The Alibi, Portland, OR (restaurant)

Dixon,

Being just 2 miles away, I would LOVE a secret menu where I can get a quality tiki drink at the Alibi.

"he was constantly trying to out-do the Portland Kon-Tiki"

AND you are still making the place better and working on it putting up lights ect...

The Kahiki STOPED working on the place really for years and news flash the drinks at the Kahiki at the end (read like five or more years) were not great.
You went there because it was cool, and cuz Skip was awesome!

Get over the f-ing drink thing.
BUT there are people here that could help come up with ideas and drink mix that would be an easy two step drink to make.
Not to say you or your bartenders can't as well.

Plus a mug, this place should have at least one cool mug.

Have seen new tiki bars that blow, with high price drinks that blow.
I had to drink beer for the most part at the Kahiki because Skips drinks had sooo much booze in them you could not drive after a few.

Give me a f-ing beer in this place and I will be fine.

On 2016-03-22 10:25, tikiskip wrote:
....
"Plus a mug, this place should have at least one cool mug."
....

We have one in the works! Four limited edition colors. More details coming very very soon!

Kool

On 2016-03-29 13:42, DixonAlibi wrote:

On 2016-03-22 10:25, tikiskip wrote:
....
"Plus a mug, this place should have at least one cool mug."
....

We have one in the works! Four limited edition colors. More details coming very very soon!

So who is the maker?
How about some pics.

Hey one more thing can you get more photos of the basement bar of Roy Ell.
I see you posted one small shot.

Get more pics now while you can.

Thanks for what you have posted too!

On 2016-04-01 12:09, tikiskip wrote:
Hey one more thing can you get more photos of the basement bar of Roy Ell.
I see you posted one small shot.
Get more pics now while you can.
Thanks for what you have posted too!

The mugs are being made by Munktiki! We are so happy to be able to work with such a great Tiki Company, and one that is local!

Here are the old photos of the basement bar! It was a mess when we went to get the lamps, and now looks even worse. I am going tomorrow to pull out the actual 'L' shaped bar and whatever else I can.

That bar & tikis are amazing

Today I was able to go and remove the bar, the wooden beams, thatching, and a ton of wall covering stuff that we have in various parts of the Alibi already!

We are going to repurpose the bar to use as our Karaoke Host booth, and recreate the 'Tiki Hut' look over the top of it using the pieces we took from the basement. We are wasting nothing.

Here's a a before/after of what it looked like in the 50's, and what it looked like today after we tore everything out! Amazing what a little bit of decor can do to change an entire space.

Amazing! Thanks for saving everything and sharing it with us all!

first time in portland... will be landing here around 6:30pm hopefully not too much later i will venture on over.

wouldnt happen to have those mugs ready would you?

On 2016-04-14 10:52, Freeland wrote:
first time in portland... will be landing here around 6:30pm hopefully not too much later i will venture on over.

wouldnt happen to have those mugs ready would you?

Can't wait to see you!

Sadly we don't have the mugs yet, we have approved the design and mold, and production is underway! Once we pick glazes, we will be taking pre-orders for them!

On 2016-04-14 14:07, DixonAlibi wrote:

On 2016-04-14 10:52, Freeland wrote:
first time in portland... will be landing here around 6:30pm hopefully not too much later i will venture on over.

wouldnt happen to have those mugs ready would you?

Can't wait to see you!

Sadly we don't have the mugs yet, we have approved the design and mold, and production is underway! Once we pick glazes, we will be taking pre-orders for them!

I posted on the Tiki Marketplace thread, but we are now taking pre-orders for our new mugs! Go to that thread to find out more info!

Good Morning!

I am very excited that I finally finished repurposing the home Tiki Bar from the basement of Roy Ell (the man who started The Alibi)!! Working with my dad, we cut it down to the size we needed and refinished all the edges with the pieces we cut off. We had to do a lot of re-wrapping of the upholstery around the padded edge, and the trim pieces. We also cut down and reused the cedar hollow ceiling beams that hung above the bar in his house and hung them above it inside The Alibi! We are very proud that we were able to salvage everything from the basement! Photos below!

The bar in as it was originally in Roy Ell's basement! Photo is from the 70's. You can see the ceiling beams above with the thatching.

The Karaoke Host Booth that we had here at The Alibi that we wanted to replace.

Empty space after the booth was ripped out!

The finished product! We cut about two feet off of the shorter side, and four feet off the longer side. We cut down the original brass foot-rail to fit the space. The 'Alibi' sign behind was used on our outdoor signage during the 70's and 80's. Found some vintage red velvet curtains with a gold print for the curtain. On the bar top we made a guard for the soundboard and computer out of the pieces leftover from the ceiling beams.

Better photo of the ceiling beams and thatching! The thatching was also from the basement!

The only non-original piece we added was a bit of the Semi-Famous Portland Airport Carpet to one of the end caps!


In another part of the bar we mounted and hung some Sea & Jungle Imports fish that we also found in the basement! For the wooden mounts we used panels from the bottom section of the bar that we had to cut off, as well as cuts from the ceiling beams. We sanded edges and torch them a bit to get the coloring right.

Can't believe this refurbish project is finally done, and beyond thrilled that we were able to save and reuse almost every single piece! I kept every scrap I could to use for future projects!

Come in and have a look!

Enjoy!

Amazing work!!!! Looks fantastic.

Found some slides hidden in the office here at The Alibi! Took them to get them scanned in. Not sure when they are from. (We also have no idea who the photographer was) (update. It appears that the photographer was BigBroTiki !)









So amazing that besides the addition of the video lottery, and different chairs, just about everything else remains the same!

