JOHN-O's Zombie Road Trip...

North Carolina...

Strip clubs, tanning salons, and Mongolian BBQ !!!

But no Zombies (or even actual Tikis). :(

Hows the BBQ?
Mongolian, and down south style?

Jeff(btd)

Great post! You seem like you do more tiki traveling than me. Not that I am an expert, but reading this makes me feel like I have never been to a tiki bar at all. Keep up the good work!

Now that I have spent over an hour on this one thread, it is back to work for me.

[ Edited by: lunavideogames 2012-09-26 17:10 ]

On 2012-09-25 20:49, bigtikidude wrote:

Hows the BBQ?...

Amazing !!...

So if "tourist luau" Kalua pork is considered Tiki food then why can't Carolina-style pulled pork be Tiki food too ??

I say it is !! :D

BBQ & Tiki, I say yes, There has always been a BBQ element to
the Island & Asian cuisine that has been served at so many Tiki Restaurants.

Since I am the sole survivor of the "Great Tiki Food Wars" I got some say on the subject! :lol:

Trader Vic's Atlanta...  at last !!

I was too late for TV Dallas and TV Chicago, but thank goodness I made it here in time.

TV Atlanta was the last remaining vintage ( if 1976 can be considered vintage) U.S. Tiki destination on my Zombie Road Trip.  It did not disappoint.  It's probably the most purist TV (even more so than Emeryville) in that it's the last remaining American location inside a Hilton hotel.  

Not only that, it's in the friggin' basement...

This was the classic Tiki dungeon labyrinth of my dreams. And despite it's Jimmy Carter-era pedigree, I like to imagine that back in the day this was the place that traveling salesmen tried to get lucky with Mai Tai inebriated Delta Airline stews. :)

TV Atlanta is awesome !!  

(Portia, your lovely Tiki hostess)

:drink:

:drink: :drink:

:drink: :drink: :drink:

The Unloved Tiki Bars...

Here's a couple of vintage Tiki bars that I recently revisited that get scant attention here on TC. I NEVER see them on the "to do" lists for Tiki tourists visiting the Golden State.

Granted you won't find any of the following at either:

1. Tropical craft cocktail mixology
2. High TIPSY factor and over-the-top Polynesian decor
3. Presence of fellow Aloha shirted kindred souls

Nevertheless do either of these places have any true Tiki merit that warrant your time and money?

I say YES !!

Let's discuss.

First, Trad'r Sam in the Richmond district of San Francisco...

Not much love for this place on TC. Usually the comments are "Drinks suck, crowd sucks". Well I won't argue that but what about the historic pedigree? Opened in 1937, this is the oldest operational Tiki (pre-Tiki actually) bar on the entire planet. Did you hear that? Let me repeat it... It's the frigging OLDEST Tiki bar in the universe !!

The old-school circular bamboo bar hasn't changed much since the days of our early Tiki forefathers...

And to me ANY bar on the West Coast with that much longevity and staying power should be cherished. Plus this place actually serves Tiki drinks !! Ok, so they're really bad (I drank beer, haha) but the fact they've been continuously on the menu for 3 quarters of a century is pretty darn amazing.

Go now because you'll have to wait 74 more years before Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel (who BTW co-opted their brand :evil:) can make that claim.

Next, the Hawaiian Room in Bellflower (Los Angeles)...

Well this place isn't so much unloved as it is ignored. Early Tiki Centralites took a brief interest in this place a decade ago but I doubt if the current class of Poly-Popsters is even aware that it exists.

Yes this place is a blue-collar "dump" (which to me is actually a plus) but it does have the authentic mid-century bones (since 1964). Now some people here have argued with me off-line that just because a place is old, that doesn't make it "historic". Well, I'll argue that in addition to its age, there is historic Tiki significance at the Hawaiian Room.

Based my visit and trip report from last year, the Hawaiian Room may very well house the only remaining remnants of the long defunct (and Tiki spectacular) Tahitian Village in Downey !!...

