Tag: SanJose

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The Best Sippin’ Santa Cocktails This Season are at 55 South in San Jose

Mrs. Mai Tai and I were in downtown San Jose for a show and stopped by 55 South for dinner and drinks. This is the fourth year that 55 South is participating in the Sippin’ Santa popup, and we’re still not sick of holiday bars so this seemed like the natural place to be.

Sippin’ Santa Cocktail

Having visited two other Sippin’ Santa locations this year we were both extremely impressed by the quality and taste of the four cocktails we tried, each of which exceeded our expectations and compared better to the other sites. For example, my Sugar Plum Mai Tai was not overly sweet and had a truly delightful mouthfeel and long finish, so much that it was by far my favorite holiday Mai Tai this season.

I finally tried the Sippin’ Santa cocktail this year, the longstanding menu entry with aged Demerara rum, Amaro, citrus, and gingerbread mix. This had just the right amount of holiday spice flavors and remained balanced as I drank the cocktail. The Choquito also had a great balance of flavors and didn’t have any of the syrupy coconut consistency you sometimes find with a Coquito, nor did it lean too much in a chocolate direction from the Créme de Cacao. Mrs. Mai Tai’s Holiday on Ice was another standout, featuring creamy coffee flavors.

Our food and service were great at 55 South, consistent with previous visits. We arrived around 4:45 pm and the place was festively abuzz thanks to two work groups having holiday parties, so the atmosphere was delightful. Sippin’ Santa runs through New Year’s Eve at 55 South.

Choquito
Holiday on Ice
Sugar Plum Mai Tai
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Dr Funk’s The Grinch Takeover

After a successful Beetlejuice overlay for Halloween, Dr. Funk has a Grinch theme for Christmas. The big guy is there to welcome you and there are fun thematic elements sprinkled about. Not quite as much of a “Christmas explosion” as some of the Miracle/Sippin’ Santa pop-up locations for better or worse, but it is nice that you can still this is a tiki bar.

We attended the Third Anniversary event that included an official launch of Dr Funk’s nice mug and a fantastic bundle with their formidable Grog that we think is a fantastic version of a Navy Grog. They were also doing a raffle to support Family Giving Tree, plus DJ Ship Rex spinning tunes. Lots of fun and nice to see the venue embracing a little bit of history and building traditions.

The special Grinch cocktail menu is overall a lot better than the one for Beetlejuice. The Mean One is similar to the aforementioned Grog and the wonderfully creamy and decadent Whobilation Libation features chocolate notes from the Kōloa Kauaʻi Cacao rum and dark chocolate coconut cream. The Cindy Lou-Apple has several overproof rums and it leans lighter than you might expect because the spirit focus is from the Laird’s Apple Brandy, nonetheless there’s still plenty of flavor and this should be really appealing to the diverse downtown San Jose audience.

Cindy Lou-Apple

While you’re in downtown you can also check out Nuvo Hospitality’s other bars for more festive holiday pop-ups. O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub next door to Dr. Funk is themed to Home Alone and Five Points around the corner is doing everyone’s favorite Christmas movie – Die Hard.

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Dr. Funk Tiki Mug and Marketplace

Downtown San Jose was the place to be today for the inaugural tiki marketplace at Dr. Funk at San Pedro Square. There were a number of notable tiki and retro vendors, and the pedestrian-friendly locale meant there was a lot of great visibility for the market and also for Dr. Funk being the city’s premiere tiki destination.

We saw folks from as far away as Petaluma, Sacramento, and SoCal for this event, including DJs, cocktails on the patio, and a full menu for those with reservations and seating. Dr. Funk seems to be learning that you do have to work a little to maintain awareness of your business and this event portends of good things to come. The event was the brainchild of Jill Robeson and Amanda Hastings, so kudos to the pair at putting together a great event with the team from Dr. Funk.

There’s also an inaugural mug that’s a likeness of the actual Doctor Funk himself. This Tiki Farm mug looks great and is priced to sell at $45. This is a huge step up from the logo-printed glasses that have been on sale for a while and again seems to provide evidence they appreciate that the business needs to do more than open doors to maintain their core clientele.

