Category: Travel

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The Fink: Celebrating Two Years as Napa’s Premier Cocktail Destination

We’ve loved The Fink ever since it opened in downtown Napa, with a travel themed cocktail menu and an elaborate nautical interior. Sunday was a celebration of the venue’s second anniversary which included some cocktail specials and a tiki themed celebration in conjunction with the upcoming 25th anniversary of Tiki Oasis. Guests were given 2 year buttons, a wonderful touch.

Namesake owner Judd Finkelstein played his usual host role and then changed outfits to perform with his hapa-haole band the Maikai Gents. Introducing the band, Tiki Oasis founder Otto Von Stroheim noted that the band has played more Tiki Oasis events than any other and it was easy to see why with the band playing an energetic set. The performace also included Finkelstein’s wife and daughters singing along for a spell. Longtime Tiki Oasis performer King Kukulele also dazzled the audience who are familiar with his big personality and wild antics.

The mad rush of tikiphiles and Napa locals was immense at the 3 pm opening, so the staff had to work to keep up with so many cocktail and food orders. On tap was a special cocktail called the FinkelGrog, created by Smuggler’s Cove’s Martin Cate. Meanwhile, I ordered some Crab Rangoon and Napa’s best Mai Tai, followed with a New York Sour featuring Judd’s Hill red wine.

The Fink trying to steal my drink

The event did not have a cover charge, but guests were offered the option to donate to Be Kind, a non-profit spotlighting the power of kindness to strengthen community, founded by Finkelstein daughters Talulah and Ruby.

The Fink remains a gem of a venue, a classy place run by the region’s premier hospitality host and family.

Otto Von Stoheim
King Kukulele
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Bamboo Hut / China Live

Mrs. Mai Tai and I had a great Friday evening in North Beach a couple weeks ago where we caught the late showing of the Magic Cocktail Hour, a funny show with magic and supernatural elements, plus okay cocktails.

We landed in the area by having a drink at nearby Bamboo Club, where at six it was pretty dead until a bachelorette party came in for shots and drinks.

I had the Zombie that leaned on Pernod, but not in a bad way, and found it to be plenty boozy too. Meanwhile Julie had the Rico Guave with coconut rum, cachaca, Aperol, and Guava Rose Syrup and was really tasty and blended well.

Zombie

China Live was our dinner destination and coincidentally was next door to the Magic Cocktail Hour venue. We loved the dim sum including the world famous dumplings that were amazing. Our friendly waiter helped us go through the menu and was otherwise prompt and attentive, so we really enjoyed the meal.

Even with cocktails ahead of me I tried the Mai Tai and was glad I did since it was quite nice with aged Bacardi and Cointreau. We even got to talk a bit to bartender Christian Rivera (ex-Pagan Idol) who seems to be doing a great job with quality control. We’d return here for sure.

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High Roller Tiki Lounge with Extended Hours

The last stop on our SoCal trip was an overnight in Solvang where we made sure to visit High Roller Tiki Lounge before dinner. The nice thing about High Roller is that they are open early in the day and stay open as late as Midnight on the weekends, plus they have some great merch and friendly service. They only have a wine and beer license, so the “rum alternative” they use in some of their drinks is a lower ABV variant with additional ingredients.

The vibe inside was very nice with a tiki compilation showing on the TV plus great retro music. The Mai Tai was just fine in this format including a good amount of alcohol and Mrs. Mai Tai’s cocktail with Chai was very good. Had I been feeling a little better we would have stayed for a second round or returned later in the evening, but I was tired at the end of a long trip.

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New Menu at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar is a Mixed Bag

One of the highlights of any trip to the Disneyland Resort is a visit to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel, one of the best tiki bars anywhere in this writer’s opinion. We love the vibe inside and more often than not do also truly enjoy the cocktails as well, though I will usually request a change from the tourist-friendly rums in the Mai Tai and choose something that’s bolder. Called rum Mai Tais have been deep in the Top 5 of our yearly Mai Tai rankings in several years, thanks to the skills of the bartenders. With fairly high temperatures, having lunch at Trader Sam’s was a welcome place to cool off and we were able to get bar seats indoors after just a short wait.

