Tag: SanJose

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Value Mai Tais at Airport Bar?

Heading to Tiki Oasis in San Diego by way of the San Jose Mineta Airport, so I made sure to arrive early for some drinks and food at Trader Vic’s SJC to get into the mood. It was still before 10:00 am so while I could get a Mai Tai I couldn’t order off the lunch menu yet. No trouble, the Tahitian Toast with Salmon was quite filling, but I asked for the jalapeño spread to be omitted as spicy is not my thing. The waiter asked if I would like some avocado with it and after saying yes it arrived with avocado. “Some” avocado indeed. It was delicious and totally filling too.

My Mai Tai was just great and the Guava Tai I ordered was just as good. I enjoy the little bit of tropical juices that Trader Vic’s adds for these Tropical Tais. As seasoned mixologists know, a little bit of mango or pineapple or guava go a long way and Trader Vic’s doesn’t drown it with these juices like some places do. It’s the perfect amount.

The prices at Trader Vic’s SJC are not too bad these days, either. All drinks are $18.39 including tax, which isn’t cheap but no longer expensive when you account for the tax being included. We’ve seen Mai Tais and other cocktails well over $20 that aren’t nearly as good, which is amazing for a bar at the airport. Trader Vic’s SJC is a treasure.

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Trader Vic’s at Oakland Airport Coming in 2026

The Trader Vic’s Outpost location at San Jose Mineta International Airport has been a big hit since it opened in 2021, so much so that they even expanded the seating last year. Now the same concessionaire is working with Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group to bring the concept to the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport in 2026.

A recent article on SF Gate details some of the plans, noting that the Oakland Airport has done major transformations of its food options over the past couple years. Nearly all those projects have launched or are completing soon, with the Trader Vic’s being the last milestone. A spokesman mentioned that Trader Vic’s provides onboarding and training programs to ensure consistency, something we’ve been really pleased with at San Jose.

Trader Vic’s Outpost is one of a series of location concepts that the brand is running or rolling out, designed for airports and hotel lobbies. Notably, the operating hours at San Jose start as early as 6:00 am, so there’s plenty of opportunity to experience the venue before a flight. The use of large tikis, fish floats, and jade tiles at the San Jose location is an indication of the level of decor that is clean and modern, but still a significant investment that goes well beyond a plain design.

From the Trader Vic’s website:

“Trader Vic’s Outpost is the airport, and small lobby, version of the original brand that still offers table service but with a smaller menu offerings and may have a QR ordering system in place as well.

The food menu is adjusted to the location and may offer grab and go options as well. Easier, crowd-pleasing offerings are incorporated to the menu which gives it a sense of casualness.

The cocktail menu has about 25 drinks on it and is a mix of classic and new tiki drinks highlighting our signature glassware and mugs. Draft beer is also available.

The ambiance incorporates as many décor elements of the original TV as possible and may be replicated in some instances to stay within the brand. Televisions are allowed in these spaces if the location has a need for them. A gift shop, or retail element, should also be considered based on the location.”

 

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Indiana Jones Trivia at Dr. Funk

We sucked at Risky Quizness’ Friends and Office trivia, but finished in the top 5 for Disney Parks and Anchorman trivia – but a win eluded us until this week for Indiana Jones Trivia.

We enjoy the Monday trivia events at Dr. Funk and it was a pretty full house for this week’s event too. Our son Quinn picked the team name “The Boulder” and son Riley did most of the heavy lifting for the 40 questions covering all five Indiana Jones movies. It was a come from behind victory, thanks in part to better knowledge of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny films (my favorite: Last Crusade). Time to put the winning artifacts in a museum!

Monday is also $8 Mai Tai Monday at Dr. Funk and this week’s entry was pretty much perfect, vaulting it up several spots on our running Top Mai Tais of 2025 list. Still the greatest value Mai Tai you can buy on a regular basis.

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New Cocktails at Dr. Funk / Anchorman Trivia

We had a great time a couple weeks ago on back to back visits to Dr. Funk, first to check out the Monday trivia event which was the movie Anchorman. In a past life I used to have a podcast and blog about the Frat Pack so this was a seminal movie and one of my favorites. We finished second but I won the raffle for a bottle of Scotch (yes, you can say it… “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…”). This one was more sparsely attended than past events but lucky for us since it was the last night of the old Dr. Funk cocktail menu they were running specials on some of the drinks that were being dropped.

