First timer to the Mai Kai, What to do?

Well so excited to finally get here. Got reservations set etc, What are the dishes of choice and what drink must we sample? Man 2 and a half weeks to go!!!

Hurricane Hayward put together an indispensable guide to the cocktails there...

http://www.atomicgrog.com/

I found it to be extremely helpful during my visit last year during Hukilau. Thanks HH !!

The steak in the dining room was very tasty. :) The food in the bar, meh.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2012-02-21 15:50 ]

The Mai Kai is not as much about a "foodie" experience as it is about soaking in the atmosphere. For example, sitting in the Molokai bar and taking in the surroundings: WOW! Every room is a model exhibit on the various features of the classic American Tiki temple. The more you know about THAT history, the more you are gonna enjoy the place.

Getting plastered on some yummy rum concoctions helps, of course. But leave any "home-made Falernum" attitude at your home bar :). The tradition of this Polynesian pop haven is singular and unassailable.

And over in the Tiki Travel forum is the "Going the Mai-Kai' thread has lots of tips. I'll be making my first pilgrimage next month and am doing my planning too.

On 2012-02-21 15:27, Matiki wrote:
Well so excited to finally get here. Got reservations set etc, What are the dishes of choice and what drink must we sample? Man 2 and a half weeks to go!!!

Stop. Breathe. Find your center and relax.

Two weeks..... do you want to do the romantic dinner for two?

Or should we sound the drums and call out the locals and make it a party?

If you DO eat in the dining room (and you eat meat), I HIGHLY recommend ANYTHING from the Chinese Oven-awesome! PS-the Hula show is a must see!

For our first visit, we did the hula show and dinner as a family and really enjoyed it. For our second, we spent most of the time in the Molokai bar eating appetizers with friends. Try to meet up with somebody who knows the place if you're willing to chat with a fellow tikiphile during your visit. We've been lucky to have folks who showed us araound and told us the history in the different rooms and pointed out a lot of things we would have missed.

Personally, one of my favorite things was the (I think) bananas foster. Something about dessert and fire makes everything better. If you aren't sure what drink to get first, ask the waiter or waitress for a suggestion, as you'll probably only have 2-3 before they pour you out the door!

Last time I was there, I wanted a rum barrel mug but there weren't any on display. However, I asked at the gift shop desk and they pulled one out of a cabinet for me. Shhhh, it was and may still be a secret that they only sell them to folks who specifically request one......

dcman

Thanks for the replys. Yes this is gonna be a romantic dinner for two ha-ha. I won a trip to the keys for 5 days for Job perormance. I booked a earlier flight to take in the Mai Kai and spend a couple " corporate free " days in Fla. This will be our second kid free break in 13 years, so yes we are looking forward to some "grown up" time. And yes I will take a cab to and from the Mai Kai. Thanks Again

BTW - Chip and Andy and their group are very hospitable. If you have the inclination, I encourage you to meet up with them before or after dinner. You won't regret it. They're a fun group, and are the ones who showed us around. I personally wouldn't consider a trip to the area without at least trying to catch up with them if schdudules coincided.

dcman

I recommend you get the flaming coffee grog, as the Mai-Kai is the last place on earth that serves it correctly. Depending on your coffee tolerance, you decide when to get it. It is more interesting in the dark of the main dining room.

I can't recommend their Peking Duck enough. It is best for 2, but the duck for 1 is good. ANd as said, anything out of that oven is great. In Molokai, try the pork app, and we always get the Shanghai Chicken. They are all pretty good. Macadamie Nut Encrusted Grouper is excellent.

Mai-Kai is old school, so a tip to the Maitre D' will help you get the seating you want. Go for Garden to really get emmersed in the show. No tip and you may end up behind a pole! Also make sure you and she have tipping money for the bathroom attendant. Dropped a pork bit on your shirt? He will help you avoid a stain!

Depending on the night, it may be crowded in Molokai, btu usually you can get a seat. Happy Hour is only good there, so get in, get a seat near the back or all the way in the back alcove, and enjoy it... after you tip the Captain and let them know you are there for your dinner reservation.

Drink-wise, I most definitely recommend the Black Magic... whew! That is one of the most fantastic and unusual tropicals I've ever had. I also greatly enjoyed the Shark Bite and the Jet Pilot.

Happy hour, all the drinks (save the Mystery Bowl) are half price, meaning you can get perfectly prepared Zombies and 151 Swizzles and all else for a mere six bucks in most cases.

Happy hour is LONG, too- from about 4PM 'til 8 or 9 if I remember correctly? Pretty much right up 'til the first dinner show so wear your drinking hat!