New Dr. Funk Grog

One of the items available today was an amazing Grog that I was told was still in development but if what is in the glass is any indication I think they’ve already got what they need. Featuring plenty of juicy grapefruit plus spicy cinnamon and a ton of allspice to go with some funky rums, this thing is a boozy beast and absolutely fantastic. Kudos to Justin and team, lock in that recipe and put it on the menu!

Dr. Funk will be celebrating their third anniversary in December, so stay tuned for further events and celebrations.

Jill and Amanda
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Beetlejuice Theme at Dr. Funk San Jose

We had a great time at Dr. Funk which is totally themed to the movie Beetlejuice for Halloween. There’s a ton of great looking themed decor but a spooky leaning soundtrack that plays whenever there isn’t a DJ.

There’s a special cocktail menu too. I tried two and thought they were good but not mind-blowing. I had a better experience with Dr. Funk’s still-awesome Mai Tai which remains on $8 on Mai Tai Mondays and $12 for happy hour and on Tuesdays.

@ultimatemaitai

Lots of fun at Dr Funk in downtown San Jose with some elaborate Beetlejuice theming and music, plus drink specials #tikibar #sanjose

♬ Banana Boat (Day-O) – Harry Belafonte
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Trader Vic’s Outpost Updates

Some things remain great at the Trader Vic’s San Jose Airport location, including the continued availability of To-Go Cocktails including the Original Mai Tai. That was a great way to kick off our travels to San Diego for Tiki Oasis. Staff here remain super friendly, though their ability to guess my cocktail choice might have had something to do with the shirt I was wearing and not clairvoyance.

Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group’s corporate site labels this location as a Trader Vic’s Outpost, same as the Oakland Airport location that continues to be confirmed as coming soon. These Outpost locations are intended for airports and lobbies, an obviously less immersive location that nonetheless offers travelers a great option to experience Trader Vic’s culinary and cocktail legacy; it’s a great marketing opportunity as well.

At San Jose, the restaurant and bar sits opposite a grab and go location that sells salads, canned drinks, and Trader Vic’s mugs and merch. In the past, the Trader Vic’s Canned Mai Tai was available here, but I confirmed that unfortunately the product is no longer being produced. A variety of beers and RTD cocktails are available here instead, notably not including a Mai Tai from On the Rocks or Cutwater for obvious reasons.

The Outpost Grab and Go location now includes some pretty nice looking bowls that are on-par with the restaurant across the way, plus some Salmon and Short Rib plates that look delicious. This is a big improvement in terms of the grab and go items.

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Well Oiled Mai Tai and Service at Dr. Funk

Mrs. Mai Tai and I had a great time on Tiki Tuesday at Dr. Funk with some dinner and drinks while enjoying the music from DJ Ship Rex. The Tiki Tuesday thing seems to be working well in Downtown San Jose and there was a lively crowd. Rex’s upbeat vintage tunes were delightful and we enjoyed the Fried Rice and Chinese Chicken Salad. We also tried the Malasadas, which were good but small.

The quality issues at Dr. Funk seem to be a distant memory now, as I enjoyed another really outstanding Mai Tai with Tuesday’s all-day Happy Hour pricing. Julie loved the Milk Punch and also had the Dr. Funk favorite the Shipwreck (also all-day Happy Hour pricing). Service was prompt and friendly.

Well Oiled Mai Tai

The waiter asked if I’d like to try a special from Bartender Justin and I was pleased to try a Well Oiled Mai Tai, a sort of hybrid of a Mai Tai and a Corn n’ Oil cocktail that was published in Difford’s Guide. As such, there was orgeat, falernum, bitters, and some great rum. This was a great change of pace and nice to see something off-menu being offered for this discerning Mai Tai fan. Justin and team have been doing great lately.

Shipwreck and Mai Tai
Fried Rice
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Tiki Tuesday at Dr. Funk

Ran into local tikiphiles Amanda and Jill, along with their friend Megan, at Dr. Funk last night for the Traditional Tiki Tuesday with DJ Ship Rex. What a hoot of an evening, thanks to Rex’s upbeat vintage tunes and plenty of great cocktails from the good doctor. Justin and crew really did a great job with the drinks and service.

The rum pictured is The Funk, a 100 proof unaged Jamaica rum. I had this a few years back and didn’t love it but it suited me better this time. Plus a Mai Tai which is only $12 all day Tuesday. Gotta love it.

The Funk on a Rock
$12 Happy Hour Pricing all Day Tuesday