Jungle Bird

Dr. Funk’s new cocktail menu launched the next night, so we brought the family to give the drinks a try. I was especially interested in trying the revised Jungle Bird that dropped Cruzan Black Strap and is now using Worthy Park Select from Jamaica and so much better. The other new cocktails were well-received by the family including the Boozy Beachbum, Thai Chi, Espresso Oasis, and Myers’s Storm. The Lychee Luau was a little less sweet than when I sampled it during a preview, but it is still one that I recommend. And if you are looking for a Dr. Funk swizzle, you’ll have a hard time missing one.

During my visits I did take advantage of Tuesday’s all-day Happy Hour pricing to have the Mai Tai for only $12, plus a Hamilton White Stache Daiquiri off the Rum Asylum checklist. The DJ for this particular Tiki Tuesday was DJ Ship Rex who always provides an energetic set of vintage tunes.

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Dr. Funk Rum Asylum Meetup with Appleton Rum

We missed the first quarterly meeting that took place shortly after the Rum Asylum rum club launched at Dr. Funk in the winter but we didn’t want to miss out at the recent meetup that featured Appleton and Wray & Nephew rum.

The event featured some literature about the rum expressions plus some guided tastings from a Campari rep who also answered questions about the production process in Jamaica and history of the brands. There was also a fantastic cocktail special using Appleton 8 called Tikitastic that comes from local rum legend Mark Holt who was attendance. Plus plenty of Appleton and Wray & Nephew swag for the well-attended event.

The event also included a couple who finished Level 1 and took the Rum-o-cratic Oath, plus details about the rewards for level 2 (a pith helmet inspired by Dr. Funk himself) and the hints of a limited edition mug made by a well-known local artist for completing level 3.

Tikitastic

The next Rum Asylum meetup is Sunday, September 21st at 3:30 pm – don’t miss it.

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Mrs. Mai Tai Completes Rum Asylum Level I

After all the rum lists I’ve completed over the years I have to applaud my wife Julie for giving the rum list thing a shot with the Level I of the Rum Asylum list at Dr. Funk. This curated list of twenty mainstream rums covers a variety of styles and countries of origin and is a fantastic introduction to rum. Even better for folks like Julie who aren’t used to drinking spirits neat, Dr. Funk allows participants try to the rums in Daiquiri format. Pusser’s was the last rum and Julie said the Xaymaca Daiquiri was her favorite.

After completing the list, Justin walked her through the materials for Level II, she took a little rum pledge, received her completion pin, and then got to ring the bell. A soon-to-be bride sitting nearby was so inspired by the ceremony that she jumped up and threw a flower lei over Julie’s head. Ringing the bell *and* getting lei’d, it was quite a night.

Dr. Funk is hosting a Rum Asylum meetup on June 22, which Julie will be attending. I’m not sure how far she’ll get on the level II, but completing the first level is still a great accomplishment. Congrats.

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Disneyland Trivia and Doc Parks at Dr. Funk

Two visits this week to San Jose’s leading tiki bar, first for trivia night on Monday and then on Traditional Tiki Tuesday for a guest DJ set at Dr. Funk.

Risky Quizness brought their trivia set up on Monday once again, coinciding nicely with Mai Tai Monday where Dr. Funk’s excellent Mai Tai is only $8. The theme this time was Disneyland, a topic close to our hearts. We’d done pretty terribly at Office and Friends trivia, but this time with our sons in tow we did a team up effort and “The Rebel Spies” came in 4th place overall, not too shabby.

Traditional Tiki Tuesday features a rotating set of DJs who play records from 7-11 pm, plus all day Happy Hour which means that the Mai Tai is only $12 (plus, you know, some other cocktails). The “5th Tuesday” DJ this year is Doc Parks, yes the Doc Parks of bartending and tiki bar fame – who used to be a professional DJ before he moved in the hospitality industry. We dug Parks’ set, including a couple songs from Las Vegas surf band The New Waves.

DJ Doc Parks

Our food and drinks this week were pretty much perfect, and Mrs. Mai Tai is now just one rum from finishing Level 1 of the Rum Asylum rum list.

$8 Mai Tai Monday