Weird Uncle Tiki Florida Bound!

Aloha, Gang!
I'll be hitting Miami on Saturday, July 13. I'll have the night free and a car at my disposal. Any suggestions? Good eats, provocative drinks, exotic scene? A cousin is taking me to Mai-Kai later in the week so I'm looking for anything neato around Miami. If you've got any ideas, please post 'em or send me an e-mail at [email protected]
Thanks very much!

-Your appreciative Weird Unc

Unfortunately, we can't get down to South Florida this weekend. We'll be there the following weekend on the 19th and 20th, however. How long will you be in town and how far are you willing to drive?

Hi, KailuaGeoff! I'll only have Saturday night free, then family and business obligations will take over. If you (or any other Tiki Centralites) have any suggestions, my trip will take me to Boca, Ft. Lauderdale, Delrey, Tampa and Orlando and then it's on to Hukilau 2002 in Atlanta. I'm sorry I'll miss saying hi to you.

-Weird Uncle Tiki

Weird Uncle Tiki,

No trip to Orlando is complete without a visit to the Polynesian Resort at Disney World. I highly recommend making reservations for dinner at O'Hana's. Basically, it is about $22.00/person and you get to eat everything off the menu (which is pretty tasty). They cook beef, turkey, and shrimp on large skewers over a fire in the center of the place, which is littered with huge tikis.

Walk around the grounds and explore afterwards, it really is great.

If you are willing to drive 45 minutes to Cocoa Beach you can visit Wayne Coomb's studio (http://www.maitiki.com). I've never been, but I hear it's pretty cool.

There are rumors of a tiki themed miniature golf course opening here soon, but I know nothing about it, yet.

Have a great trip -- see you at Hukilau!

-Mike

Weird Uncle Tiki,

No trip to Orlando is complete without a visit to the Polynesian Resort at Disney World. I highly recommend making reservations for dinner at O'Hana's. Basically, it is about $22.00/person and you get to eat everything off the menu (which is pretty tasty). They cook beef, turkey, and shrimp on large skewers over a fire in the center of the place, which is littered with huge tikis.

Walk around the grounds and explore afterwards, it really is great.

If you are willing to drive 45 minutes to Cocoa Beach you can visit Wayne Coomb's studio (http://www.maitiki.com). I've never been, but I hear it's pretty cool.

There are rumors of a tiki themed miniature golf course opening here soon, but I know nothing about it, yet.

Have a great trip -- see you at Hukilau!

-Mike

weirdunc-
The music scene is pretty boring in Miami unless you like Salsa and disco, but here's a few favorite joints of mine:

Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House in north Miami Beach is a great 1950s-era Jewish deli that's open into the wee hours. Expect to wait in line though.

Fox's Sherron Inn is a classic watering hole with a freindly staff and an older clientele. It's one of the few old cocktail lounges left in Miami.

Curry's Steak House in north Miami Beach is an old place with great neon and amazing murals of Hawaiian scenes on the walls. Unfortunately, the food's not that great but it's real cheap.

If you like old nautical-themed seafood restaurants there's Mike Gordon's. They are right on the bay with great water views. I had lobster there one dark and stormy night and it was pretty inexpensive.

Walking around South Beach at night is a real experience. I love all the old Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architecture but the crowd can be real obnoxious (frat boy party animals checking out all the super model chicks), especially on Saturday night.

There is a newer polynesian-style restaurant in South Beach called Suva. It serves Mai Tais, but I never went there because it sounded trendy and it was real pricey.

Don't get stone crabs. They're not in season so they will be frozen and a rip off.

Try to go in the ocean or you'll die from the unbearable heat this time of year.

Be prepared to be completely amazed and enchanted by the Mai Kai. Be sure and see the show and the gardens. I checked their web site for current happy hour specials:

Molokai Bar Open daily: 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. (this is good news as when we were there the bar closed around midnight each night)
Happy Hour in Molokai Bar - " 2nd Drink On The House"
Thursday - Tuesday ; 5:00 - 7:00 p.m
Wednesday 5:00 - 6.30 p.m. - On Wednesdays patrons enjoy a complimentary sushi bar. (Subject to change)

Show Times: (Dinner served prior/before the show)
Sunday - Thursday, 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
(Times may vary with season)
Reservations required - Please call (954) 563-3272 ext. 1
Showcharge: $9.95 per person

Sounds like you'll be all over the place. Beyond the Mai-Kai and the Muggler's sugestion about the Disney World Polynesian Resort, you might try the Wreck Bar in the Sheraton Yankee Clipper in Ft. Lauderdale. We're meeting Kentiki and his wife there the following weekend cause we've heard it is so cool. You also might try Curry's Steakhouse in Miami which has Polynesian murals on the walls. If you are in Tampa, I strongly suggest you try to get a little farther north to Tarpon Springs. You can get great Greek food there and tour the sponge docks, but even better, the Tahitian Resort hotel is 5 minutes away. This is a wonderful 60's property with many tiki's on the grounds (so bring your camera!). If you are anywhere near South Beach, go to Mango's nightclub. It's on the beach in the middle of the Art Deco district. It's not tiki, but it is a blast anyway. As for Orando, Universal Studios just opened their new South Seas Resort (I am going to their news conference tomorrow) and tiki island golf -- featuring an erupting volcano-- just opened on International Drive. And Sea World has a luau, if you want to do that. Hopefully, Kentiki will read this and have some other ideas for you in South Florida. Marian and I are looking forward to meeting you in Atlanta.