(Postcard courtesy of Dustycajun)

And where else are you gonna run into long time locals who can wax nostalgic about that place? I've had people at the bar reminisce about the Tahitian Village when it was in its 1960's Tiki heyday, through its late 70's Disco devolution, and then its last legs in the 1990's when it became a place to score crack. Try to get history like that from the hipster sitting next to you at Smuggler's Cove. :D

Last but not least, the thing I like about these 2 places is that they belong to the vanishing breed of Tiki DIVE bars.

I know many here prefer their Tiki experience to be clean, well-preserved, and/or Disneyfied but for me the best way to get my historic jones on is for it to be a little dirty, sticky, moldy and have disgusting bathrooms.

And I don't want to hear any whining about the quality (or lack) of Tropical cocktails. It will not kill you to drink a beer once in a while !! Not every place can be the Mai Kai. Try to appreciate these places for their unique Tiki qualities. :)

This has got to be one of the best threads on TC EVER! O-John, you have done excellent research!

Now, if we can just get you to stop listening to surf and ska music!!! :)

Thanks Lucas, but Ska? :-?

I'm not into Ska.

Oh and here's a bonus photo from the Hawaiian Room.

It's Roger (aka HB Tiki) wielding a vintage Tiki that Jenny our bartender brought out for us from the storage room.

When Tiki Oasis gets around to a Star Wars theme, Roger will be our very own "Tiki Wan Kenobi". :)

He is kind of like a Jedi Knight.

I heard the Hawaiian Room was fun.

John-O, champion of the blue collar Tiki bar! I really enjoyed the history of Tradr Sam's last time I was there. Have not been to the Hawaiian Room, will definitely stop by my next time down south.

So, Miller Lite, that explains your svelte figure.

DC

John, Your more of a "Cocktail Adventurer" then Archaeologist
I need to get you a whip.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2012-10-17 20:26 ]

John-o THe Hawaiian room is dirty , smells, and the drinks are awful. The beer is cold ,the old tiki stuff displayed has a decent pedigree and Jenny is a sweetheart. I was fortunate (and old enough) to have patronized the Tahitian during it's heyday, not to mention The Tiki's in Monterey Park AND Don the Beachcomber on McCadden place in Hollywood (just trying to establish my creds) I like the Hawaiian room!
Thanks for another thoughtful thread John-o
Davi

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2012-10-17 21:04 ]

Nice post John-O. I have not been to Trader Sam's up north but it is on my list. The cocktails I had at the Hawaiian Room were good. Of course I stood with a basic drink, Jack on the rocks, a heavy poor for a mere $3.50.

Mahalo,

TikiVato

[ Edited by: TikiVato 2012-10-17 21:43 ]

Palm thatching, bamboo and a Pabst neon sign.
The Hawaiian Room attracts blue collar types, yet has stayed true to its Tiki roots.

WTF John!, You were in NC and ATL and no word? We could have hung out togetehr! I could have educated you on BBQ...

Do NOT let this happen again!

I would apprecate a dive Tiki bar if we had it. If it was old. PBR in a can is okay by me.

Sorry Swanky, I was squeezing in some limited Tiki (and BBQ) time during a business trip.

My Trader Vic's Atlanta excursion was actually done inside a 6 hour layover at ATL.

The Hapa Haole Hideaway is still on my Tiki To-Do list !! :)

By the way John O,
Trader Sam was on the Nor. Cal. tiki crawl for a few years.
But I think that because of the lack of drink quality, they nixed it from the must do list.

Jeff(btd)

I went to Trad'r Sams about 7 years ago. It's definitley worth a quick look. But yeah, the drinks and the crowd both suck, unless things have changed since then. The sign is certainly the best part of the whole place though. I wish they'd renovate and get that place to where it COULD be.

What about the Bamboo Hut in SF, John-O? Kinda the same status as Trad'r Sams. Worth a visit on the way to one of the many historic (ahem) nudie bars on that same street there.

