Author: Kevin Crossman

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Rooftop Bars in Healdsburg

We tried a couple of the rooftop bar/restaurants in Healdsburg with mixed results.

First was Roof 106, connected The Matheson that’s on the ground floor, situated off Healdsburg’s central plaza but due to other buildings and the well grown trees there isn’t much in the way of a view. Our dinner was light leaning, a very nice hummus plate and some sushi hand rolls that neither of us loved.

The cocktails at Roof 106 were a lot better, though. I absolutely loved the Modern Margarita using clarified lime, so well rounded with a rich mouthfeel. I went off menu for a “shaken lime daiquiri with Panama Pacific rum” but the bill stated that the just okay daiquiri was made with Paranubes rum. Oops. Mrs. Mai Tai got a good one with a pumpkin spiced whiskey sour served up.

“View” of the Plaza

The Rooftop on top of the modern Harmon Guest House hotel offered a more traditional and open air rooftop bar. We were seated by a fire fit but could see that tables along the perimeter of the restaurant and lounge had a great view of Healdsburg’s central business district. We had some Riccota Doughnuts with berry compote that were delicious.

Drinks were pretty good at The Rooftop, including an Espresso-Tini that Mrs. Mai Tai thought was one of the best she’s had. I had the Cozy Bear, a Whiskey Sour made with Agave Nectar that was also quite good. We felt the service here was outstanding as well.

Great drinks at The Rooftop at Harmon Guest House
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19Ten Bar & Provisions Mai Tai

We landed in Santa Rosa’s charming Railroad Square district for some shopping and lunch. 19Ten Bar & Provisions is situated in the historic Oliver Hotel building but is a completely new restaurant that opened earlier this year.

There is a nice narrow bar with a couple booths, plus a large dining room. We liked our lunch and the service was super prompt and friendly. Mrs Mai Tai’s Shirley Temple featured a couple Luxardo Cherries and plenty of grenadine. She had some veggie tacos that though spicy were very good, and I loved my pizza.

The cocktail menu is pretty deep and they include a Mai Tai. I scoped the back bar to see if premium rums were available but decided to go with their standard featuring Don Q light rum with a float of Goslings dark. Not the most challenging cocktail for this experienced rum drinker but overall was quite suitable and well balanced. Not too shabby.

19Ten is definitely worth checking out.

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Lo & Behold – Craft Cocktails in Healdsburg

We were in Healdsburg for the weekend and visited bar and restaurant Lo & Behold a couple times. There’s a nice interior with a large patio out back with shade cloth and heaters in the evening. The staff here are friendly and we liked the food and cocktails.

Birds & the Beez and Chi-Chi

One item in their menu is the “World’s Best Vodka Soda” which I found interesting in that I’ve always viewed this cocktail as a weird phenomenon. I like the taste of alcohols but appreciate that others don’t, but why mix it with flavorless soda water? Because it’s low calorie, seemed to be the consensus. But I ordered it anyway and then replayed the scene from “Elf”. To me it tasted like a crappy glass of Vodka Soda, but it apparently it’s the best.

We had better luck with our other cocktails. The cocktail of the week was a Chi-Chi, sweet like you’d expect but with bitters to give it a little twist. The Figgy Smalls was on special and also nice.

Fifty Shades and Figgy Smalls

I tried a couple Bourbon cocktails. The Witching Hour didn’t have the heavier mouthfeel I was expecting but did taste nice and the Manhattan riff called Fifty Shades was very good.

Our two favorites were Can’t Stop Won’t Stop with KōHana Rum, gin, basil, and aquafaba. Definitely well-balanced. The Birds & the Beez featured lavender and hibiscus and was totally refreshing.

Definitely worth checking out in downtown Healdsburg.

Witching Hour
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Happy 6th Anniversary Kon-Tiki in Oakland

Officially opening six years ago today, we’ve had so many memorable times at The Kon-Tiki in Oakland. Birthdays, rum celebrations, even a of couple wakes. Such a special place to me over the past few years.

