SoCal and NoCal
Just got back from 2 weeks on the Left Coast. I spent 4 days visiting friends and relatives in the Los Angeles area, then traveled up north to the San Francisco Bay Area for 10 days of work, along with more hanging out among friends. It should come as no surprise that I did a lot of thrifting/antiquing, and imbibing of tropical cocktails during my travels. I had a great time hanging out with folks I haven't seen in ages, and making new friends along the way, but I'm happy to be back home with my peeps.
My latest tiki finds have been added to the first 2 pages of my tiki mug and bar accessories image gallery. This respresents only a small fraction of what I could've purchased, but everywhere I went, the prices that dealers are asking for Poly-pop collectibles have skyrocketed to obscene levels that are putting them out of the reach of ordinary joes like me. May the tiki gods curse these gouging bastards.
I particularly enjoyed visiting that old standby the Bahooka, which some of you may remember from an appearance in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Up in El Norte, my favorite hangout was by far, Forbidden Island in Alameda, simply the best new tiki bar in the world...period. I left a lot of dead brain cells at FI, but they died happy.
As for the rest of the joints I hung out in, here's a brief critique of each:
Smoke Tiki in San Jose: their food and the decor were okay, but the drinks are simply awful. They had no drink menu, and the bartender gave me a blank look when I asked him if they made any tropical cocktails. You don't want to know what they put into my Mai Tai. Suffice it to say that it was pink. I'm always puzzled when tiki-themed restaurants go through all the trouble of getting the decor correct, but don't put any effort into their cocktails.
Da Hukilau in Palo Alto: again, decent food, but kind of bland decor, and too many watered down blue drinks on the menu. Still, if you've got a hankering for Ahi Poke and Moco Loco, this place is hard to beat.
Hula's Island Grill in Santa Cruz: excellent decor, top-notch food and drink. My favorite after Forbidden Island.
Tonga Room in San Francisco: lava-rock walls, giant tikis, huge outrigger canoes hanging from the ceiling, and faux tropical rainstorms every 20 minutes. What's not to love? Well, the incredibly weak drinks and high prices, for one. However, it seemed much cleaner than the last time I was there, the food has improved greatly, and the waitstaff was quite friendly, which surprised me.
Trader Vic's in Palo Alto: I only stopped here for a drink, which was excellent, but I found it a bit sterile inside. Too bright, and lacking in decor. I felt like I was in a chain restaurant called TGIV: Thank God It's Vic's, and was expecting to be served by a bartender wearing at least 7 pieces of "flair" on their suspenders. I'm happy that Vic's is opening new restaurants, but I hope they're not all going to be as boring as this one.
That's all for now. I have to go fix all the stuff that broke during my absence, clear the snow off the driveway, and since our kitty kat's a big chicken, I have to hunt down the mouse that's invaded my son's room too.
TTFN!