I played the Hawaiian Room with Lucas and Kevin during the Resurection of the Hawaiian Room, nine years ago, in 2003. I remember it being a pretty cool room. Maybe we can do another event there again?

Nui 'umi 'umi - I'm sure we'd all love to hear more stories or memorites of place like The Tikis in Monterey Park.

Oh, and John-O this is still one of my favorite threads on TC!
Keep up the good work, buddy!

On 2012-10-23 13:39, Luckydesigns wrote:

I played the Hawaiian Room with Lucas and Kevin during the Resurection of the Hawaiian Room, nine years ago, in 2003. I remember it being a pretty cool room. Maybe we can do another event there again?

That's the place where they had the Kava ritual, right? Man, that was a long time ago! One of my first dates with my GF was that night, as I recall.

Another "unloved" Tiki bar...

So think of a LA Tiki bar that's tiny, owner operated, permits smoking, and is open on a limited basis, what comes to mind? The Tiki-Ti right?

Well how about the Hale Hawaii bar in Torrance? :)

Unlike the Tiki-Ti however, this place gets little Tikiphile attention, probably because it's hardly ever open. The operating hours are Mon-Fri from 4pm until... well, whenever the owner feels like closing which is sometimes as early as 10pm.

Even the Bigbro found himself locked out when he and Miss Kauai of 1998 tried to gain entry during the filming of a (pre-BOT !!) Tiki documentary...

"Tiki bar, Tiki bar, let me in !!"..."Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin" :(

Now while this place isn't exactly the Mai Kai, it's not without its unique Tiki qualities, For one thing it's one of the few (only?) remaining examples of the strip mall Tiki bar !! (Lava Lounge RIP)

What a great concept, park your car once and you can get a haircut, visit the chiropractor, have a passport photo taken, and then enjoy a couple of Mai Tais all in a single visit.

And how was that Mai Tai? Well although it was Hawaiian-style it was a stiff and well balanced cocktail, not too sweet. No Zombies though but I do understand they have a pretty kick-ass Scorpion bowl. One must possess a high degree of Tiki self-confidence however, to sip a faux seashell drink amongst the bar's beer swilling football fan regulars.

That's actually another unique thing about the Hale Hawaii, it's a strip mall Tiki SPORTS bar. Now while that concept might be horrifying to Tiki purists, I thought the place still vibed more of a scruffy mid-century authenticity than many of our net new Tiki joints like the Disney Trader Sam's or some of the more recent Trader Vic's.

If anything Tiki fans should pay a visit just to be So Cal vintage Tiki bar completists, but remember if you don't want to disappoint your beauty pageant date, call first to make sure they're open !! :D

Wow, John-O. I drive past this place at least once a week and have never even bothered to swing by. I received some bad intel relating this place had 'No Tiki Vibe' at all. Looks like I have been letting a local place die on the vine.

I will definately try to swing by there and say hello.

Looks just like a place "Starsky & Hutch" would hang........OK, Huggy Bear too.

On 2012-11-01 21:29, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Looks just like a place "Starsky & Hutch" would hang........OK, Huggy Bear too.

So, are you trying to say it should be my kind a place??

No Chippy, for you I would have to say where would "Jon & Ponch" like to hang :lol:

I usually stop by the Hale Hawaii whenever I pickup my car from the dealership across the street. That's not all that often, but then it's hardly ever open anyway. When I go I usually get the scorpion bowl. It is served in a seashell bowl and is pretty good. It is probably the only really authentic tiki style cocktail that they serve there.

On 2012-11-02 00:13, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
No Chippy, for you I would have to say where would "Jon & Ponch" like to hang :lol:

Chippy, like his television CHP counterparts, is a professional and would never frequent a Tiki bar while in uniform.

That however never stopped Starksy (or was that Hutch?)...