Wow! I knew I could count on this gang to offer the hip trip tips! Thanks a bunch to you all. I can't wait to return to the Mai-Kai and now there're all these great other places I must hit. Wow!
-Weird Uncle Tiki

One small amendment to thejab's outstanding suggestions. Suva on Lincoln Road in South Beach has closed. Evidently it was too pricey and not trendy enough :)

Anyway, no visit to South Beach would be complete without a stroll down the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall. Fairly bereft of Tiki's (unless you count the assortment of new Boston Warehouse Citronella Tiki Candles at the awesome housewares store called Real Life Basic), but a great place to watch the beautiful people shop and dine. Check out the handmade cigar rolling nightly at the Cigar Bar or pop into Palm Produce to browse through the high priced Hawaiian Shirts.

Hey all,

I am really down on the lack of things to do here (Miami) lately, but seeing these posts cheered me up! You guys covered most I can think of. But if you're willing to go south of Miami, head down to the Green Turtle Inn (http://www.greenturtleinn.com/index.htm) on Islamorada. It's a time warp. I still can't get over that last time I was there they were featuring a "mentalist" performing that night. There are almost always tiki carvers along the road on the way down there, one or two of them anyway. Also stop at the Shellman on Key Largo (might have another location too). They have cheap glass fishing floats, prety cheap puffer fish for lamp makin', and other fun nautical stuff. Oh yeah, they have shells too.

I wish I could meet up with you guys this weekend, but I'm finally hauling my carcass to the Outrigger in Jensen Beach. Oh wait, if you go to the Curry Steakhouse, check out a Chinese place I saw called Fu Manchu. You can do a web search for it. The neon at night was fantastic! It's supposedly been there since the '30s or '40s. Why do I picture walking in there and seeing hundreds of Fu Manchu mugs!?

Have fun, and besides the heat, the mosquitoes are also REALLY intense now. I mean swarms.

Kentiki

Fu Manchu
325 - 71st Street
Miami Beach, Florida
(305) 866-4303

There are postcards of it here:

http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/restaura.htm

Scroll down to the Florida location. It CAN'T look that cool anymore. But maybe, just maybe.

I LOVE the Green Turtle Inn, especially Tina Turtle, who performs there nightly! We had a blast there! I doubt that weirdunc has the time to drive all the way down there but I'm glad to hear that it's still there.

We took photos of the great Fu Manchu neon signs the night we went to Curry's.

Offtopic, but how about up on the Florida panhandle in Pensacola, since I'll be there next week. Anything? A tiki desert? Supposedly a big vacation destination, right?
-Randy

Panhandle-wise, I once bid on (and lost) a postcard for a place called the tiki hut in Pensacola. It looked like it was from the 1960's. Beyond that, I'm clueless.

hey Weird Unkle Tiki, while I was setting up the Doll Hut show for APE Crazy Al was telling me about a band they wanted to play with. He emailed me their site and who did I see? YOU!!! I saw on your tour dates that you'll be at The Hukilau that weekend though. Man I'm jealous, I wish I could be out there, but at least I'll have some APE shows to cheer me up.

Oh, yes.... with all the Hawaii talk, I almost forgot about Florida. The Mai-Kai is, as you all know or have heard, AWESOME! Like, totally gnarley and whatnot. It really is an island wonderland fantasy. That week, I took my 2nd and 3rd trips up there. Take advantage of 2 for 1 drinks everyday from 5 'til 7. 1/2 price appetizers 'til 6, and free sushi wednesdays. My pictures(coming soon) will tell more of the story than I'll type here.

I also had to check out Disney's Polynesian Resort. I made the sales rep I was working with at the Disney Resort get on the monorail and take me over there. What a beautiful compound. The detail, the lushness, the tikis! I almost cried. With the humidity and heat and those surroundings, I really felt as if I were in the islands. I guess my enthusiasm impressed him: as we were leaving he called the main office and told his boss that we were running late because I was humping tikis(not entirely true!). My stay there was short, just a quick walk-around so I can't comment on food or drinks, but I can't wait to get back. Again.... photos on the way.
-Weird Unc

On 2002-07-09 14:59, thejab wrote:
I LOVE the Green Turtle Inn, especially Tina Turtle, who performs there nightly! We had a blast there! I doubt that weirdunc has the time to drive all the way down there but I'm glad to hear that it's still there.

Dean was sad to tell me that the Green Turtle Inn closed a couplemonths ago after 40 or so years. :(

On 2002-07-09 14:50, Kentiki wrote:
Fu Manchu
325 - 71st Street
Miami Beach, Florida
(305) 866-4303

There are postcards of it here:

http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/restaura.htm

Scroll down to the Florida location. It CAN'T look that cool anymore. But maybe, just maybe.

For the most part, the FU Manchu still looks like those postacards--at least it did last time i was there.