Any tiki in Milwaukee?

I'm traveling thru Milwaukee and was wondering if there are any
tiki places of note I should see? Also, any good areas to show
for mid century items?

Thanks!

Not far from Milwaukee is Kenosha, and there lies a splendid oasis of new Tiki, the Rendezvous (I think that's how it's spelled) On the outside it's just a bar in an Archie Bunker neighborhood, just a block from the shores of tropical lake Michigan. Once inside, you won't want to leave. It's not big, but it's jammed with fun and interesting pieces, and some very well rendered art. I belive most of the more elaborate pieces are made by the owner Mike, and "Lake Surfer" who resides in Milwaukee.

Have the Pirate's Pain Killer, it's as good as anything of it's sort anywhere. Mike actually grow his own fresh herbs for his drinks on premisis. He is also a stickler for seeking out fruits and juices that are perfect for his concoctions. The trouble this guy goes to is outragious. You won't be disapointed.

When I visited, Mike was attempting to perfect "Spring Rolls" the Vietmanese kind, not somthing fried. They were delicate, and nice.

Get him to tell you some stories of Hot Rod Ramblers (Ramblers and AMCs were made there) He's got several great yarns to spin.

There is also a fantastic collection of art from New Guinnea on the little museum in Kenosha. It's really high quality collectors stuff, and displayed very well.

In Milwaukee, (not tiki, but damn cool) try to visit "The Safe House". It's a secret Agent theme Bar. The whole place is filled with props and stuff from old movies and so on. It's a blast to visit.

You might also try to get some Sprecker's and New Glarus beers. Both are easy to get, and exceptionally well made.

I second the Rendez'vous - definitely a worthy stop - Mike is great & so is his business partner, Bill. They're generally both there on the weekends. If there's room at the bar, that's the best place to sit to be able to chat with them. The Painkiller is one of my favorites as well. Their Mojito is also good, as well as their Volcano Bowl. Not sure when you're coming through town - we may stop in this weekend ourselves. Enjoy!!!!

Last Thanksgiving me and a few others stopped at a tiki bar called The Foundation. I enjoyed the visit, and thought the drinks were pretty good.
The Foundation is located at 2718 N Brennan Street - walking distance from UW-M
http://www.foundationbar.com/

I wanted to, but was unable to visit a place on the South side called 'At Random' (2501 South Delaware Street) I've heard they have good drinks, and a great 60's era lounge decor.

Vern

At Random is not Tiki, but it is AMAZING.
They do have a drink called Tiki Love Bowl, that is a must-try (for two - or more - people). The place is tough to find, but worth the search.

Foundation is a great place to visit too.
I've been going there since the early 1990s when it was a punk rock dive bar - over the years it has become more and more Tiki, and less and less punk. I'd say it is 85% of the way to being a full-time bona-fide Tiki bar, and a good one at that.

Rendez'vous is sort of a Tiki-pirate-voodoo bar.
Mike is indeed super-cool, and he always hires rather attractive bar tenders. BUT - their mixology skills vary WIDELY. I've had some nice drinks there, and some completely vile ones.

I was just at Safe House last month.
The food is pretty bad, and expensive; the drinks more so.
The secret agent vibe is cool immediately upon entering, but after spending more than a few minutes there it becomes abundantly clear that over the years it has become more and more watered down.
The place, more than anything else, needs new management.
Tons of potential, but a LOT about it just doesn't measure up.
Why play Huey Lewis when there is so much great spy music out there?
Why make trendy fruity martinis when there are so many cocktails associated with spy novels and movies (the Vesper, the medium dry vodka martini, etc etc etc).
Why obscure cool 1960s spy decor with movie posters for Memoirs of a Geisha, and the like?
They're treading water...
Someone with a clue just needs to wade in there and clean (safe) house.
And hire a new cook!

Thanks for the Milwaukee update everyone, I'll be there for a couple of days next month before heading up to Green Bay for the Rockin' 50s Festival III. At Random, Leon's drive-in, Cheese Castle, and the art museum are musts, but we'll try to check out Foundation and the Safe House also. Is the Rendezvous worth the drive from Milwaukee on a Tuesday night? They will be closed when we drive through Kenosha from Chicago on a Monday.

*On 2007-04-05 15:38, thejab wrote:*Is the Rendezvous worth the drive from Milwaukee on a Tuesday night? They will be closed when we drive through Kenosha from Chicago on a Monday.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For sure!!!

The Foundation is very cool - go early if you're not wild about smoke, as the later the night gets, the smokier it gets. The manager is very cool, too.

We got lost on the way to At Random, but eventually found it & it is worth the effort as well - very Rat Pack fun & the drinks are good. We keep saying we need to go back there, but haven't gone back, yet. But we will!

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. Due to time limits,
I've decided to visit the rendevous on Thursday night, then I'm heading
to Minneapolis on Friday (tiki suggestions?). On a side note, is it
always this cold in April??

On 2007-04-05 16:37, tiki-riviera wrote:
On a side note, is it always this cold in April??

:lol: Yes!

On 2007-04-05 16:37, tiki-riviera wrote:
I'm heading to Minneapolis on Friday (tiki suggestions?).

Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge.

The Cheese Castle is in either Kenosha or Racin, sort of off by itself. It's the classic roadside atraction built by a single man, with a single vision. The owner is named Mario (Mar's Cheese Castle) and he has a chio on his shoulder about California cheese.

Inside there is a little tavern, with a middle ages theme. It seems like it may have been decorated by the same people who did Mr. Toad's wild ride. The place is fantastic.

Also in Racine is a Scandanavian bakery and gift shop called O&H with an attahed gift shop called Danish Uncle. (they also sell pickled fish which is very good)It's sort of a quirky place of local color, and the fruit Kringles are excellant. They are a pastry roughly the size and shape of a toilet seat.

Another amuzing stop there is Tenuta's Grocery. It's an old Italian Grocery store and the place really has charachter. The owners have some juice as any political person of note stops bye there when in town, and gets a photo taken with the owner.

They have thier own cigars made, and sell bundles of 50 for like 20.00 They have strange cans of strange fish stacked to the ceiling. Families fighing in the aisles, waiving thier hands and yelling, pickled vegtables of every imaginable sort. The selection of beer is better than BevMo, it's a fine visit if you can squeeze it in.

Have fun!