Dixon of The Alibi
'what's your Alibi?'

[ Edited by: DixonAlibi 2016-07-21 17:27 ]

[ Edited by: DixonAlibi 2016-07-21 17:42 ]

Yep! I took those in 2002 for my book Tiki Modern https://www.amazon.com/Tiki-Modern-Sven-Kirsten/dp/3822847178

I stayed at Mark Axtons place, and through his job at Will Vinton's Claymation Studios borrowed some lamps to properly light the photos. It was then that i found out that the Tikis and wall art were Witco "fakes":"...When entering The Alibi in Portland through its traditional entrance hut, one might feel like having arrived in another Witco land. Yet on closer examination, the observant urban archeologist finds evidence to the contrary: The wall Tikis holding the fake torches are stamped “Gordon”, and the Witco-style “Conversation” carving is labeled “Artistry in Wood by Frank Hart”.
But this is in no way a drawback to this wonderfully authentic Tiki bar, rather a fascinating example of how Witco was influential in its heyday, and demonstrating that imitation is often the sincerest form of flattery..."

I must have sent some duplicates to the Alibi for their use. I like the last one that shows the entrance "Tepe", which I still believe came from the Portland Kon Tiki:

Stephen Crane first used that design at his Luau restaurant in Beverly Hills:

Upon the closure of The Luau, it migrated to the courtyard of the Hanalei Hotel, together with the often copied Demetrio Chavez Tiki and all the other Luau artifacts:

It has since rotted away, so I am glad one of these still stands at the Alibi.

I would like to thank DixonAlibi for having me carve the new Rum Flight Boards for the Alibi. It was a fun project... 10 boards total, all different...

On 2016-09-07 00:36, ErichTroudt wrote:
I would like to thank DixonAlibi for having me carve the new Rum Flight Boards for the Alibi. It was a fun project... 10 boards total, all different...

No, Thank You!!! Each one is absolutely gorgeous and we cannot wait to start using them!

Nice work Erich.

Great! I am so happy that the Alibi now has someone that cares for making a connection to all the great Tiki history and talent out there.

Here's some photos of the Flight Boards I took today!

Made it to the Alibi for 2 beers on our recent road trip.

This place is awesome!!!

Next time staying longer for sure!

Were they hand crafted beers brought to you by a " mixologist"?

I kid.

On 2016-10-15 21:23, tikiskip wrote:
Were they hand crafted beers brought to you by a " mixologist"?

I kid.

All our beers are made with the finest hops hand pawed by only the most nonchalant of cats and brewed by mustached birds with monocles.

:wink:

Ha!
If it was a beer for Ben then it was most likely a Bud.

This buds for you.

http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2016/12/30/18767582/club-21-owners-to-take-over-classic-north-portland-tiki-bar-the-alibi

This is actually probably good news. I have worked with these guys in the past and they've done really great things with Club 21 and The Sandy Hut.

Dixon, Any Info?

On 2016-12-31 09:41, Or Got Rum? wrote:
Dixon, Any Info?

Very little.
I was on vacation when I got the call about what was happening. I had hopes of working with them on making The Alibi even better and continuing the path we had been on, but when I returned from vacation Monday, I was told (not by the new owners), that they weren't interested in keeping me on.

It was my absolute pleasure getting the Alibi to where it was as of Sunday, January 8th; and I'm so grateful to those of you on here who have helped with that. I really hope they keep the place going as is, and make it even greater.

So that's who you are! So sorry about you losing your gig at the Alibi you've been a wonderful advocate for the place. All the new lamps there look incredible. I hope the new owners appreciate the Alibi as much as you do!

Yes, many thanks Dixon, for keeping us informed and sharing all your finds here, much appreciated! You have provided an invaluable service to the old place, and I hope the new owners will be informed and appreciative of that!

Only just heard about this. So the new owners are also responsible for the Sandy Hut? That's good news. Only Been to the Sandy Hut once, but I liked the fact that they'd restored a mid century bar and liked the vibe. Until the night crowd started to show up and it became standing room only. But that's Portland for you.

Some friends just went and seemed pleased, though I haven't heard a detailed report yet. Everyone is on the edge of their seat. Hopefully this doesn't through a kink in Tiki Kon's relationship with them

I'm at Alibi right now. This is only day two open with the new management. The menus are showing a serious attempt to get it right. The flavor profiles of the drinks are right on. They just need a few tweaks like getting crushed ice and giving the drinks a serious shake. I think this is the first time in decades that they sqeezed a lime!

And the recently produced limited Munktiki mugs are dirt cheap. The normal $12 Zombie is $30 with mug. I could have saved $12 by not pre ordering it.

We were in Portland briefly this week, for the last time in a while (may parents are moving out of Beaverton) and took the opportunity to swing by the Alibi for a quick midday drink. We loved the old-school feel of the place and it didn't seem like the "dive bar" it had been rated as. It was dead, like "one guy playing a video slots machine" dead when we walked in. We grabbed a spot at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. I got the Zombie with the mug to take home. I'm not much of a drinker generally, and that Zombie had an impact. Not enough to put me out or anything but I was feeling the effects even with the basket of fries my wife and I shared. I wish I had visited earlier when I would have had time for a return trip but that's not likely in the future. I'm glad I got to see the artwork and such inside, very cool stuff.

We watched the series premiere of Stumptown on ABC last night. Its a PI show set and filmed in Portland, based on a graphic novel of the same name. The writer of the comics lives in Portland. I noticed the episode ended at a bar called the Alibi but it wasn't a tiki bar. I'm wondering of the comic uses the same bar and if its a tiki bar in the comic or not.

[ Edited by: JasonMa 2019-09-26 07:48 ]