B.G.Reynolds to open Hale Pele in Portland, OR

Hi fine folks of Tiki Central,

with my third user name on tiki central (formerly tikimonkey/trader tiki), I'm proud to announce my latest venture, coming this fall to Portland, OR.

Hale Pele!

http://halepele.com

Thank you all for your support over the years, and for the years to come. I look forward to welcoming you to raise a glass or share a volcano bowl.

Okole Maluna!

[ Edited by: Hakalugi - fixed link - 2012-05-10 09:35 ]

Mazel Tov!

I'm glad the cat's out of the bag 'cuz I was bursting at the seams! Good luck on your new venture.

YAY!!

Swizzles? :D

Congrats! Good to know the place is in loving hands, and your expertise will draw folks near and far!

YIPPEEEEE!!!

& Congrats, Blair!!!

Awesome!! I saw this on Martin Cates and HumuHumu's facebook. Congrats. :D

Will Thatch be closed for the time being?

Yes, Thatch is closed in the interim.

Way to go Blair! That little tiki bar is in very good hands. Time for me to start planning another Portland trip I guess...

Continuing my pattern of blissful ignorance...

Is this The Bar Formerly Known As Thatch?

-Randy

Congratulations, this is great news. I'll plan my re-visit to PDX for after the opening.

Kevin

Congrats on the new place! I'll be in Portland around July 4th. Will Hale Pele be open by then? I sure hope so, I would like to visit.

Congrats B.G.!!

and the full text of the press release... it's a bit more exciting than an e-mail sign up form and logo.

Portland, OR – This Fall, Portland’s newest watering hole Hale Pele will open with a bevy of tropical wonders for its patrons.

Located on NE Broadway, in the former space of Thatch Tiki Bar, Hale Pele will offer a list of classic exotic cocktails made with the finest ingredients and craft methods, as well as a list of “New Wave Tropicals”, featuring modern spirits & liqueurs. Paired with these world class drinks will be an all new robust contemporary food menu.

For over a decade, Hale Pele owner Blair Reynolds has been passionate about tropical cocktails. Founder of locally made B.G.Reynolds' Hand-Crafted Syrups, Blair Reynolds has created specialty tiki menus for bars in the Pacific Northwest, and lectured at Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Camp, and the Great American Distillers Festival. Blair has contributed to several cocktail books, and served as an expert for Imbibe Magazine.

As a long-standing member and officer in the Oregon Bartenders Guild, Blair will bring a commitment to the consistency of the cocktails, using the freshest and highest quality ingredients and spirits available. “Too long has the word tiki been associated with bright red and pink drinks tasting of artificial coconut. Bringing in my years of research and study, I hope to serve Portland the best of tropical drinks both past and present,” says Reynolds.

Hale Pele will also include the great décor you’d expect from a world-class tiki bar, with interactive features, dancing waters, and other wonders from exotic isles. “I’m inspired by the unique décor of tiki bars from times past, and want to bring a bit of the novel fantasy of that bygone era into an exotic, yet welcoming environment. There is a story behind the setting, some of which will be revealed and some hidden. But beware of uncovering the mystery, lest you incur the wrath of Pele!”

Congrats! I'll make a road-trip to Portland to see the new digs.

For Immediate Release August 14th, 2012

Hale Pele hosts Tiki Kon guests for Preview, announces opening date.

With construction completed and tropical libations tasted… and tasted... and then tasted some more, Hale Pele was finally ready for its first preview. Over 100 tiki Kon guests were welcomed into Hale Pele on August 5th 2012. It was a sea of Hawaiian shirts amidst the new dark and Primal atmosphere.

The gathered Tiki aficionados from across the country cheered at the announcement of the opening date, August 29th 2012. Get ready for the nation’s next Great Tiki Temple.

sign up for our mailing list at Halepele.com. Or Visit us at 2733 NE Broadway. Portland, OR.
Find us on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information on B.G.Reynolds’ Hand-Crafted Syrups, please visit bgreynolds.com or email [email protected]

Next time I'm in town I will definitely stop by.

[ Edited by: MaukaHale 2012-08-14 16:27 ]

From last night's sneak peak.

Perfect timing! We plan on visiting next week!

Finally made it out to Hale Pele last night. I had to check out the Mai Tai - very good, served in an Old Fashioned glass with mint sprig and lime hull and just the right amount of ice - and my wife had the Penang Afrididi which was extremely tasty and complex.

We also had some of the Hawaiian bread which is excellent. It comes in large slices, toasted and served with a very flavorful guava jam.

The service is excellent, by the way!

We'll definitely be back - there are a whole lot more drinks on that list that I need to sample.

Long-time lurker, first time poster. I visited Portland with my girlfriend about a month ago, and we had a really great time at Hale Pele. The drinks were absolutely on par with the best of the tiki milieu, the staff was awesome, the decor was great, and the food was tasty (and vegan friendly). We're cocktail geeks, so we went to a lot of cool bars in Portland, but we definitely had the best overall experience at Hale Pele. Definitely a must-visit if you're in Portland.

