JOHN-O's Zombie Road Trip... - General Tiki

C congawa Member Long Beach, CA Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 358	C congawa Posted posted on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 4:49 PM Since John-O mentioned my reaction to a taste of his Zombie (for the record, after making the comment that it didn't taste like the Zombies I was used to, I ascertained that it was delicious as well), I'll interject some of my own first Mai Kai experience. Though I arrived only two days after John-O, I want to thank him for being my advance scout, tour guide and chauffeur (we rode down to Miami in his rental car Thursday for some lunch at Versailles in Calle Ocho/Little Havana, and some other sightseeing). We arrived at the Mai Kai rights at 5pm opening Thursday. Most of the people who had described the Mai Kai to me, did it with the preface that as much as they built it up, their descriptions would not do it justice. I found this to be quite the case. There is absolutely no surviving polynesian palace on this level (as has been said time and time again). John-O received a tour from Swanky the day before, and then imparted the same tour to me (as well as Tiki Ray & Cindy, and probably a few others). Knowing John-O's attention to detail, I'm pretty sure all of the relevant and salient features were pointed out, right down to the location of the genuine shrunken head. I hadn't even thought about the presence of windows until you mentioned it John-O. However, because of the rain in the Molokai bar, and the surrounding Tiki gardens, this is a case where windows enhance the mood rather than detract (and one does not escape the vibe). In fact, for those of us in SoCal (and no doubt those in most other regions as well), there was a refreshing absence of two commonplace mood-altering factors present in many modern day Tiki establishments: the presence of a visible bar/working bartenders, and the presence of brightly-lit big screen TVs broadcasting sporting events (and I say that as someone who enjoys watching sports--just not in a Tiki palace). As for drinks the first day, John-O recommended I start with a Jet Pilot. I did as suggested, and discovered it was not only delicious, but also the strongest drink on the menu. Friday I had a 151 Swizzle which I found to be as delicious as the Jet Pilot in its own way. However, the 151 Swizzle is served in a chilled metal cylinder, which--due to its coldness--is placed over a folded napkin in short glass for holding. Halfway through, I got up and committed my only Mai Kai faux paux of the weekend. I forgot about the bottom glass, picked the metal container up by the top and the small glass hit the floor. It was then I discovered that the Molokai Bar floor allows small glasses to bounce three times before breaking. Later, when someone else in my proximity did the exact same thing I did, I realized that this might happen with some level of frequency for 151 Swizzle newbies. Over the course of the rest of the weekend, besides trying several drinks others ordered (including the Shark Bite and Yeoman's Grog--both quite delicious), I had a Black Magic and a Mutiny--I'm not usually big on coffee flavored drinks, but both had enough different flavors other than coffee that I enjoyed them (the Black Magic a little more than the Mutiny). I also had the Barrel O Rum, but found it too heavy on citrus (particularly grapefruit) for my tastes (and digestive system). On Sunday, knowing it was my final day at Mai Kai (thanks to Chris B. for the ride that day, and to TikiTomD and his wife for hanging out and talking outside before the Mai Kai opened), I had to decide whether to try more new drinks I hadn't yet had, or go with another dose of those I liked the best before catching the cab for the airport. I decided on the latter, and had another Jet Pilot and 151 Swizzle (actually my third time on the latter). Though I don't think I would ever tire of the Mai Kai, living about 2700 miles away may be a secret blessing to help maintain the mystery and keep me from becoming a Jet Pilot addict (that's what I'm telling myself anyway!). Caltiki Brent http://www.facebook.com/dingdongdevils http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dingdongdevils [ Edited by: congawa 2011-06-14 16:52 ]

Since John-O mentioned my reaction to a taste of his Zombie (for the record, after making the comment that it didn't taste like the Zombies I was used to, I ascertained that it was delicious as well), I'll interject some of my own first Mai Kai experience. Though I arrived only two days after John-O, I want to thank him for being my advance scout, tour guide and chauffeur (we rode down to Miami in his rental car Thursday for some lunch at Versailles in Calle Ocho/Little Havana, and some other sightseeing). We arrived at the Mai Kai rights at 5pm opening Thursday.

Most of the people who had described the Mai Kai to me, did it with the preface that as much as they built it up, their descriptions would not do it justice. I found this to be quite the case. There is absolutely no surviving polynesian palace on this level (as has been said time and time again). John-O received a tour from Swanky the day before, and then imparted the same tour to me (as well as Tiki Ray & Cindy, and probably a few others). Knowing John-O's attention to detail, I'm pretty sure all of the relevant and salient features were pointed out, right down to the location of the genuine shrunken head. I hadn't even thought about the presence of windows until you mentioned it John-O. However, because of the rain in the Molokai bar, and the surrounding Tiki gardens, this is a case where windows enhance the mood rather than detract (and one does not escape the vibe). In fact, for those of us in SoCal (and no doubt those in most other regions as well), there was a refreshing absence of two commonplace mood-altering factors present in many modern day Tiki establishments: the presence of a visible bar/working bartenders, and the presence of brightly-lit big screen TVs broadcasting sporting events (and I say that as someone who enjoys watching sports--just not in a Tiki palace).

As for drinks the first day, John-O recommended I start with a Jet Pilot. I did as suggested, and discovered it was not only delicious, but also the strongest drink on the menu. Friday I had a 151 Swizzle which I found to be as delicious as the Jet Pilot in its own way. However, the 151 Swizzle is served in a chilled metal cylinder, which--due to its coldness--is placed over a folded napkin in short glass for holding. Halfway through, I got up and committed my only Mai Kai faux paux of the weekend. I forgot about the bottom glass, picked the metal container up by the top and the small glass hit the floor. It was then I discovered that the Molokai Bar floor allows small glasses to bounce three times before breaking. Later, when someone else in my proximity did the exact same thing I did, I realized that this might happen with some level of frequency for 151 Swizzle newbies.

Over the course of the rest of the weekend, besides trying several drinks others ordered (including the Shark Bite and Yeoman's Grog--both quite delicious), I had a Black Magic and a Mutiny--I'm not usually big on coffee flavored drinks, but both had enough different flavors other than coffee that I enjoyed them (the Black Magic a little more than the Mutiny). I also had the Barrel O Rum, but found it too heavy on citrus (particularly grapefruit) for my tastes (and digestive system).

On Sunday, knowing it was my final day at Mai Kai (thanks to Chris B. for the ride that day, and to TikiTomD and his wife for hanging out and talking outside before the Mai Kai opened), I had to decide whether to try more new drinks I hadn't yet had, or go with another dose of those I liked the best before catching the cab for the airport. I decided on the latter, and had another Jet Pilot and 151 Swizzle (actually my third time on the latter). Though I don't think I would ever tire of the Mai Kai, living about 2700 miles away may be a secret blessing to help maintain the mystery and keep me from becoming a Jet Pilot addict (that's what I'm telling myself anyway!).

Caltiki Brent

http://www.facebook.com/dingdongdevils
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dingdongdevils

[ Edited by: congawa 2011-06-14 16:52 ]

Post #593664 by congawa on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 4:49 PM