Oh, and, outside of maybe going to Disneyland for the first time as a kid, I really cannot remember the kind of anticipation and general bowled-over-ness as I experienced at the Mai Kai. Even after years of being prepared for its magnitude, I nearly lost my shit (so to speak.)

In terms of food, I second the remark about the Chinese ovens. We went two days back to back last summer- first night we went for the show and spared no expense on meals, and the food was spectacular. Second night, in the interest of saving a few bucks, we ordered basic Chinese dishes like fried rice and lo mein which were good (certainly a step up from the take out place down the block) but not anything to write home about.

But honestly, with those drinks and in that incredible atmosphere, they could have been serving me freeze-dried horse shank and boiled sweat socks and I would've been fine with it.

Enjoy yourself! We were just looking over the finances the other day to see if we could squeak out enough cash to scurry down there again...

--Pete

Happy Hour is 5-7 in Molokai. Half priced appetizers too.

Go check out Jim's blog posts so you can diverge from the drinks everyone keeps saying to get: Jet Pilot, Black Magic, Rum Barrel, Shark Bite, Mutiny, 151 Swizzle, Zombie. Did I miss any? There are over 50 drinks on that menu and many of them are Don the Beachcomber classics you won't get anywhere else either! Rum Julep, Hidden Pearl, SOS, etc. If you are a serious home mixologist, then you should try the stuff you do not have a recipe for like Black Magic and Mutiny. The Yeoman's Grog is the Navy Grog and you can make that yourself. But, the Mai-Kai does diverge from the recipes you make, so, many are still worth trying.

But, read Jim Heyward's blog and plot a course off the beaten drink path.

On 2012-02-22 05:07, Matiki wrote:
Thanks for the replys. Yes this is gonna be a romantic dinner for two

An evening for two! Here is my overly long recipe for a night at the Mai Kai:

You arrive at the Mai Kai by crossing a little wooden bridge and under the thatched roof the valet will take care of your car for you.

As you walk in the front doors, immediately to your left is the Molokai Bar. The Molokai looks very much like the inside of a old merchant ship, there is rain against the windows, and you hear the occasional thunder from outside (an nice effect of the wooden bridge at the entrance). The total effect is as if you are being carried away to far off exotic islands.

Once you've enjoyed a cocktail or two (there are 52 on the menu, and I like all but two of them), it will be time for dinner. Your host will greet you just outside of the Molokai where you will be entrusted to your Table Captain who will seat you. Depending on your reservation, or your request, you will be seated in one of several dining rooms. The 'Gardens' are at center stage, and three other dining rooms surround in such a way as to all face the main stage. If the show is not your thing, ask to be seated in Tahiti or Moorea, the two back dining rooms. The dinner is just as yummy, but the overall scene is much quieter, more personal, more like your on a date.

I can highly recommend the steaks! The Mai Kai uses Chinese style wood-fired ovens and what those ovens do to a steak is beyond words and can only be described as magical.

If cow isn't your first choice for dinner, you won't be disappointed with any of the fish dishes.

I should add a word of caution here.... there is a "Chinese" section of the menu. All of the dishes in this part of the menu are good, but they aren't anything better than you can get at your average take-away joint down the street. They are fun, however, as a taste of the past because I don't think they have changed up this part of the menu since the late 70's.

Back to the tour!

After you have had your dinner and desert, and hopefully an after dinner cocktail, it is time to stroll through the Gardens. If your in the main dining hall, you will walk down the hall (check out the vintage Leeteg velvets!) and turn left at the Fish Tank, down the few steps and then out to the gardens.

Once outside you will notice to your right the Chinese ovens mentioned above and to your left a huge fountain. Resist the urge to take a photo in front of the fountain. The fountain looses something on film, it just isn't as magical as standing next to it.

Follow the path around and in the back will be a wide area with a huge tiki standing sentinel over the gardens. This is where you want to take your picture!

Follow the path a little bit further and you will have another photo opportunity looking upward at the Mai Kai sign. Yes, everyone gets this shot, but if you do it right you can get the torches in the foreground, you and/or your spouse in the middle, and the Mai-Kai sign in the background.

Continuing the tour, you will come to a door that leads into the Inside Gardens. Some more tiki's, a beautiful fountain, some great shots if you still have your camera out and ready.

The path eventually leads you back to the main dining hall. When you get back to where the Host or Hostess is, turn left and visit the Mai-Kai Trading Company. We just call it the Gift Shop. Everything from the usual tourist trinkets to very nice mugs and clothing, and even the occasional tiki is available.