Incoming! Val and I will be in PDX this Mon-Thur (10/8-10/11) and can't wait to visit Hale Pele.

kevin

Blair, congrats on the great article!
http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2012/10/tiki_bar_owner_and_syrup_guru.html

I'm returning to Portland next year for the marathon, and will DEFINITELY be stopping by for a post race mai-tai!

Henrik "VanTiki"

While waiting for Hale Pele to be immortalized in Locating Tiki, I'll add my thoughts/photos/praise here. In short, Blair and his staff at Hale Pele have knocked it out of the park.

Last year, Val and I made our first trip to Portland and visited Thatch. We liked it so much the first time we made an extra trip back before we returned home. When I saw earlier this year that Thatch was for sale, I at once felt sad (that it may disappear) and happy (that we did get to visit it). The news that Blair had bought the place and was turning it into Hale Pele was most welcome indeed. We'd planned on returning to Portland in 2012 and as luck would have it, we were visiting shortly after the grand opening.

With Hale Pele, it feels like the goodness of Thatch was retained and the quality knob was turned up even higher. Notch up on decor, notch up on cocktails, notch up on the rum selection, and the food...wow. We may have been most surprised by the food and just how high quality it is. I think we tried 2/3 of the cocktail and 2/3 of the food menus. As in 2011 we visited twice, spending long evenings at the bar and soaking in the atmosphere. We were treated so well by everyone working there...just a great group of people. I loved being asked something as simple as what my local tiki bar is (shout out to Tonga Hut) and chatting about other great places to visit in Portland and cocktail recipes.

I fear my praise of Hale Pele is not effusive enough. But make no mistake, Hale Pele feels special. You can see it in some of the details in the photos below. We just missed the launch of the spirits list, but I guess that's just another reason to venture north. If you're even thinking of a trip to the northwest, schedule in a stop at Hale Pele. Oh and take a taxi, because you're probably going to want to be there a while.

Mahalo once again to Blair and your staff for making us thirsty tiki travelers feel right at home.

Higher resolution versions of the photos are up on Flickr

kevin

Thanks for the review and picks Kevin.

If I get up to Portland I will surely make it a must visit stop.

Jeff(btd)

Hale Pele is great! Blair did a great job and I've enjoyed every visit there.

Here's a more in depth review and pictures I wrote on my blog: http://ourtikilife.blogspot.com/2012/08/hale-pele-media-preview-party.html

Hope to hit it soon

The mug release night was fantastic. Blair is doing it right!

I took my friend, Daniel, along with me and we tried several things off the menu. The pulled pork cooked in falernum was great. I had both a Q.B. Cooler and a Jet Pilot. Both were extremely tasty. Daniel isn't exactly a Tikiphile, and often eschews cocktails in favor of beer and bourbon, but he appeared to enjoy his Missionary's Downfall and Pieces of Eight.

The mug, itself, is beautiful.

I will definitely be back soon!

Okay, so I had to go back and try some more things off the menu. The Zombie was good, but I really like their Navy Grog. Pork bun sliders with fresh baked Hawaiian bread from Lilikoi Bakery also. I don't know if I'll be able to make it this next week for their four-course Thanksgiving meal, but they've already got the menu up and it looks amazing. Two thumbs up!

I'm on the road shooting a show and flew into Portland last night. My 2 man crew and I had to end up in Eugene, but I convinced them we had to make a stop at Hale Pele first (it really didn't take that much arm twisting).

I started the night off with a Jet Pilot, while my DP had a Sailors Grog. The presentation of the Jet Pilot in a large goblet combined with a flaming float that the waitress sprinkled something on to make it sparkle (I should have asked what it was) was a nice touch, but the drink itself was excellent. Dense and strong and literally bathed in fresh Cinnamon. I sampled the Sailors Grog and it was solid. I've never been a big a fan of Ginger Beer drinks, but my DP enjoyed it. Next I moved on to a 3 dots and a dash. Again, this was mixed perfectly, with just enough honey. Finally I had a (Chief) Lapu Lapu and got my DP to order a Painkiller. Both of these are drinks I love to make at home and they were both fantastic. I don't know if it was Pussers in the Painkiller but it certainly tasted right, down to the nutmeg on top. I have to say the Lapu Lapu was my favorite drink of the night. Like the Jet Pilot it came in a big goblet. What I love about this drink is that it's Orange, Lemon, Passion fruit blend is refreshing and Hale Pele got it spot on. It may be the best Lapu Lapu I've ever had.All of the drinks tasted fresh, balanced and not overly sirupy at all which makes sense considering who owns the place.

Besides the drinks I had a Cannibal plate of Chicken Adobo, Lili Lumpia spring rolls and a Hale Dog. The Chicken, served with sticky rice, was well marinated, juicy and really delicious. The Hale Dog was a portuguese sausage covered in pineapple chunks and other toppings and was really good. The spring rolls were solid. Overall the Cannibal plate definitely stood out.

It should already be known, but I have to mention that the decor in this place is spot on. A nice mix of classic Poly pop, with enough sprinkled nautical elements to keep anyone happy. The Kon Tiki Cannibal trio behind the bar dominate the scene. All through the night at semi regular intervals the Volcano would go off, complete with fog, rain falling in one of the two water features at the front of the restaurant and roaring/thunderous sound effects.

