Tiki Central / General Tiki / JOHN-O's Zombie Road Trip...
Post #664933 by JOHN-O on Wed, Jan 23, 2013 7:23 PM
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JOHN-O
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Wed, Jan 23, 2013 7:23 PM
And the world's greatest Tiki city is... Portland, Oregon !! So what makes the PDX so Tiki spectacular ?? I'll argue that it has more quality Tiki within a 3 mile radius than any other city. It all centers on what I dub the Portland Tiki Triangle...
Walking in I felt like I was transported to the early 1970's with the Alibi's dark interior, blood red vinyl booths and velvet curtains accentuating the Polynesian decor, and Al Green crooning from the speakers. For that sublime time machine experience, I'd place the Alibi in my all time top 3 Tiki visits. :) The trick to this place as I learned however is the timing. The Alibi has a big reputation for Karaoke 7 nights a week. The bartender I spoke with said it can get pretty loud and boisterous in the back room and they compensate in the main bar area with even louder music. When I visited in the mid-afternoon, it was really quiet with only a few local barflies and I felt fortunate to have the place pretty much to myself. The Alibi has a pretty comprehensive Tropical cocktail menu but honestly mixology is besides the point for this well preserved anomaly.
And just down the street is this classic mid-century signage...
OK so for anyone who's written off the TV brand, they really should visit this place. No compromises here, this is classic TV-style done right for the 21st century. As for the cocktails, the drinks were consistent with what I've experienced at every other TV, i.e. the Zombie was pretty poor and the Navy Grog always good. One thing they really nailed here was the background music. I heard Exotica, Hapa Haole, Tijuana Brass, John Barry, "Blue Hawaii" Elvis, and a steel version of the Beatles' "All the Lonely People" !! I chatted with the GM, he was a big fan of the old Beverly Hills TV and this location reflects that appreciation.
AKA former Thatch bar. WOW !! This small place gets it SO right in so many regards. The atmosphere really encourages relaxation and quiet conversation while sipping on expertly mixed cocktails. Great background music here too, I heard Yma followed by Jimmie Rodgers ("Everyone Does it in Hawaii") followed by Eden Ahbez. And every so often a thunderstorm sound effect would add to the mood. Lots of great Tiki art, I think I recognized some of Lake Surfer's pieces.
Besides the Tiki Triangle here are some other interesting places that Portland has to offer.
Portland is blowing up with New Cocktailian establishments, you could spend an entire vacation sampling all of its high-end alcoholic offerings. The Rum Club pays homage to Tikidom's favorite libation but most of the menu focuses on non-Tropical mixology.
Mid-century Chop Suey joints serving Mai Tais are a vanishing breed so I was really happy to find this place. This is one of Portland's oldest bars dating back to 1922. Check out that vintage signage (unfortunately most of the neon is burnt out) and THIS is Tiki food !!...
This public park has a display of what the artist refers to as "Tiki totems". So is this a good example of combining a primitive aesthetic with modernism and a dash of whimsy (like our good pal Tiki Bob) or is it just really bad art ?? I dunno, you be the judge. Here's one person's hilarious opinion on that.
A four story building of new and used books, this place boggles the mind. Why doesn't LA have a place like this ?? !! And when was the last time you saw a BOT in the wild ? And for only $27, that's less than half the price than you can find on Amazon for a used copy. And please file Tiki under the "Excess Culture" category, haha.
Everyone said "JOHN-O, you MUST visit this place". I didn't visit this place. If they had a Tiki shaped donut, I might have. But they didn't. Donuts are not Tiki !! The End. :tiki: |
