Fab day in Bakersfield for the @centralcaliforniatiki marketplace. A very large and varied set of vendors and plenty of space to shop. There wasn’t much rain, thankfully.
Central California Tiki’s head honcho, Wayne Stonecipher
I picked up a bar mat from @artofbrex and a carving from @mischiefmotu. I also picked up a vintage 2005 @theartistshag calendar still sealed! I’m going to crack that open and explore.
Thank you Wayne and all the Central California Tiki event planners for such a great event. Do it again in the fall!
With Tiki-Ko and The Sinking Ship across the street needless to say a good time was had by all.
Fun times in downtown San Jose on a Tuesday night with the Traditional Tiki Night at Dr. Funk with DJ SamoaBoy play vintage 1960s 45s. Quite a nice mix of retro tunes, mostly upbeat and peppy to go along with seeing some of the tiki ohana at the venue. It is nice to see Dr. Funk doing some things to draw folks mid-week, and a special DJ is a great option. Drink specials would also be nice, if the good Doctor would like to write some special prescriptions.
Check the Dr. Funk social accounts for future special events such as this.
I enjoyed the Three Dots & a Dash, prepared expertly by resident master bartender Paul McCoun. The Mai Tai, of course, was also quite on point. Mrs. Mai Tai really dug the Vacation in Valhalla with Venus Gin Aquavit, Apis Kurpiowski Honey Mead, RumHaven Coconut, lemon, Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters. I thought it was pretty great, too.
Should be fun. Hope to see some PNW folks in attendance. Can’t wait to return to the fabulous world class Devil’s Reef after several years. It has been too long.
The final new version of the Tiki Tom’s cocktail menu debuted this weekend in Walnut Creek, so Mrs. Mai Tai drove up for dinner and drinks. We’ve had the BenZombie before (a very nice Zombie variant) and of course the Ultimate Mai Tai, but wanted to try some new things.
There’s a section of four cocktails from Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, so I tried the Rum Runner riff called Captain Cleo. Gold Barbados rum, lime, blackberry, and banana. A wonderful fruity taste with a finish that leans a little tart and not sweet like you might expect.
Mrs. Mai Tai had her standard beloved Ohana Punch but also tried the Song of the Siren, with Rumhaven coconut rum, guava, orgeat, and lime. I expected this one to be very sweet, but it only leans that way a little. Overall, this was nice and juicy and well-balanced. Plus, the drink comes with fire!
My favorite of the evening was the Tongaroa. This has Puerto Rican and Jamaican rums, gin, orgeat, cinnamon syrup, mango, and lime. The blend of flavors was rich and complex, though the overall feel of the cocktail was light and refreshing. Really, really good.
Tongaroa
Dinner was very good too. The Island Abodo Tacos were really great, including tropical mango and pineapple pico and pickled onions. Menu offerings like this are why I love eating at tiki bars, when restaurants add tropical elements to something sort of standard. The pork shoulder in the tacos was had the perfect amount of spices. Mrs. Mai Tai enjoyed the Chicken Katsu and we shared the Coconut Prawl Skewers that feature a nice falernum chili sauce.
Tiki Tom’s seems to be doing great business on the weekends (where they don’t take reservations). We arrived at 5:20 and got one of the last two tables, but we did see that some of the tables turned over quickly when folks only stayed for one round. So, there didn’t seem to be too long of a line to wait.
This special release of an aged Kō Hana rum from O’ahu comes via a partnership with our friends at Skull & Crown Trading Company and their Dagger Club. Issued at a fab 61% ABV, you’re going to taste every bit of the Pakaweli sugarcane spirit aged 2 years and 7 months in the barrel (second use American Oak, char level 2). It’s delicious stuff, with some very fine spice notes.
Aged rums from Kō Hana don’t come around every day and come in a 375 ml bottle at a premium price. Sometimes you have to splurge.
If you’re a Honolulu local, you can get pours at Skull & Crown Trading Company, one of the best tiki bars on planet Earth, and also at Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. Don’t procrastinate, though, these won’t last long.
Bottles are available for purchase for a limited time through a secret link to Kō Hana’s website. DM @skullandcrowntradingco for the link.
We were supposed to go away for the weekend but puppy problems meant that we had to postpone. But light traffic on 880 meant that take-out lunch from Trader Vic’s Emeryville worked just fine on Saturday.
The Crab Rangoon and Cheese Bings traveled pretty well, and are all-time favorites. Mrs. Mai Tai tried the new East Bay Lemon Butter Chicken, lightly breaded with a lemon butter sauce, capers, parsley, broccolini tips, and pake noodles. She thought it was okay, but needed more sauce.
Meanwhile, I tried the Aloha Bowl with Salmon. These bowls are similar to the same named bowls at the Vic’s at the San Jose Airport and include sushi rice, dressed greens, carrots, daikon radish, edamame, and avocado. I really liked this bowl and while I’m not always a fan of avocado it worked well here in the same way it works in a California Roll.
The to-go cocktails were right on point. The Mai Tai for me and a Chi-Chi and Bahia for Mrs. Mai Tai. Just add ice and shake. Vic’s will provide ice as part of your to-go order.
This is one of the new menu offerings at Trader Vic’s Emeryville and I very much enjoyed this light and fruity cocktail.
Vic’s says this is “a classically prepared rum swizzle with pineapple, passionfruit, and subtle nutty notes.” I noticed they’re using Peychaud’s as the bitters “float” on top and it is prepared with John D. Taylor Falernum and the Trader Vic’s Royal Amber rum. Definitely a Trader Vic’s style cocktail and a good balance between the fruit and rum.
The improved heater that was supposed to be part of the maintenance in January isn’t done yet, so bring a jacket if it is cold outside (or, order a hot drink). But the service at the bar was great and the atmosphere was totally relaxing inside.