John-O,
Have you checked out Melody Bar & Grill in Westchester? I found the place by looking up tiki bar on yelp.com. From looking at their pics online it looks like there are a few different theme rooms in the bar/restaurant. The place opened in 1952 and looks cleaned up and old school. I haven't been to the place, but thought it looked interesting.

http://www.melodylax.com

-Lori

[ Edited by: tikilongbeach 2012-11-02 14:41 ]

Thanks for the recommendation Lori, BUT...

"Cleaned up" and old-school tend to be an oxymoron for me. To be honest that place vibes a little too self-consciously hip and ironic for my tastes. I encourage you however to investigate and report. In the meantime, those Yelp photos need to be removed. On this thread, if I wasn't there, then it really didn't happen. :) Also I need to keep the downward aesthetic momentum consistent for what the Zombie Roadtrip has in store next.

It does look a bit clean for this thread. And like magic, the pictures are gone.
I go to San Pedro bars and restaurants for their character so I should know the type of places you're investigating.

On 2012-11-02 15:03, tikilongbeach wrote:
It does look a bit clean for this thread. And like magic, the pictures are gone.
I go to San Pedro bars and restaurants for their character so I should know the type of places you're investigating.

There are bars in San Pedro with character? Personally the ones I have been to are just full of characters. (Bwaa ha ha)

On 2012-11-02 16:07, Chippy wrote:

On 2012-11-02 15:03, tikilongbeach wrote:
It does look a bit clean for this thread. And like magic, the pictures are gone.
I go to San Pedro bars and restaurants for their character so I should know the type of places you're investigating.

There are bars in San Pedro with character? Personally the ones I have been to are just full of characters. (Bwaa ha ha)

San Pedro does have a lot of characters. I like the ones at Utro's. Real dive bars and tiki bars should be full to the rafters with character and characters. I'm happy that John O has taken it upon himself to check out the lesser known gems. I'll certainly check some of the places out.

On 2012-11-02 11:24, tikilongbeach wrote:
John-O,
Have you checked out Melody Bar & Grill in Westchester? I found the place by looking up tiki bar on yelp.com. From looking at their pics online it looks like there are a few different theme rooms in the bar/restaurant. The place opened in 1952 and looks cleaned up and old school. I haven't been to the place, but thought it looked interesting.

http://www.melodylax.com

One of the rooms does have palm thatching, bamboo and Hawaiian wall coverings. It cold be worth a look-see before heading to the Purple Orchid.

:right:

On 2012-11-02 11:24, tikilongbeach wrote:
John-O,
Have you checked out Melody Bar & Grill in Westchester? I found the place by looking up tiki bar on yelp.com. From looking at their pics online it looks like there are a few different theme rooms in the bar/restaurant. The place opened in 1952 and looks cleaned up and old school. I haven't been to the place, but thought it looked interesting.

On 2012-11-03 08:58, christiki295 wrote:
One of the rooms does have palm thatching, bamboo and Hawaiian wall coverings. It cold be worth a look-see before heading to the Purple Orchid.

I was driving near the Melody bar today so I popped in. This place might have been a down and dirty dive bar oozing with 1950's character at one point but that seems to have been remodeled away. :(

The "Tiki bar" at the time of my visit didn't seem to be in use...

but they did have a Mai Tai on the menu at the main bar.

It read: Captain Morgan rum, Malibu rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, with a float of raspberry liquor.

The pictures on their web site make the place appear Rat Pack stylish but I saw more backward baseball caps, wife beaters, and Raiders jerseys than sharkskin suits.

I go into these places so you guys don't have to !!

[ Edited by: John-o 2012-11-04 20:45 ]

Oh no! I'm disappointed. Thank you for checking it out. Raspberry liquer in a mai tai?

John-O, you Glorious Bastard!

How did it taste? :)

On 2012-11-04 18:44, JOHN-O wrote:
The "Tiki bar" at the time of my visit didn't seem to be in use...

WTF?
The Tiki bar used as a storage room?

