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June 2006
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Mai tai one on
Hard-core tikiheads and kitsch-curious amateurs are basking in the Bay Area's revival of all things tiki.The Polynesian craze that Victor Bergeron started in 1932 with Oakland’s Hinky Dink’s had nearly fizzled out by century’s end, but it is experiencing a rebirth. In 2003, Mike and Emmanuel Thanos opened Conga Lounge in a cramped second-floor Rockridge walk-up, and the butane fire was stoked. Since then, a slew of island-themed bars has opened around the Bay, including the Thanos brothers’ much-anticipated Forbidden Island in Alameda, which had tiki fiends and the Bay’s own islanders lined up down the block on its opening night in April. The lounge has the requisite vintage touches like carved statues and waterfalls (“I so need those for my house”), but avoids the ultra-tack that puts Joe No-Tiki ill at ease. Co-owner Martin Cate, formerly of Trader Vic’s, serves 38 cocktails—both his own mixes and classics from the annals of mai tai history. The 52 bottles of rum on the wall keep crowds toasted enough to believe they actually are stranded on a tropical isle.
Forbidden Island THE SAUCE EAVESDROPPING THE LOOK OH DEAR THE SOUND TRACK 1304 Lincoln Ave., Alameda, 510-749-0332.? | Elsewhere Tikiphiles cried blasphemy when Sneaky Tiki premiered its sleek modernist take on the genre, but blotto weekend warriors can’t get enough. 1582 Folsom St., S.F., 415-701-8454. Matching-windbreaker-clad couples suck in flavored air from an oxygen bar while hippie holdovers suck down zombies at the 19 Broadway Tiki Bar Bamboo Lounge. 19 Broadway, Fairfax, 415-459-0293. The It-names from the tiki cybercommunity hold court with city socialites–and Willie Brown–at Trader Vic’s. 555 Golden Gate Ave., S.F., 415-775-6300.? |
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