I grabbed one of the Muntiki mugs before I left and our designated driver (who had been drinking a virgin drink on the menu called the designated driver) took us to Eugene. I'll be keeping this guy with me for the rest of my trip.

This was a great visit. I'm hoping I get to come again while I'm traveling through here for the next 7 weeks.

My wife and I were there earlier this year and had a great time. While in Oregon I even visited Munktiki's studio. The sprinkling of the cinnamon is what caused the sparks.

On 2014-06-05 10:52, El Jefe wrote:
My wife and I were there earlier this year and had a great time. While in Oregon I even visited Munktiki's studio. The sprinkling of the cinnamon is what caused the sparks.

My mystery is solved!

On 2014-06-05 11:04, SoCal Savage wrote:
My mystery is solved!

Here's a great one for you, recorded by RumDood: http://youtu.be/n72It5df-gA

This is why I love this site. Always something new to learn.

Aloha!

Tikival and I are going to be in Portland October 6-9 (departing on the 10th) and are planning a return to Hale Pele. Ok, fine. Several returns to Hale Pele.

If any PDX TCers are nearby, come on out and let's have a drink. Maybe a Wednesday night really traveling Rumpus Room...

Kevin

You can't fall in love with Kevin & Val, Portland
They belong to us!

Us?

On 2014-10-01 23:22, tikicoma wrote:
Us?

The Hotel California......which is us.

I'm nearby (maybe too nearby!) and would grudgingly force myself to meet up... :wink:

On 2014-10-02 02:49, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:

On 2014-10-01 23:22, tikicoma wrote:
Us?

The Hotel California......which is us.

I'd find it hard to leave SoCal for too long. But I do love visiting Portland. :)

Kevin

On 2014-10-02 10:56, Rum Balls wrote:
I'm nearby (maybe too nearby!) and would grudgingly force myself to meet up... :wink:

Excellent! Well, Val and I are planning to be there Tuesday for happy hour to start the Hale Pele portion of our week, and I do believe we plan to visit on Wednesday and Thursday too (at yet-undetermined times).

Okole Maluna!

Kevin

Heading to Portland next weekend with a buddy, who's relatively new to craft cocktail bars and has never been to any sort of tiki bar. I'm taking him to the Driftwood Room (I've been before, love it!) and to Hale Pele, which-- by all accounts I've seen-- looks and is wonderful. In this thread alone, the photos make me go a bit glassy-eyed. That's how a real tiki bar should look! Grass thatch, mat on the walls, old artifacts, glass floats, multi-colored light mysteriously glowing from hidden corners. A far cry from the only big tiki to hit Seattle in my adult lifetime: the short-lived and extremely ultra-modern Bellevue Trader Vic's (I suspect it didn't survive because it wasn't 'hip' and 'urban' enough for swanky Bellevue!)

I have some questions:

--First, assuming I'm there on a Friday or Saturday evening, how long should I expect to wait for two seats at the bar? And can I call ahead and reserve a couple an hour or two before I arrive? Most bars won't do so, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I love direct connection with the bartender, and though I'm sure all the waitstaff are wonderful and helpful, if possible I'd like to see the tenders at work. We get to see what everyone else is ordering, too!

--Second, though I know this is very subjective, what are the favorite drinks of posters here who've been there, and why? I know I can just order a Mai Tai, and when made well (as I'm sure they do) it's a stellar drink. But I'd like to branch out. I love seeing unusual glassware, garnishes and drinks with some extra flair, hallmarks that I think make the tiki realm of cocktails extraordinary-- things I won't find at, say, the Driftwood Room, good as it is (though the tender there in 2011 did make me an eight-layer Pousse Cafe!) so I'd love to order some fire or some special glassware... Saw a photo on here of a beautiful frosty metal cup drink!

~ (Tiki) Torch Guy

Show up early (at opening) and you'll be fine.

My favorite drink: Cobra's Fang. Based on the old Don the Beachcomber recipe, and done really, REALLY well. Garnish includes huge spiral of orange peel with cloves stuck in it. If you've ever been to the Mai Kai, it's similar to their Cobra's Kiss, but garnished more ornately.

I also really like the QB Cooler and the Jet Pilot. Overall, if you order any of the classics you can't go wrong! And the food is delicious too. Make sure you stick around long enough to witness the Volcano eruption. It really is a fantastic bar and Blair is a super nice guy.

OH--and if you like a good Rum Barrel, their Chief Lapu Lapu fits the bill nicely. Really, really tasty drink served in one of their big "Chieftain Goblets." 151 Swizzle is in the metal cup, also delicious. Not sure if they do reservations (probably not). Can't recommend the place enough, it really is great

Much appreciated! I think we'll have a good time. My friend is going for a tattoo convention; his artist is entering him. After the con is over for the day, we'll be heading over for some good stuff-- and it looks like the route is easy, just down MLK and over on Broadway.

Yeah, easy to get to and the parking is not terrible. Sounds like an awesome road trip!