Mister Tiki (San Diego) - Saturday, June 12th - Who's In?

Here's the definitive scoop on Mister Tiki in downtown San Diego straight from the restaurant manager and the Cohns...

Opening Day: Friday, June 9, 2004. The manager requested that we give him a week to work the bugs out of the system before bringing down a group of tiki enthusiasts. However, he is very excited that this group is interested!

Drinks: They are offering 23+ tropical drinks including 4 kinds of mai tais and most other classic standards. They have researched their mixology and will have a mix of traditional and updated drinks on the menu. Signature drink will be the "Mondo Martiki for 4".

Tiki Mugs: All mixed drinks will be served in appropriate containers including several styles of mugs and volcano bowls.

Music: They will be playing Exotica throughout the dinner hours and transition into Lounge later in the evening.

Decor: The manager could hardly contain himself when describing how cool Bosko's work looked after being installed in the restaurant. Can't wait to see it!

Food: Asian-fusion cuisine, sushi bar, poki bar, lots of pupu style dishes.

Input: I was told that after the restaurant opens, they will be actively seeking our input to help make the place as good as it can be. Their goal is to keep it as authentically tiki as possible without scaring away the regular crowd. They are aware of what happened to Taboo Cove and want to avoid those mistakes at all cost.

This place really seems like they are on the right track to me! The manager took my name and number and promised to call me as soon as they are able to take reservations. So, I would be happy to coordinate a TC outing if there is an interest. My best suggestion for a date would be Saturday, June 12th. What do you think?

Also, for further information please refer to the previous thread related to Mister Tiki here.

ModMana :drink:

See page 4 of this thread for the attendance list for this event.

[ Edited by: ModMana on 2004-06-09 10:42 ]

Whoa, i just read this from the main forum

On 2004-05-19 16:53, freddiefreelance wrote:
OK, I just received this from Beth @ Cohn Restaurants Group:

"Hi Freddie!

Thanks for all of your interest. It is nice to see that we have such a following before the doors even open! You can't believe all that you hear though, we can hope that we will be open around the 6th of June, but it
isn't looking like we'll be ready by then. I really wish that I could give you more information, but there really isn't too much that we are sure about just yet. We are leery to send out any sort of newsletter regarding Mister Tiki, until we know for sure (we wouldn't want to mislead anyone!) As for "restaurants that you frequent" choices, Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge will be added very shortly. An announcement will be sent out to everyone though, so it isn't critical that you update your preferences right away. I can't wait to see you there when we do open!

Take Care,

Beth Hoggard
Office Manager
Cohn Restaurant Group"

Modmana, if your right, i would be interested in making the trip down there.

Tbird.

Modmana, you mean June 12th? Wednesday the 9th is my Gran'daughter's 1st birthday, but I don't think that anything's wrong with Saturday. If we have a Babysitter.

Thanks Freddie, you are correct. I made the appropriate edit to the original post.

count me in. If anyone wants to drive down from the greater LA area earlier in the day I can entertain for a while at my place

Darn! Already have plans for the 12th. Would definitely be interested in meeting if another day!

[ Edited by: UtopianDreem on 2004-05-19 20:19 ]

I'm in. The guestroom is up for grabs.
Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2004-05-25 17:26 ]

Mrs. Fury has a trade show that weekend.....but I am going to try to make it down somehow.....someway....

The missus and I are up for it.
We might be bringing an extra friend (Hans, my bandmate).

Ran

P.S. Our big couch is quite comfy to sleep on, if anyone needs a free place to crash.

[ Edited by: kick_the_reverb on 2004-05-19 22:28 ]

Count me in.

I'm there with 2 tag alongs!

Damn, goin to have to settle for showin up the week after!

i walked by it, it looks the the mc donaldsization of tiki. i hope not.... im getting that parrot glasses feeling.. hope im wrong....

What's the address so I can get a mapquest fix?

It's on the corner of 5th Ave. & G St.

I wreckon I might just mosey on down there and take a look see.

On 2004-05-20 14:33, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
I wreckon I might just mosey on down there and take a look see.

Can you post a picture of the front of Mr. Tiki?

No, it is on the corner of 5th and F st. Across the street from Croce's Jazz Bar and restaurant. I used to play in the salsa band that is performing at Croce's that night.

