Tag: ContraCostaCounty

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Tiki Tom’s Pre-Dinner Apps and Cocktails

Had a great time over at Tiki Tom’s for some pre-dinner cocktails and appetizers on Saturday. They only serve you in the bar if you’re just having drinks, so we ordered some appetizers to justify a table seating.

Drinks were well done, consistent with our recent visits. I made sure to check on the quality control of the Ultimate Mai Tai and can confirm they’re still making this very well (not sure about the offer of a rum float, though…). And our two guests thought their Ultimate Mai Tais were really great.

Mrs. Mai Tai ordered her favorite, the Ohana Punch, still really great featuring green apple and walnut. She also had the Pineapple Whip with dark rum – so wonderful when you mix the rum in with the dairy desert.

Our friends went with a couple Tiki Tom’s favorites, the Blowfish Intoxica and the Song of the Siren. Two very good options for those who haven’t been to Tiki Tom’s before. They really enjoyed Tiki Tom’s amazing decor.

We enjoyed the apps, including the Tiki Spamsubi and Prawn Skewers, and our service was super prompt and friendly. As is common on our last few visits, the waitress did a good job making sure that orders with specific ingredients would be okay for the guests. Tiki Tom’s doesn’t take reservations on Fri/Sat and there were plenty of people there but the tables turned over quick enough that no guests seemed to need to wait long.

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Tiki Tom’s New Cocktail Menu

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.

Song of the Siren
Ohana Punch
Captain Cleo
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Dinner and Cocktails at Tiki Tom’s

Had a really good experience at Tiki Tom’s the other night, where Mrs. Mai Tai and I went over for dinner and drinks. We both tried the butterfly-shaped Bao Buns, hers with Tofu and mine with Kalua Pork. Though this format was a little messy to eat it was only great on the palette. There’s a really good tangy sauce on these, though note that the peppers are a little spicy. I also tried the fried Tiki Spamsubi, very filling with tempura, rice, and spam. Mrs. Mai Tai had the Chicken Katsu as a fried tofu option and declared it great.

Mrs Mai Tai still loves the Ohana Punch that includes little chunks of green apples and walnuts. It is delicious but the servers always ask if you’ve had it before just to prepare you. Don’t skip past this as a pina colada clone, it’s really great.

We also both enjoyed the Carmen Miranda cocktail, featuring an over-the-top garnish and a side of Dole Whip soft serve. The creamy cocktail with mango and cachaca leans sweet – but not too far. And as noted yesterday, we also got to try the Ultimate Mai Tai, coming soon to the new cocktail menu.

We’ve heard from folks that they’ve had mixed experiences here, though we had no complaints on our visit. Everything came out great. Prices are still a tad higher than average, but we do find the quality of the interior decor, ambient music, and service to be in line with that pricing.

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Coming Soon: The Ultimate Mai Tai at Tiki Tom’s

Since Tiki Tom’s let the cat out of the bag on their Instagram Story, we can confirm it is true. Our “Ultimate Mai Tai” recipe is going to be used as a premium Mai Tai on the forthcoming new cocktail menu at Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek.

We get a kick anytime someone makes a Mai Tai with our Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend, a boozy combination of four heavy rums mostly from Jamaica. So it is our honor and pleasure that Tiki Tom’s is interested in trying this for their new menu. And it is not without some significant challenges most notably the limited availability of Appleton 12 rum.

There are some other interesting things coming to the new cocktail menu so be sure to stay tuned to their social media for updates.

Ultimate Mai Tai by Kevin Crossman
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Latitude 29)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
½ oz Appleton 12 Jamaica Rum
½ oz Smith & Cross Jamaica Rum
½ oz Plantation OFTD Rum
½ oz Plantation Xaymaca Jamaican Rum
Garnish with Mint Sprig and spent Lime shell

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Revisiting Tiki Tom’s

We returned to Tiki Tom’s last Thursday when the temps in Walnut Creek were 112°. Thankfully, everything was cool inside.

The interior remains gorgeous and music is on point. We also got a preview of some new special effects that are coming soon in conjunction with some upcoming menu changes. It’s great to see investments continuing here, even after their elaborate renovation last year.

The cocktail prices have come down a bit since our last visit, so the $15 Mai Tai ($10 for Happy Hour) is within reasonable norms in the Bay Area. Especially since this Mai Tai is so tasty, using an aged and overproof Jamaican rums. Mrs. Mai Tai really loved the Ohana Punch, a Pina Colada riff featuring green apples, walnuts. So outstanding she ordered a second. The menu is split between classics and originals.

