Post #330651 by leisure master on Thu, Sep 6, 2007 5:50 AM

Ah...the magic of Salem in October. Scott, I know exactly what you are talking about. And it seems to be getting bigger every year. Birdgirl and I moved from there about 4 years ago, but we both still have family living there.

Anyway, if anyone happens to go to Salem, Fantasy Island is definitely worth checking out for the drinks, especially the mai tai. But Scott is right, they have just about no tiki whatsoever in the joint. They do have Keno and karaoke, which seem to be mandatory for tiki bars in MA, but no actual tiki.

The good news is that the bartenders have all been working there forever and the mai tais are really good. The other drinks are good too, but everyone in there will be drinking a mai tai at the bar, even the people who would usually drink a beer.

The pu-pus are good, especially the crab rangoons. I never had any of the other dishes. Food-wise, I think its better than the kowloon but not as good as bali hai, and at great personal risk I will also say that the drinks are better than the kowloon or bali hai (uh oh...I probably just started something there). Mug usage is minimal - I remember they do have some coconut mugs and scorpion bowls, but the mai tais come in a double-old-fashioned glass, just like god intended.

If it were not for the fact that the place is a little off the beaten path and has no tiki, I would have recommended Fantasy Island for the NE tiki tour, not that Bargoyle or Pappy needed any help from me.

Nicole and I will be in Salem next week and definitely will be stopping by the Island because you just can't get a good crab rangoon in NYC (probably just started something there too). If anyone will be around, let me know.