Tag: Oakland

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Farewell to The Room

Along with Palmetto, the connected Kon-Tiki Room also closed last night. The series finale was raucous thanks to cocktail specials from Santa Teresa Rum but mostly from locals and tikiphiles coming out to say goodbye. In previous visits I’d bemoaned the playing of 1980s top 40 here, but had a softer spot for lesser known New Wave material being played. Still not truly tiki but at least it was a retro subgenre. Last night it was full-on “Dark Wave” which totally fit the bill given the occasion.

The last Stargazer

“The Room,” as it began to bill itself over time, was always the less favored child, either from the more glamorous Palmetto next door or the OG Kon-Tiki a few blocks away. But over time the pop culture sensibilities of the staff made this a decidedly different destination thanks to Star Trek nights and such. Such was on hand with last night with Star Trek on TV and even one couple dressed as Mulder and Scully to pay homage to The Room’s X-Files Friday events.

There was lot of good cheer in the air as we said goodbye. Thank you to Matt and Christ for trying to do something a little different in Uptown. To Jeannie for the cocktail program including our beloved Disco Banana. And to Jeni and Tori for fab service at the bar like always. We truly wish everyone the best and hope for future success.

The last Disco Banana
DJ Carlos and Jeni
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Farewell Palmetto

Palmetto opened in Oakland’s uptown neighborhood for full service in 2021 as an upscale steakhouse and craft cocktail bar. The restaurant is from the same team as Kon-Tiki at 14th/Webster and the location across from the Fox Theater seemed like an ideal location for foot traffic, especially for the Kon-Tiki Room bar that shares the space and kitchen with Palmetto.

But the team recently announced that Palmetto and Kon-Tiki Room will be closing this Sunday, October 29. Business slowed considerably over the summer and has not recovered. It’s always sad when restaurants close, even if closings aren’t that rare in the industry, especially when you’ve enjoyed the visits and respect ownership and staff.

Some local tiki ohana organized a group dinner at Palmetto last night, our way of saying goodbye. We tried many of the dishes including the escargot and amazing little gem salad. I tried the strip steak and found the butter, cream, and tomatoes to be perfect complement.

The cocktail game at Palmetto has always been strong and we loved the cocktails. Mrs Mai Tai especially liked the Disco Punch and a fine Espresso Martini. I had a rum Old Fashioned with Saint Benevolence, so nice.

There’s always regret about not better supporting a restaurant that’s closing when they needed the patronage. I’m sorry we didn’t visit more often. It is a reminder that these businesses need our support now more than ever.

We wish the team at Palmetto all the best.

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Rum is Still a Thing at Kon-Tiki in Oakland

Tried some new (to me) rums at The Kon-Tiki the other day. Their Expedition Rum list is still going, and after 100 you get your name on the wall. And for folks like me who’ve already done this I’m doing a second list and just picking from the myriad options from the back bar. They do have a printed rum list that you can peruse with pricing, etc. Prices are quite reasonable.

So many choices are available at Kon-Tiki but honestly space is becoming an issue so come on down to Kon-Tiki to help kill some of these bottles! I tried to do my part on Wednesday.

First rum was Ron Colón which is a blend of column still Salvadorian rum and pot still Jamaican rums. A very pleasant taste in a Mai Tai, not too assertive. This style of blended rum might work better in a Daiquiri where the general lightness and a bit of the Jamaican flavor would be a little bit more forward and present.

Next, I tried the Diamond Dark rum. This is a Demerara rum and is part of Diamond Distiller’s (El Dorado rum) entry level rum line. This is heavily colored and this has a caramel/maple syrup flavor – not nearly as overbearing as something like Cruzan Blackstrap but still more in that direction than Goslings or Myers’s. Not bad in a Mai Tai.

Last rum was Plantation’s Extreme series Long Pond 25 year rum from Jamaica. Very fragrant and completely delicious, Jamaica rum continues to be my absolute favorite.

