Going to the Mai Kai Friday 8/3!!

Just a quick note, we'll be dining at the Mai Kai in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday Aug 8, for the early show.

My hubby Beach Bum Matt & I hope to see some of you there, any local Floridians or anyone making the trip. We live on the West Coast so this trip is a big deal for us, but we hope to see you there! I'll have an orange plumeria (not real) in my hair... We're in our mid 40's (but I look much younger, hee hee)...

Aloha,

If you are there the night of 8/3 you will see a great band in the Moliki lounge, mine.

We look forward to hearing you, see you there! We can't wait

Sorry we cant join you for a Jet Pilot or a 151 Swizzle. I did light the torches and sound the drums for the locals so you should certainly have company.

So how was your Mai Kai experiance?

Mai Kai is magical! Here are some pictures of the garden, tikis, dining room, show, etc...

Here we are at the Mai Kai! It's right on a busy street, there's a Levitz parking lot next door encroaching upon the property, too close but at least the Mai Kai is still here...

I order a planters punch, mostly because I don't want to get hammered, our flight is at 7am next morning, yikes! What was I thinking???

Matt has the 151 swizzle, no fear!

Turns out, Matt was the smart one! It's happy hour and we're told the 2nd drink is free... they didn't say you had to order the same drink! So, we switched. Matt asked them to add something to the punch to make it less sweet for him.

The bar area accomodates a lot of people and gets packed later in the evening! And it's always raining outside the bar!

We wander around before dinner and enjoy the place!

This is the indoor garden, I'm sure you recongize the spot!

We head outside to see the gardens

Hidden tikis everywhere!! Some are quite old...

Great photo rock surrounded by tikis!

I love this guy, looks like he's sniffing the plant!

We sit down to dinner, and enjoy a Mai Tai of course!

The finale of the show!

After dinner, and the gift shop, we head outside for some final pictures before we say goodbye.

I only wish the tiki torches were lit...

Hope you can make it there someday! Drinks are really good. I wouldn't order the lobster again though, it's chinese food so the lobster flavor is overwhelmed by spices. Don't miss the gift shop, some nice neckwear and accessories, though they didn't have much of a mug selection, unfortunately. I think it's hit and miss depending on when you go. They said the mold was broken and they were out.

But we had a great time there!

TikiMookie

How did you miss these guys?
vv

... I wouldn't order the lobster again though, it's chinese food so the lobster flavor is overwhelmed by spices. ...

Sorry we couldn't join you guys, it looks like you had a blast!

I forgot to warn you about the chinese food at the Mai-Kai. To you (and everyone reading) the Mai-Kai used to be a really exotic restaurant that served chinese food. Times have changed, the chinese food has not. Now, the Mai-Kai is an exotic restaurant that cooks one of the best steaks you can find in South Florida (the world in my opinion, but you shouldnt listen to me because I drink). Something about the chinese ovens and what they do to meat that is bordering on magical......

Next time you are down, we have to have you over to our place for a pre-Mai Kai drink and dip in the pool!

Wow, thanks for sharing all those photos!

I spend my time in Florida on the Gulf side but I'll be making my first visit to the Mai Kai (I know, I know, what was stopping me? WORK) in October. Thanks for the tip about the steak, Chip. What's a good hotel nearby? Our plan is to park the car for the night and cab it back and forth so we can both enjoy a little drinky-poo.

It's so wonderful hearing someone's enthusiastic description of visiting the Mai-Kai for the first time. For me, it's like taking a kid to Disney World for the first time. They make it all new again. Glad to hear you two had a wonderful time!

I second what Chip says about the steaks. I stuck to the filet mignon for a while, but now am completely in love with the ribeye. (Thanks for the new drug Kiliki.)

On 2007-08-22 17:29, TraderPeg wrote:
What's a good hotel nearby?

Our regular place to stay is the Best Western just a half mile down the street (south). It has a good relaxed feel to it, the price is reasonable and they recently refurbished the rooms. The pool is in the center of the hotel and has nice private hedge-enclosed nooks to sit at and read the Sunday paper. Just stay away from the "tiki bar". Free internet. Free breakfast (and it's good). And best of all, it's an extremely short drive to the Mai-Kai. Or walk, if you're not too impaired from the Jet Pilots.

You can always stay at the Yankee Clipper, but be prepared to pay much more for the close proximity to the beach.

Thanks, GatorRob, that looks perfect!