Our food was pretty good and all items were delivered to the table at the same time, which is an improvement over the procedure on our previous visit. The menu leans into Hawaiian favorites, and I liked the Kahlua Pork Bowl with rice.

Thanks to our friend Tiki with Ray who arrived before we did, we were introduced to owners Darrin and Rick DeRita, as well as Steffani DeRita who is the GM. Suffice to say that they told us a lot about the rebirth of the venue and discussed some of the upcoming menu changes too. There are some very interesting things coming, including the BenZombie cocktail that pays homage to Bamboo Ben who led the renovation build. 

We appreciate the hospitality from the DeRitas who were super accommodating on a couple things during our visit.

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Tiki Tom’s

We’re late to the reopening party, but perhaps that helped our experience on Sunday. Mrs. Mai Tai did some shopping in Walnut Creek and we hit Tiki Tom’s for dinner and drinks. Everything they say about the remodel is true and even more so. It is gorgeous inside with all kinds of cool Hawaiian and Tiki elements. I loved the mug displays and nods to Disney and TV shows, plus some very immersive lighting and Hawaiian music that was totally on point.

Several people have told us that drinks were inconsistent, but my Mai Tai was really quite good. Mrs Mai Tai had the Dole Whip with a Dark Rum float that tasted very nice, and I also tried the original cocktail Blowfish Intoxica. This Hemingway Daiquiri riff with Rhum Agricole was really well prepared and balanced.

For food, I had the Shrimp and Pork Lumpia and also the Kalua Pork Sliders, while Mrs. Mai Tai had the Beet Salad and Coconut Nice. All the food we had was great, though since the kitchen is small the plates came out in pairs. Our server was quite earnest and friendly.

Patrons seem to be digging the new Tiki Tom’s. There weren’t any Frat bros or jocks on our visit, and one group even asked to be seated in the fantastic nautical-themed booth just past the bar.

If there’s a downside, the food and cocktail prices are at least ~$3-5 more than you’d expect to pay. We know the rent in downtown Walnut Creek is high, but prices seemed higher than Oakland or San Francisco. Nonetheless, we loved our visit to Tiki Tom’s and can’t wait to return.

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Walnut Creek Yacht Club Mai Tai

There are few things that bug me more than when restaurants/bars call their Mai Tai “World Famous” (heck, even Trader Vic’s doesn’t do this). The hype is very rarely deserved. But for the past couple months I had seen people extolling the virtues of the Walnut Creek Yacht Club Mai Tai. So I had to give this a try and see if it was worth the hype.

Firstly, for those outside the Bay Area the idea of a “Yacht Club” in Walnut Creek is surely iconic. It’s an inland suburb at least 10 miles away from any seafaring body of water, but the restaurant specializes in seafood and has a nautical decor to match. Their back bar demonstrates they know a few things about spirits, including Havana Club from Cuba and a number of excellent rums. I ordered a Lobster Roll with garlic fries that was delicious and heavy on the lobster meat, while Mrs. Mai Tai had scallops with Brussels sprouts. Food was a bit pricey but tasted great.

The Mai Tai is provided kit-style, complete with a large bag of crushed ice. Also included are two spent and inverted lime shells, a little mint, a side of dark Coruba rum, a bottled Mai Tai and instructions. As served in the restaurant, the Mai Tai is served with crushed ice and the dark rum added into the lime shell. Ingredients are largely high quality, including Appleton Reserve Rum, Coruba Rum, Orgeat, Ferrand Dry Curacao, and lime juice that’s definitely fresh. Cruzan Spiced Rum is the only questionable ingredient, but thankfully this is not forward in the cocktail. The kit costs $30 and serves three Mai Tais or “2 big ones.” We found that to be an honest assessment of the volume provided, which means this is a extraordinary value.

The Verdict:
Sometimes the product is worth the hype. I can honestly say this is pretty damn good Mai Tai, and is likely to make my year-end top 10. 

The mix of flavors including a zesty lime really deliver, and the provided pebble ice is also high quality.I made a version with the dark rum pre-mixed, and then another one where the float was added in the traditional style into the cocktail rather than into the lime, and the versions with the float tasted the best. So the Walnut Creek Yacht Club team do know where they are doing.