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October Funday at Kon-Tiki

Downtown Oakland’s Kon-Tiki is looking great for Halloween, thanks to a very cohesive set of Beetlejuice-related decor. It really looks great and festive for the best season of the year.

Some fun times last night hanging out with a Jeff and Dave, a couple Oakhana regulars, and Kon-Tiki owner Christ. Carlos, Kriss, and Daniel were efficient and helpful with drink orders and rum suggestions.

The amazing Kon-Tiki Burger only seems to be tasting better lately (change in beef supplier) and plenty of great vintage 70s and Yacht Rock tunes playing in the venue. Love you, Kon-Tiki.

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New Cocktails at Oakland’s Kon-Tiki

Mrs. Mai Tai and ventured to Oakland to check out the new cocktail menu at The Kon-Tiki. This is a major overhaul and we wanted to try some of the new cocktails. We also saw that the interior of Kon-Tiki is receiving a “space” themed overhaul to coincide with the new menu’s theme. This is not really to our taste, especially when accompanied by some sleepy 60s jazz songs. Things felt a lot better once a selection of 70’s-80s deep cut space-rock songs were being played (Alan Parsons, Neu!, Japan), which at least had a bit of pep and reminded us of the Kon-Tiki’s heyday as a Yacht Rock place.

We tried four of the new cocktails.

Heyerdahl Maneuver and Pale Blue Dot

Pale Blue Dot
This Blue Hawaiian riff features St. Lucian and Jamaica Rums, Blue Curacao, Coconut, Pineapple, Lime, Orange, and Peychauds Bitters. We both felt this needed more coconut. Just so-so.

Heyerdahl Maneuver
Better was this cocktail with Aquavit as a base, along with Pisco, Charanda, Lavender, Banana, Honey, Grapefruit, and Lemon. Tastes lighter than the blend of ingredients might indicate and features a really interesting and unique taste. Totally worth trying – it might be your favorite.

Lunar Camel and Event Horizon

Event Horizon
This was an absolutely fabulous cocktail. Using aged Charanda, Coffee Liqueur, Vanilla, Angostura and Cacao Bitters, this has a wonderful taste and a perfect blend of bitter and sweet along with a very approachable Mexican rum base. We both thought this was truly excellent.

Lunar Camel
Far and away my personal favorite and Mrs. Mai Tai thought it was great as well. The Lunar Camel has Barbados Rum, Apple Brandy, Tamarind, Lemon, Amaro, and Angostura Bitters. This felt like an alien version of a rum barrel and features a truly satisfying blend of ingredients. Perfect mouthfeel. I can’t wait to try this again, it’s that good.

UFO coming soon
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Crab Rangoon Dip at The Kon-Tiki

Here’s a welcome return to the food menu at Oakland’s venerable Kon-Tiki.

The Crab Rangoon dip features crab and bay shrimp, melted cheese, and sweet chili sauce. Served with savory wonton chips that stand up to the dip. It’s pretty good and probably best if you’re able to share with others.

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Vatos Who Tiki at Kon-Tiki

The crew from the Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand Vatos Who Tiki were up in the Bay Area last weekend and did a takeover at Oakland’s Kon-Tiki after Rum Fest. Having the Kon-Tiki’s legendary cheeseburger after drinking rum all day seemed like a no-brainer. The takeover included some great tunes from DJ Oran and El Nova and a special cocktail menu.

DJ El Nova

I very much enjoyed the Oaxacan in Jamaica, the Vatos’ Mai Tai blend that includes Oaxacan and Jamican rums. I’ve loved all the Oaxacan rums I’ve tried so this one was a great combo especially when paired with my cheeseburger.

Very nice to talk to El Nova in person after years of online discussions. The Vatos Who Tiki merch lineup for this event was full of great items including glasses and stickers – and you can buy shirts in their online Etsy store. Check it out.

We great to see Doc Parks in the house and to visit with Christ from Kon-Tiki.