The menu at Trader Sam’s was recently updated and expanded, keeping most of the longtime favorites and adding several new cocktails that previously were only available on some of the bartender’s original “secret menu” options. The Temple of the Forbidden Rye by Melissa Nickoloff finally moves from cult classic to the spotlight, a twist on the template by pairing traditional tiki spice elements such as ginger and allspice with rye whiskey – and it’s fantastic. I also thought that Kelly Merrell’s Notes of Adventure really elevated the Saturn template through the use of fruit juices and made for a wonderful refresher.

Notes of Adventure

Of most note to me was the change in rums for the HippopatoMai-Tai. Previously this used Bacardi Superior and Coruba, and the new blend continues the light/dark rum combo with Flor de Caña Extra Seco and Planteray Original Dark. I was immediately suspect of this new blend since I have gripes with Original Dark generally since it isn’t actually dark, for one, and also has added sugar – different from the richer flavors of the Coruba it is replacing. The bartender free pouring all the ingredients didn’t do anything for my expectations and the balance for this Mai Tai was off – too sweet and without enough rummy flavors.

HippopatoMai-Tai

I appreciate that the combo of a light rum and a dark Jamaican rum goes back to the Mai Tai that Trader Vic introduced to Waikiki in 1953 – and that as a tourist destination that Disney might want to choose something that is more “approachable” for those tourists. I just wish they’d use a better dark rum and made sure to measure in exact portions.

Still, even a so-so Mai Tai ain’t bad at Trader Sam’s where new guests are amazed as the interior decor, exotic music, and special effects and shenanigans from certain drink orders. It’s always a great time for us and this was no exception.

Other rum options
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Smokey Sunset at Parkside Market in Downtown Disney

Parkside Market is a two-story eatery in Downtown Disney in Anaheim, inspired by midcentury design and including some quick serve food options on the first floor and a bar called Vista on the second.

The Smokey Sunset is a Painkiller riff that uses Blood Orange juice rather than regular OJ and subs Ardbeg Scotch for the rum. The peaty notes are hard to miss and stand up well to the creamy sweetness, making this an interesting riff and a pretty good cocktail to sip on when you’re away from the parks but not at Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel.

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Hurricane at Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland

I don’t know how anyone gets reservations at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, so we joined the walk up queue a little before 11 am and got in for Lunch a little after the top of the hour.

We love the tranquil ambiance inside and our lunch was really great, including the Hurricane cocktail that while not so boozy definitely has a balanced flavor.

Seriously, though, how do you get reservations here? We’d love to sit by the water.

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Classic Cocktail: Tommy’s Margarita at Tommy’s Mexican

The winds of fate conspired to once again land us at the birthplace of a seminal local cocktail, after Greg and Debbie suggested checking out Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. This is the birthplace of the Tommy’s Margarita, which uses agave syrup rather than triple sec as the sweetener in the cocktail.

Greg smartly suggested arriving before opening so we were able to sit at the bar and talk to the bartender. Enrique is third generation member of the family that founded Tommy’s in 1965, and he walked us through the cocktail while preparing drinks and constantly juicing limes. All the staff were super friendly throughout our visit, talking about the history of the venue and showing us mementos and such.

The creator of the Tommy’s Margarita is Julio Bermejo, Enrique’s uncle, and it includes 2 parts of 100% agave tequila, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part of agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water). The ingredients are measured in a blender and then shaken with plenty of cubed ice. The cocktail comes ungarnished and if you order a pitcher it makes four cocktails and you save a little off the cost.

This my friends is easy drinking right there! The Tommy’s Margarita was so simple yet had so much flavor that is perfectly balanced. The key is great tequila, but the ice is made with San Francisco water so would be hard to replicate exactly outside the City. And that lime juice is minutes fresh, not stored overnight or juiced hours before service, adding brightness that really makes a difference.

There’s a large selection of tequila here, and the restaurant claims to be the world’s best tequila bar. Enrique walked Greg through a recommended pour, and there’s a tequila club you can join if you visit on weekdays. We also ordered some food and found the dishes to be exemplary. The vibe at Tommy’s was really great, we’re bummed it took us this long to visit. But as they say, better late than never. We will return.