Well to be fair I think that was just a temporary thing on a Sunday night.  One of the waitresses saw me snap the picture and got quite concerned, insisting that it usually didn't look that way.  She ran and got the manager who wanted to know what I was going to do with the picture.  When I tried to describe TC and the Tiki Revival in my standard 30 second Tiki sound bite, she looked at me like I was nuts. :D

aren't you nuts?
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

BTD, you don't know the half of it.

Here's the 2nd part of that Sunday evening. Since the Melody Bar was a shutout, I decided to check off a long standing item on my Tiki "to do" list as I was driving west on Pico Blvd back to Santa Monica.

For those of you familiar with your Tiki geography, you should know my destination was the famous Kelbo's, "Home of the Habit-forming Spare Ribs". Or rather I should say the FORMER Kelbo's, as that location now houses the Fantasy Island "strip club".

Unlike other long gone Tiki landmarks, the Kelbo's building wasn't razed but instead re-purposed. And the new business wasn't some unimaginative retail outlet but rather an establishment that still held the promise of an alcohol-fueled "exotic" experience. Could Kelbo's ghosts of Tiki past be haunting the place?

Now we've seen exterior pictures of Kelbo's surviving Tiki signage and lighthouse tower, but no urban archeology reports on the interior have ever been posted. Yeah I know after all this time someone must have checked it out, but nothing that's ever been reported on TC.

I've always assumed based on the Westside address, Fantasy Island was an upscale Vegas-style Gentlemen's Club staffed by MAWs (model/actress/whatever) looking to get discovered by slumming Hollywood producers. That expectation was reinforced last year when I and another prominent Tiki Centralite took a rum-fueled field trip to the (now defunct) Cheetah club down the street from the Tiki-Ti. There we met a former Miss Chinese Seattle looking for her big Hollywood break, she even provided me with her personal website info and IMDB resume !!

So after paying a $10 cover I entered into Fantasy Island and encountered an environment very different from what I expected. The place was virtually empty with the exception of a bunch of sad sack guys watching football at the bar. Also F.I. really wasn't that upscale, it vibed more like a seedy Mexican bordello with its blood red walls. Actually that's a lowbrow aesthetic I can appreciate, if it wasn't for the fact the place was just too darn brightly lit for such a den of iniquity.

And where were all of the wahines?, at Sunday dinner? I was was told to come back later at night, especially on Fri or Sat, for the bump and grind action. BTW contrary to popular belief, F.I. is a bikini bar only, no nudity.

Well since I was there in search of Tikis rather than titties, I asked the young door lady if she knew anything about the former Kelbo's. "What do you mean elbows?" she replied. I then went into my standard 30 second Tiki sound bite. From there all I got was a more puzzled (and annoyed) response than at the Melody Bar. I felt like I was reliving the scene in "Taxi Driver" where Travis Bickle tries to make small talk with the concession stand girl at a Time Square porn theater.

Falling short on any Tiki intel, I grabbed a $6 beer at the bar and started to explore the place with the thoroughness of an LAFD building inspector. So do you want to know what's sadder than a devolved Tiki bar? It's wandering around deserted stripper pole stages with a "$16" beer in your hand while suspiciously being eyed by the management. :(

So as you might expect by now, there were absolutely NO traces of Tiki found inside the low ceiling-ed building.

After finishing my beer, I crossed F.I. off my Tiki list and walked out the door. As my gauze turned downward after looking up at the Kelbo's lighthouse, I did notice street-level stain glass windows depicting tropical birds. Remnants from Kelbo's? I would really like to think so.

So is Fantasy Island worth anyone's Tiki time? Probably not, but perhaps in some small way F.I. is carrying on the tradition of T&A inside the (former) Tiki bar...

(Left to right - Tiki Bob's, Zamboanga, Tropics)

And hey it's still better than a Wallgreens, right? :) (RIP Kahiki)

(EDITED - I noticed I used "inequity" instead of "iniquity", although you could argue it was all a Tiki injustice anyway, haha.)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2012-11-10 09:35 ]

Yer amazing John-o