If you are still wanting some more, you can return to the Molokai Bar for a Flaming Coffee Grog, or a nice brandy, or very nice scotch, or of course another Rum Barrel.

Now that you have completely taken in what is the majesty of the Mai Kai it is time to say Aloha. The Valet will bring your car around and bid you good night. As you leave, pay attention to the front side of the building facing the street. Waterfalls, torches, and the big Barney West will all be there to stay in your imagination and call you back to the Mai Kai often.

OK, maybe not as good as an actual floor plan, but that is what you are in for.

Or, you can stroll through the now 10 pages over here...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=10334&forum=2&start=0

and see what everyone else has said, both before and after.

And just as a tip. I was feeling froggy last weekend and had the need to indulge in an alcoholic frenzy Saturday evening. A rare occasion for me indeed. Taking advantage of the half price drinks (and appetizers) from 5-7 in the Molokai is a great thing.... HOWEVER... 2 zombies + Jet Pilot = a damn good time. 3 zombies + Jet Pilot = I woke up on the floor of my apartment last Sunday morning barely remembering anything after the gf drove home! :)

[ Edited by: Matt Helm 2012-02-22 18:04 ]

Congratulations Matiki! I went to the Mai Kai for the first time two years ago, and I was well served by the advice offered here at TC. I just found out that my Wife & I are going back there this June.

On 2012-02-21 15:27, Matiki wrote:
Well so excited to finally get here. Got reservations set etc, What are the dishes of choice and what drink must we sample? Man 2 and a half weeks to go!!!

If you are up for it, I say we get some locals together to meet up for happy hour. Let us know if you want to and when you are coming into town. Maybe even stop by a locals tiki bar or two. Ours is always open.
Renee

I like to sit in the Molokai Bar have a Zombie and munch on the PuPu platter first. Then order a Jet Pilot and meander around the Tiki garden with my girlfriend. It's usually at this point a feeling of euphoria kicks in. Dinner (steak) then show... I never get tired of going there.

Enjoy!

On 2012-02-22 05:03, dcman wrote:

Last time I was there, I wanted a rum barrel mug but there weren't any on display.

Plenty of rum barrel mugs in the shop last weekend.

-R

A couple tips about specific days of the week:

I believe The Mai-Kai is open 7 days now, but they were closed Mondays earlier this winter so definitely call if you're planning a Monday visit. This is the day they sometimes close during slow times.

On Wednesdays, there's a free buffet (sushi and some other small bites) and live music in The Molokai during happy hour. My preference is to avoid this since it disrupts the usual ambiance (and takes away some tables with great views), but if you're looking for a deal, this might be an acceptable trade-off.

On Fridays, there's usually live music in The Molokai (and outdoor Lanai) from around 6 to 9 p.m. The type (and loudness) of performers can vary greatly, so be sure to check the schedule. Again, it's a disruption but sometimes worth the trouble if they have a cool touring band stopping by. Also, there are occasional DJ parties in The Molokai that run later into the evening, and they often include an extended happy hour. Check the event schedule on the official site for updates:
http://maikai.com/specials/happy-hour-specials

If The Molokai is too crowded or loud for you, you can always stroll through the gardens with your cocktail, or find a table back there if they're available. That rarely happens, however, so don't fear missing out on happy hour. And even if you do, there are so many other wonders to behold throughout the restaurant.

And feel free to post any cocktail questions here, via personal message or e-mail.

Aloha and enjoy!

Wow......Just Wow ! I was blown away at how amazing the Mai Kai was. The Mai Tais were very good, almost up to the TV's version I had at the Sarasota Vic's Lite. The Food was very good, the show was great. But my God that place is amazing. I said to my wife it's like a Doug Horne painting come to life! The main dining area A frame in the middle was so cool. It was very crowded, but I was happy about that! it hopefully means the place will be there for many years to come. I met Jerry at the Rope ( 31 year employee ) he gave us some tips as to where things were. It was awesome seeing all the " helpers " dressed up. My wife and I love the way things "used" to be, and the whole experience reminded us of what it wouls have been like to go out in 1959 for a night out at a swanky joint. I saw plenty of older people dressed up enjoying the place with what I am sure were memories of other places like that, when going out for the night was a "bigger deal". The only way the night could have been any better was if I had my 1954 Ford to roll up in and park up front. Thanks for al your replys, 1 more thing checked off the bucket list.

Matiki,

Great to see you were able to enjoy The Mai-Kai in all its glory. The crowds seem to be increasing, which is indeed good news and bodes well for the future.

Made my first pilgramage last Thursday. We loved every bit of it! (Certainly would have enjoyed meeting up with other tiki fans, but I needed this to be just me and my son.)