Take it from me, this is downtown in every sense of the word--parking is a be-otch and expensive. There is valet parking in front of Mister Tiki but depending on what's happening downtown that night, it can be $$$

BEST WAY TO GET THERE:
If you are coming south on the I-5 freeway, as you pass the SD airport, take the 1st St. exit. Stay in the left exit lane which will exit onto Cedar St. Turn RIGHT on 6th Ave. Go into downtown and turn LEFT on G Street (east). Then turn LEFT on 5th Ave. (1-way heading North). Mister Tiki will be on your RIGHT on the corner of 5th and F Stree.

If you are coming from east of downtown, take Highway 94 West all the way into downtown. It actually turns into F Street and Mister Tiki will be on your Left side on the corner.

I'd love to make the trip back to my all time favorite city(used to live in P.B. and La Jolla several yrs ago)if I could crash on someone's floor--wallet is still too thin from two wks. in a row trips to Palm Springs.
It's so cool that there will now be a place for our ohana in downtown S.D. It's perhaps the best transformation that a city has ever done for its downtown core. Another one of my favorite watering holes is "The Bitter End." Such yummy martinis! Would anyone also be interested in going to a ballgame at the new stadium?(that is of course, if the Pads are in town that weekend)~~Cousin Dave

I'd like to go, it sounds like great fun! However -- according to my calendar, that's the same day Team Pineapple touches down in LA after seven days of biking (!!!) for the AIDS LifeCycle. I'd really, really like to be there to celebrate their finish -- hopefully the timing will work out so I can do both???

Hey Pineapples -- what are the latest details on the LA end of the LifeCycle ride?

wow - I can't believe you remembered! Thanks for keeping up with us. We do inded roll/limp/ get sagged into LA the 12th. The closing ceremonies are at Dodgers Stadium :( and we are staying in West Hollywood. We'd LOVE to see your happy face when we get in, the closing ceremony is late though, 6 pm, I think. and it's a looooong riding day, (hence the possible sag...) So I'm not sure exactly how the coordination will work??

hmmmm, we are staying in town, (with Mom!) until Monday morning, so we wouldn't be the least bit offended if you hooked up with us on Sunday for some food and a trader vic's mai tai (ohhhh the gazelllllle) We'll miss the Tiki Ti, AGAIN, but I hear it's closed anyway. Mail us and let us know what you decide :) can't wait to see some SoCal folks along the way! I may post a route map in Beyond Tiki, of campsites, so if anyone is along the route they can come out and wave to us!
xoxox
mrs. pineapple

http://www.tikibot.com

MM--
What time/time frame are we talking about here? Meeting for dinner, or just drinks at the bar? Z-Girl and I might be able to make it for drinks, but not for dinner, as we'd be heading out from Long Beach at about 6:00 & probably wouldn't hit SD til 8:30 at the earliest...

We'll really try nonetheless, as my summer vacation starts that day (I love being a teacher...), and I think breaking in a new bar is an excellent way to kick it off right!

Ran - we might take you up on that couch offer if no one else has dibs...

Utopiandreem & i will make it to Mr. Tiki, we will be leaving LA area around 6-7pm & hopefully making it there by around 8-9pm for drinks.

Tbird.

Mister Tiki opens at 5:30 PM. I was thinking that 6:00 PM (reservation time updated to reflect the restaurant's availabiity) might be a good time for a dinner reservation. That time will allow most people to get there without an unreasonable rush after their day's activities. Anyone arriving later will still have plenty of time to join us for drinks afterward. If anyone has different thoughts, please let me know ASAP.

Also, please keep in mind that none of this information is set in stone. They are not officially taking reservations yet. However, the manager did explicitly say that he believed there would be no problem with our date/time. I will post solid info as soon as it is available.

Also, parking definitely can be expensive and painful in the Gaslamp area. I can volunteer our house as a meeting spot for anyone that wants to carpool (we live about 15 minutes from downtown). If you arrive early enough, I'll be mixing pre-dinner cocktails. :)

ModMana :drink:

[ Edited by: ModMana on 2004-06-03 16:24 ]

I will drive the van so I can take 7 people in case anyone wants to carpool. How late does the parking lot stay open at Horton Plaza. Is there a Petco Park game that night?

Oh boy, another TC weekender. I will happily be there to experience the happy Mr. Tiki!

Uh oh, I just realized that the 12th is the same weekend as the San Diego Real Ale Festival @ the Carlsbad Pizza Port. I'm either going to have to go to the RAF on Friday or arrive @ Mr. Tiki already 1/2 plowed... :D

I think Sunday at Trader Vic's sounds like the best way to go for meeting up with the Pineapple Clan.

