its popularity among both tourists and locals, there can be quite a wait some nights when you put your name down for a table. (Your other choice is to hover behind somebody at the bar in hopes they eventually give up their seat.) However, we had no trouble at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday (upside of being jet lagged).

There are only about eight tables in the sunken dining area behind these bamboo poles, plus a few more tables in another room down a hallway from the L-shaped bar. Nautical lanterns, an aquarium and colorful Christmas lights brighten up the dim space, and the wood-paneled walls are covered with ship replicas and prints, a life preserver and ship’s wheel. Above your head is a canopy of rope woven together like a fishing net.

For the record, I didn’t see any tikis anywhere except the tiki mugs depicted on the menu, which is likely why Port of Call merited a mention in James Teitelbaum’s Tiki Road Trip book. (Besides the fact that there isn’t much tiki in New Orleans — though that is starting to change…)

The cocktails are served in big plastic cups, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the emphasis is quantity over quality. (They’re not half bad though if you come in with proper expectations.) For perspective, here you can see the difference between the jumbo size ($10) and a regular/half order ($5.50). The unofficial signature drink is Neptune’s Monsoon, described as “an old recipe used frequently as a last request by pirates condemned to walk the plank.” It’s a Hurricane-esque drink made with passion fruit, “tropical juices” and two kinds of rum. We also tried the Huma Huma, which had too much melon for my taste. I’d say stick with the Monsoon.

The menu is short and simple, just salads, steaks, baked potatoes and burgers smothered with shredded cheddar cheese and mushrooms. These are not those gourmet burgers so trendy nowadays, but I still thought they were damn good. Instead of fries, your starchy side is a hearty baked potato you can load up with bacon bits, chives, cheese (+$1.25), sour cream (+$1.25) and mushrooms (+$1.50). A burger and a baked potato may sound like an odd couple but here it works. Ask for extra napkins — things are gonna get messy.

Our server was very friendly and even asked around to help us find a bar nearby where we could watch the playoff hockey game. (If you’re looking for the best place to watch hockey in the French Quarter, head to Ryan’s Irish Pub.)

Port of Call is just the place if you want to stuff your face and consume entirely too much alcohol. And if you haven’t finished your drink but need to be on your way, you can request a plastic top and take it to-go because that’s part of the fun of being in New Orleans.

Port of Call
838 Esplanade Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-523-0120

The Tiki Chick

A California girl chronicling modern tiki culture

Tag Archives: Travel

Tiki Tolteca at Felipe’s Taqueria – New Orleans, LA

A Tiki Bar in the Galapagos?

Port of Call – New Orleans, LA