Post #122237 by boutiki on Thu, Oct 28, 2004 9:58 AM

Again, I get around to posting after the thread has morphed into conversation about Florida and soup.

Anyway, I know where you are coming from with the question, and we have always been very generous and forgiving with vintage Tiki bars. I mean, if they are a shadow of their former selves, well, at least they are still there. It's the new "Tiki" bars that we hold to a much higher standard. I think that is because they are making a conscious choice to create a Tiki bar and are obviously aware of the revival of Tiki. When they clearly have (and are looking at) resources such as The Book of Tiki as well as other books, magazines and websites they should be able to put together a place that at least in part captures the spirit and mood of a proper Tiki temple. It's crass restaurant developers who slap something together and try to cash in on the Tiki "fad" that we object to and suggest we'd be better off without. I mean, even if we had no other vintage alternative, we'd NEVER go to a place like the Bamboo Room in Schaumburg. This place has been discussed in other threads, but since you posted this question and there was just recently an article in the Chicago Tribune about the place I thought I should share it. Let me just say that we have never gotten our "club on," but perhaps we are boring. Without any further delay I give you... my nightmare:

Terry Armour The Bamboo Room proves Schaumburg can party too

Published October 22, 2004, Chicago Tribune

A show of hands if you've ever complained about people from Schaumburg invading the city on weekends to get their club on.
Now, how about a show of hands if you've ever made the trek to Schaumburg to get your club on.
I usually fall into the first category. But last weekend, I found myself in the latter.
Yes, there are places to party in Schaumburg and, no, they don't complain when we invade their spaces for some party action in a town better known for its giant mall and a certain Swedish furniture store.
A club that rivals Chicago's finest is the last thing you would expect to come across Schaumburg. But there the Bamboo Room sits, an inviting monstrosity that takes up the corner of a strip mall, just past the plethora of dealerships that sprinkle Golf Road.
Our concept is a little bit of Chicago and a little bit of Vegas combined," said Bamboo Room general manager Justin Metze, raising his voice to be heard above the thumping bass bouncing off the walls and echoing from the high ceilings of the club's main dance floor. "We're trying to provide something so people don't feel that they have to drive 40 minutes into the city."
What the Bamboo Room provides also happens to have many nightlifers from the big city reversing that same 40-minute trek to Schaumburg on Fridays and Saturdays, perhaps reasoning that they are getting away from the suburbanites who on those same days travel to places like the White Star Lounge, Sound-Bar and Crobar. "It's the same class of people," said 25-year-old Chicagoan Paul Combs, who usually hangs out at places like the aforementioned clubs. "It's definitely got that city vibe."
Actually, the Bamboo Room encompasses three--make that four--spots for its $10 cover charge. There is the main room, a restaurant featuring fresh seafood and Asian cuisine--which after 10 p.m. weekends (9 p.m. Thursday) transforms into a mega-nightclub within the giant palm trees that circle the room. There, you'll find Chicago deejays, including Rick Hype and Bobby D, keeping the dance floor packed until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday (1 a.m. Thursday). There are also drummers perched above the floor of dancers, pounding along with the beats emanating from the state-of-the-art sound system.
Then there's the Koko Cafe, which offers a late-night menu of sandwiches, salads and Hawaiian bar food, including pizza slices from Johnny D's, which used to occupy most of the space before club owner David Townsend relegated it to part of the party scene.
But the jewel of the business, which opened last December, is the upstairs Tiki Lounge, sort of a mini-Trader Vic's, with its affordable island drinks ($4.75 to $6.75, including the potent Bamboo Mai Tai for $5.75) and casual, Polynesian vibe. It's the main reason Courtney Moy, 25, has made three trips from Ukrainian Village to Schaumburg in the last two months to check it out.
"It's just a really cool place," said Moy, a waitress at Wicker Park's Salud Tequila Lounge. "In here [the Tiki Lounge] it's chill and relax. Out there [The Bamboo Room], it's clubby. The crowd's a little different and the music is a little different. I have to admit, it's a good break from the city."
And after midnight, it's as though you wandered into a spring break celebration or a "Girls Gone Wild" video, with women readily baring their breasts for sets of cheap beads (it could have something to do with the Mai Tais).
For suburbia, it's become quite the party spot.
"The atmosphere is as close as you can get to a downtown club in the suburbs," said 30-year-old Will Slagel of Wheaton, who was hanging out with Moy in the Tiki Lounge. "I've been to the clubs out here and nothing compares to this."
Not many clubs in Chicago compare to it either.
The Bamboo Room and Tiki Lounge Where: 616 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg; 847-592-5959 What's hot: Just try to find a comparable place in the city with a $10 cover charge and $4 valet parking. What's not: You may as well valet, since the parking lot gets as jammed as Ikea's on a Saturday morning. Terry's tip: Pop in on Thursdays, when the bar offers drink specials, including $1.75 domestic beers, $2.75 imports and $3.75 martinis.