I think I'd like to make a weekend of San Diego, though. I've wanted to have dinner at the Islands restaurant at the Hanelei for some time now, so I think I'll go down on Friday & do that, and then maybe I'll finally do my spa day at Spa Tiki during the day Saturday before Mr. Tiki. Anyone care to join me?

Also, are there any cool hotels to stay in within stumbling distance of Mr. Tiki?

Huma2,

If you're looking for a budget type hotel, there is a real cool european style hotel in the Little Italy district of downtown called La Pensione. Here is their website so you can take a closer look: http://www.lapensionehotel.com.
Both Foder's and Frommer's rate it the best budget hotel in San Diego. Look forward to seeing you and the gang on 6/12.~~Cousin Dave

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-05-24 19:38 ]

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-05-24 19:40 ]

Will it definitely be open on June 12th?

We wanna We wanna We wanna
GO
GO
GO
GO

Update: I've left several messages at the restaurant that have not been returned yet. I think they're feeling the pressure of the opening drawing near, so I'm trying to cut them some slack. As far as I know, our date is still on for June 12th. I will post definite info as soon as I have it, hopefully within the next couple of days.

By the way, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to see several of the large scale Bosko tikis for the restaurant in person. WOW!!! I think everyone will be impressed!!!

ModMana :drink:

Hey! add two please...

Not 15 minutes after I posted that last message complaining about Mister Tiki not calling me back...I got a call back from Mister Tiki. :) I wonder if they're monitoring this forum?

Anyway, here is the latest info...Mister Tiki will officially open on Wednesday, June 9th. They will accept a reservation for our group on June 12th but they were very nervous about us being there so soon after their opening. I sense that they sincerely want to impress this group but are not confident they can deliver "the level of service that we deserve" just days after opening. Given that, do we want to show up on June 12th anyway, or maybe delay it a week until the 19th?

A couple of additional bits of noteworthy info. They can only accomodate groups no larger than 20 people, at least for the time being. By my count, there are already 25 people who have expressed an interest in going (not all were definite). Also, if we reserve for June 12th, the only time they can take us is 6:00 PM.

I'm sure several people have already made plans revolving around the original date so my personal recommendation is to go with that reservation on Saturday, June 12th at 6:00 PM. Of course, any input is appreciated. Within the next few days I will need to get an accurate head count from people who can commit on being there. Mahalo!

ModMana :drink:

[ Edited by: modmana on 2004-06-03 20:59 ]

The 12th is good for Utopiandreem & i.

Confirm us please!

Tbird.

[ Edited by: Tiki Bird on 2004-06-03 16:27 ]

If there is room for us we are in.. if others are on the list first, we understand. Let us know.
Mahalo

I am definitely planning on making the trip over, although you don't have to count me in for dinner reservations--I'll be showing up a bit later for the most important aspect--The "beloved cocktails." Look forward to being back in San Diego, and especially look forward to seeing the tiki clan again~~Cousin Dave

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-06-03 23:01 ]

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-06-03 23:02 ]

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-06-03 23:03 ]

[ Edited by: Cousin Dave on 2004-06-03 23:05 ]

I think the early invasion of TCers could prove to be an infusion of positive mana for Mr. Tiki. Just imagine, as soon as they open their doors, here comes Tiki Central! TC will cut them some slack, no? If they are worried that their bartenders won't be completely up to speed, I am confident that there will be some good tutors present.

On 2004-06-03 15:25, ModMana wrote:
By the way, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to see several of the large scale Bosko tikis for the restaurant in person. WOW!!!

I told you!!!

Rich, I'm in for either the 12th or the 19th but I'm AM definitely going. Please include me on the reservation. Thanks!

We're in,
Mahalo,
Al

I'm not just in like Flynn, I'm in like a capuchin monkey. But only if it's the 12th, all my other weekends until mid-July I'm out of state. :)

I hereby swear that I will cut them incredible slack. The drinks will be wonky, the service will be slow, the food will be hit & miss. That's okay, we all know that's how it works when a place is new.

Still In..Me and the Mrs.

Same here. Count us in. We still like the 12th. I promise not to throw a fit if they run out of paper umbrellas. If the group size is a problem, can we split into two groups & mingle? The Gaslamp is usually pretty insane on saturday nite...it's hard to gage what the crowd will be like at a new restaurant.

We're in - 3 people.

Thanks,
Ran

We are there ! x2

If work permits, we are in. We are moving from the South Bay to SanDiego in the next months, and it is exciting to know there will be a watering hole besides the Bali Hai to suck down a Mai tai at.

I plan on joining the TCrs for this event - so count us in (2). Mahalo nui!

I'm in, just me this time.