Post #92365 by woofmutt on Fri, May 21, 2004 2:33 PM

OK, here I go again...

The Islander has great atmosphere. If you look around the bar (Cleverly called "Tiki Bar") you'll see they put a lot of effort into the decor. They did it up nice, not retro or faux dive. There are even two large wood Tikis that the owner had carved in Hawaii specifically for Tiki Bar (she said the shipping cost more than the carvings). They play Hawaiian musiques all the time, and are very fond of our own Selector Lapoka's mixes (supposedly he may spin live there some day). It's a very relaxing place, especially in the evenings. (Tiki Bar has a wall of windows so it's kind of bright inside. The view out the windows is of the rooftop deck next door and some of Puget Sound.)

The snacks are great. The fancy drinks aren't so hot, but they're about the level of every joint I've had a fancy drink in (except Noodles in the Bellagio in Vegas). They use a variety of Tiki mugs (which they also sell at the usual prices). Drink quality is inconsistant from one visit to another due to very sloppy bar work. The staff is mostly neutral to surly, something my friends agree on, but they're slightly warmer than the joiks over at Ohana. (A place I find mostly dreary...After surveying Ohana with Spy Tiki during his visit I decided I never wanted to visit Ohana again.*) Despite its flaws I recommend Tiki Bar at the Islander to all sorts of people I meet, from bus drivers to union busters.

*I plan to make at least one more visit to Ohana on a low key non-event whirlwind tour and review of Jet City Tiki joints a couple friends and me is talking about. If yer a local and interested write me. Maybe we could make it a high strung happening.