Posts

Posted on

Da Tiki Hut, Tacoma’s Locals-Only Tiki Bar

Da Tiki Hut is a Hawaiian restaurant and tiki bar located in a quiet neighborhood in central Tacoma. I visited for lunch on a Saturday and enjoyed a very nice Korean chicken plate lunch with some Gyoza pot stickers and Dole Whip soft serve for desert. This was just the pick-me-up I was looking for after a night of heavy drinking at Devil’s Reef the night before.

The restaurant entrance is set up for to-go orders, but there are a few booths in the back and there’s even a sort-of speakeasy entrance to this portion of the venue. This room features Hawaiian and nautical decor, tikis, and even a nice picture window display. Music was a mellow mix of Jawaiian and other tropical tunes.

There’s also a tiki lounge all the way in the back of the venue with three booths and five stools at the bar. Cocktail service doesn’t open until 1 pm on Saturday so I missed sampling, but there’s a pretty reasonable selection of spirits on the back bar. Locals tell me the cocktails are just okay and that the venue has been working on improvements over time, though with mixed results depending on the bartender. The cocktail menu has most of your favorite tropical cocktails including a 1944 style Mai Tai, plus beer and mocktails.

If you’re doing the tiki tourist thing in Tacoma, Da Tiki Hut isn’t your highest priority but at the same time surely is a great option for locals.

Lobby Counter
Tiki Lounge
Posted on

Devil’s Reef Remains one of the Best Tiki Bars in America

Last year I was scheduled to do a Tiki with Ray Live interview at Devil’s Reef in Tacoma. That event was cancelled when I got COVID, so I made sure to visit on my recent trip. We arrived at opening on a Friday.

The venue remains largely the same as my last visit several years back. This is a dark immersive space, with nautical elements combined with tiki and horror. There’s a large bar along with several large booths and tables in the rear. Dark mood lighting and exotic mood music are in full effect. It is very relaxing inside and you’ll totally forget the rain or whatever is happening outside in downtown Tacoma.

Fun times in Tacoma

The bar program is led by co-owner Jason Alexander, and incredibly leans on just a few Planteray rum expressions for nearly every cocktail. We were considering our order when Jason popped in unexpectedly, as he wasn’t scheduled for that shift. We caught up for a bit and when I asked about the relatively new Ferrand Dry Curacao Yuzu he immediately whipped up an incredible Yuzu Daiquiri that totally blew me away.

After Jason departed we were left in the capable hands of Gamaliel Giron who prepped great cocktails for our party. I thought that the Devil’s Reef’s Officer’s Mai Tai was fine but it didn’t blow me away. This cocktail isn’t beloved by Jason Alexander and I guess they’ve bowed to pressure to include it on the menu, but I give a wide berth considering how fantastic all the original cocktails I’ve had here are. I truly loved the Special Dry Planter’s Punch featuring Jamaica rum, falernum, and grenadine.

We didn’t try the food but we’ve heard good things, and there’s a set of non-alcoholic cocktail options on the menu as well. The Friday crowd was going pretty good by the time that we left around 7:00, so its great to see that one of the best tiki bars in America is still doing everything right. This place is a gem and to paraphrase the old Herb Caen line about Trader Vic’s (“the best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland”) we agree that the best tiki bar in Seattle is Devil’s Reef in Tacoma.

Yuzi Daiquiri
Officer’s Mai Tai
Dry Planter’s Punch
Posted on

Mai Tai Monday at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

This was the fantastic Original Mai Tai that I had at Trader Vic’s Emeryville  a couple weeks back.

Did you know that 2024 is the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Mai Tai, and the 90th of the Trader Vic’s restaurant franchise? The 90th anniversary logo on the Mai Tai glass looks really sharp.

Look for a lot of discussion about this into the spring and of course for the annual Mai Tai Day celebration in late August.

Posted on

Tacoma’s Old Hangout is a Mixed Bag

Popped into this tiki bar on the lower level of the McMenamins Elk Temple in Tacoma. I love the decor in the Old Hangout and indeed it is a wonderful place to hang. There’s a really interesting set of decor pieces that come from different places and styles. Music can be all over the place.

I wish I could be as effusive about the Mai Tai, which had a strange taste from the orgeat and rums that aren’t particularly assertive. Locals tell me you’ll have better luck when working with a bartender in off menu cocktails.

Entrance Doors
Posted on

Satisfying Salmon Bowl and Cocktails at Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport

I’m traveling to Seattle for business next week and it’s always nice to fly out of San Jose to have lunch before the flight at Trader Vic’s Outpost at San Jose Airport. The Teriyaki Salmon Bowl here is really great, including mango, edamame, carrots, and avocado.

The signature cocktail for this Vic’s location is the Pilo Pilo, which is served in the mug they made just for this location. The recipe isn’t out there for this cocktail but I tried to watch them make it and it seems like it has lime juice, pineapple juice, passionfruit syrup, Vic’s grog concentrate, dark rum, gold rum, and 151 rum. It is a pretty good cocktail, though I was the only one at the bar drinking Vic’s cocktails as others were defaulting to common drinks like Margaritas or just choosing beer and wine.

Salmon Bowl and Pilo Pilo

There’s a scant amount of premium rum at this location, including things like Zaya and Brugal which are sweetened and not really my thing. But there’s a very nice Mount Gay Master Select 1703 from Barbados. This is a blend of rums aged from 10-30 years and issued at 43% ABV, so it is very easy to drink but still has a fine blend of Barbados rum flavors. The price isn’t bad, $22. Wish they had a few more premiums to go along with the bottles of bourbon and Scotch on the back bar.

Posted on

Delicious Dinner at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Had a delicious meal at Trader Vic’s a couple weeks ago. We always start with the heavenly Peanut Butter spread that has a unique flavor and pairs well with crackers. We almost always have the Cheese Bings or Crab Rangoon as appetizers but skipped them this time.

The feature entree for me was the Island Fried Rice, which includes chicken, char sui pork, and pineapple. I would say that I’m not the biggest fan of fried rice generally but Trader Vic’s version is really great. There is a very nice blend of ginger and garlic flavors with a balanced amount of egg. It also worked really well to soak up the Mai Tai and Fog Cutter that I had that evening.

Dinner in the Lounge at Trader Vic’s has a certain energy, especially on the weekends when it’s busy and as they did for us they sometimes seat you here in order to get you seated more quickly. And there’s plenty of eye candy in the lounge, too. We probably do prefer the dining room for a longer meal, though, even if we have to wait a little longer to be seated.

Peanut Butter Crackers