The place where I’ve had the best Mai Tai of my life (so far…), and also the best cheeseburger. And so many cocktails. So. Many.

Thanks to Matt and Christ and all the crew over the years. You’re awesome, Kon-Tiki.

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Orinda’s Boo Loo Lounge is the Newest Bay Area Tiki Bar

The Bay Area just lost the Kon-Tiki Room in Oakland, but there’s a new spot in nearby Orinda that may scratch the itch for those looking for a neighborhood tiki bar. The Boo Loo Lounge has soft opened, connected to the Orinda Theater and just a four minute walk from the BART station. The venue is small; there’s room for just over 20 inside with additional seating on the patio. Look for a grand opening soon.

Ruby Daiquiri with a friend

The dark and windowless venue features decor with heavy nods from Creature of the Black Lagoon and nautical/pirates but has a few tikis and some cheeky and fun signage. The drink menu features classics like the Saturn and Mai Tai, with the Boo Loo for Two being the namesake cocktail that’s served in a pineapple! There’s even a small but well-curated rum collection. The space is cozy and fun with a few bar stools, a half booth, and loungy tables.

Boo Loo’s GM is Maxton Kennedy (Tiki Tolteca, Kon-Tiki, Forbidden Island), who you might also find behind the bar. Off menu orders will probably vary depending on the bartender but the quality was there when Maxton filled an order for a Jungle Bird and a called rum Mai Tai that was incredible.

The venue’s small size and single serving well presents challenges when larger groups arrive at the same time. In our two visits we’ve seen a lot of ebb and flow with the crowds and backups on drink orders, but patience is rewarded with high quality cocktails. The Ruby Daiquiri with Port wine is a nice twist, the Mai Tai is legit good, and the fantastic Saturn is sure to be a huge hit especially for tiki newbies who’ll be shocked a gin cocktail can be that good.

Boo Loo Lounge is off to a promising start. Check them out Thu-Sun in downtown Orinda.

Lady of Singapore
Patio and Entrance
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The World’s Best Chinese Mai Tai at Li Po Lounge

Among the world’s most notable Mai Tais is the one at Li Po Lounge in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Though notorious is a more apt description, driven by an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show and the late celebrity chef’s declaration that the cocktail was “lethal.” The dive bar’s iconic neon sign is also a draw for the venue. The Chinese Mai Tai is a cult favorite or rite of passage, or maybe a combination of both.

 

Calling this the world’s best Chinese Mai Tai is a backhanded compliment, since Chinese Mai Tais aren’t really a subgenre and being the best in a dead end of an evolutionary tree still doesn’t mean the cocktail is necessarily good. The cocktail’s ingredients have shifted due to the supply of spirits, hence the red marker covering up original brands on the sign behind the bar. But it’s a mix of dark, light, and 151 rums, pineapple, and Chinese Liqueur. We did see these being built using some sort of batched liquor along with Mr & Mrs T. Mai Tai Mix and Pineapple Juice – very freely poured into a blender with ice and flash blended for 5-10 seconds.

The Chinese liqueur used is called Ng Ka Py, a Sorghum-based spirit that is bottled at 48% ABV complete with strong fruit peel and plum notes. It’s the cornerstone ingredient in the cocktail and can be quite divisive. Its a strong flavor with a really long finish, but it may not be pleasant for many including this writer.

Is it a Mai Tai? Well, the Mai Tai Mix kind of says yes. But the flavor profile isn’t like any Mai Tai you’ve ever had before.

When we visited Li Po on a Saturday mid-afternoon the place was packed, and they were selling plenty of the Chinese Mai Tais along with Li Po’s set of potent cocktails and beer. We found a couch and ordered the round of drinks at the bar where the bartender prepared cocktails, took money, and cleared stations. She even provided crowd control, allowing a couple who had been waiting to sit at recently vacated bar stools in lieu of guests who had recently entered the venue. If your Chinese grandmother was running a bar, this was the vibe.

Li Po remains a San Francisco institution that tourists and locals should seek out, and their Chinese Mai Tai is a must try… at least once.