It's fantasy time - your ultimate tiki bar - General Tiki

T TheMuggler Tiki Socialite Brooklyn, NY Joined: Mar 26, 2002 Posts: 293	T TheMuggler Posted posted on Mon, May 13, 2002 9:47 PM My dream commercial tiki bar. Emphasis on the word dream. "Bora Bora" is located in a large basement floor of a downtown type building in a mid to large size city on the east coast. Manhattan would be fun. On the street level, the entrance is very small. Basically, just a dark wood door and a ratty carved wood sign that says "Bora Bora" and an arrow pointing to a button. Perhaps a cool tiki mask above the door with glowing red eyes. You press the button and the dark wood door slides open revealing an elevator done up all in dark wood with a thatched roof and tiki masks. The door slides shut once everyone is inside, and as the elevator s l o w l y descends, the lights dim and the sounds of Les Baxter's "Quiet Village" are heard. The door slides open, and instead of the noisy city street, the sounds of flowing waterfalls greats visitors. You walk out of the elevator and wind your way around a lush tropical garden with many tikis and waterfalls (kind of like the Mai Kai's garden), When you get to the end of the path, you cross a bridge over the "lagoon." Two large Moai tikis with fire coming out of their topknots guard the entrance to Bora Bora. The lagoon branches out into streams which flow throughout the entire place. There are small waterfalls throughout. A beautiful wahine (or a well toned hunk, take yer pick) welcomes you to "Bora Bora" and guides you to your private booth. Lighting is dark, illuminated by candles, tiki torches, and those cool polynesian hanging lamps from Oceanic Arts, as well as pufferfish lamps and illuminated fish floats. Everything is dark carved wood and bamboo, and everywhere you look there is a layer of something - tikis, fish tanks, masks, Leetegs, etc. The drink menu is extensive, and excellent, because I've hired Beachbum Berry to design the drink selections, including an exclusive concoction, which of course comes in an exclusive tiki mug you take home. This mug changes every 3 months, too, just to drive the collectors crazy. The food menu is also extensive and excellent - seafood, asian, and the typical "polynesian" dishes are available, but each given a special twist by the master chef. So tasty, that even people who don't normally go to themed places are unable to refuse a visit. Denny, Baxter, Lyman make up the soundtrack, as well as newer exotica acts like Don Tiki, Tipsy, etc. There is an excellent bar located in the back of the restaurant which has a stage for the occasional exotica act to perform live. Everything is designed to look small and private, even though the place is HUGE. The dining rooms (perhaps named after polynesian islands) are rather small, but the booths are large and enclosed feeling. That loud, drunk group of partiers won't really disturb that couple celebrating their anniversary in the next booth over thanks to the design of the place. There are also several rooms that are done up like living rooms, where large groups can go and hang out but still get drink and finger food service. These rooms can be reserved for groups to large to sit in booths. There are "windows" everywhere, but there is very little light coming inside. Each of the windows has a cool tropical display - tikis, tropical plants, small waterfalls, etc. Every so often, it "rains" in certain rooms - the rain falls outside the windows for about 10 minutes, then it clears up and moves on to another room. The sound effect of the rain is soft and relaxing. There is a gift shop as well, but there are no crappy island type trinkets. The gift shop sells tikis, mugs, light fixtures, etc. Basically, the gift shop unloads things that the restaurant no longer uses, because the whole place is always changing (but staying the same). Tikis and other artifacts are sold and replaced regularly, so that the spirit of "Bora Bora" always remains intact, but the details of each visit are different. After your meal (or evening of drinks and tapas, or just drinks), you walk back out, past the sentinels, through the waterfall garden, and back to the elevator. As you rise up s l o w l y to the street level, the sound of "Quiet Village" fades away and the door opens, leaving you back in the "real" world. Faraway, so close. -Mike

My dream commercial tiki bar. Emphasis on the word dream.

"Bora Bora" is located in a large basement floor of a downtown type building in a mid to large size city on the east coast. Manhattan would be fun.

On the street level, the entrance is very small. Basically, just a dark wood door and a ratty carved wood sign that says "Bora Bora" and an arrow pointing to a button. Perhaps a cool tiki mask above the door with glowing red eyes. You press the button and the dark wood door slides open revealing an elevator done up all in dark wood with a thatched roof and tiki masks. The door slides shut once everyone is inside, and as the elevator s l o w l y descends, the lights dim and the sounds of Les Baxter's "Quiet Village" are heard. The door slides open, and instead of the noisy city street, the sounds of flowing waterfalls greats visitors. You walk out of the elevator and wind your way around a lush tropical garden with many tikis and waterfalls (kind of like the Mai Kai's garden), When you get to the end of the path, you cross a bridge over the "lagoon." Two large Moai tikis with fire coming out of their topknots guard the entrance to Bora Bora. The lagoon branches out into streams which flow throughout the entire place. There are small waterfalls throughout.

A beautiful wahine (or a well toned hunk, take yer pick) welcomes you to "Bora Bora" and guides you to your private booth. Lighting is dark, illuminated by candles, tiki torches, and those cool polynesian hanging lamps from Oceanic Arts, as well as pufferfish lamps and illuminated fish floats. Everything is dark carved wood and bamboo, and everywhere you look there is a layer of something - tikis, fish tanks, masks, Leetegs, etc. The drink menu is extensive, and excellent, because I've hired Beachbum Berry to design the drink selections, including an exclusive concoction, which of course comes in an exclusive tiki mug you take home. This mug changes every 3 months, too, just to drive the collectors crazy.

The food menu is also extensive and excellent - seafood, asian, and the typical "polynesian" dishes are available, but each given a special twist by the master chef. So tasty, that even people who don't normally go to themed places are unable to refuse a visit.

Denny, Baxter, Lyman make up the soundtrack, as well as newer exotica acts like Don Tiki, Tipsy, etc.

There is an excellent bar located in the back of the restaurant which has a stage for the occasional exotica act to perform live.

Everything is designed to look small and private, even though the place is HUGE. The dining rooms (perhaps named after polynesian islands) are rather small, but the booths are large and enclosed feeling. That loud, drunk group of partiers won't really disturb that couple celebrating their anniversary in the next booth over thanks to the design of the place.

There are also several rooms that are done up like living rooms, where large groups can go and hang out but still get drink and finger food service. These rooms can be reserved for groups to large to sit in booths.

There are "windows" everywhere, but there is very little light coming inside. Each of the windows has a cool tropical display - tikis, tropical plants, small waterfalls, etc. Every so often, it "rains" in certain rooms - the rain falls outside the windows for about 10 minutes, then it clears up and moves on to another room. The sound effect of the rain is soft and relaxing.

There is a gift shop as well, but there are no crappy island type trinkets. The gift shop sells tikis, mugs, light fixtures, etc. Basically, the gift shop unloads things that the restaurant no longer uses, because the whole place is always changing (but staying the same). Tikis and other artifacts are sold and replaced regularly, so that the spirit of "Bora Bora" always remains intact, but the details of each visit are different.

After your meal (or evening of drinks and tapas, or just drinks), you walk back out, past the sentinels, through the waterfall garden, and back to the elevator. As you rise up s l o w l y to the street level, the sound of "Quiet Village" fades away and the door opens, leaving you back in the "real" world.

Faraway, so close.

-Mike

Post #1437 by TheMuggler on Mon, May 13, 2002 9:47 PM