Spring Break 2024 - The Tilted Tiki

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Dale surprised me by wanting make a trip to the Tilted Tiki in Stillwater this Spring Break. We were there by 4:30 and it was still pretty quiet. They had opened at 4:00. 

I started out with the Painkiller. The menu description said, "Soothe yourself with a tropical vacation in a glass. British Navy rum, coconut, orange and nutmeg."

Dale had wine. 

A couple of large video screens showed undersea life. 

We started out with the coconut shrimp. It was very hot and very delicious. 

For my second drink I orderd the Mai Tai which the menu stated was "Trader Vic's drink of legend! Lime juice, almond, orange liqueur, and hearty Rum." It came in the cool gold metalic tiki mug shown above. 

Dale ordered more wine. 

For dinner I had the tiki burger and Dale had the grilled cheese. The Jorgensen's provided live music. I especially liked their version of Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby. 

Coolish out but a beautifully sunny day. Would be fun to come back when it's a bit warmer and the live music is outside. 

Downtown Stillwater.

We both had a great time. 

John's Tiki Bar

Monday, April 3, 2023

John's home tiki bar has been open since we've been here. He made me a Mai Tai the other night. 

Undertow - Gilbert Arizona

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Dale and I are out in Phoenix visiting Brenda, Irv, John, and Dianne, and we made it to Undertow's new location in Gilbert, Arizona. The above photo is from their website and is better than anything I could've taken due to the darkness of the place. 

Our seating was set for 3:30 and we arrived just in time. Dianne, Dale, and I met John's son Pete at the restaurant. Pete lives only a few blocks from the bar. He's been quite excited to go for a while. I guess the Gilbert location been's open for about a year and he's been waiting for us to come out to visit before checking it out himself which is very sweet. Above photo is my own and was taken from the bar which is where we were seated. 

Above photo is from Undertow's website and is a clearer shot of the barrels across from where we were seated sat the bar. 

The booth that was behind where we were seated. I wish we could've been seated here since we could have seen each other better. 

My first cocktail was the Missionary's Downfall which, according to the menu is from the 1940s and is attributed to Don the Beachcomber. This version was made from Flor de Cana 7 year aged Nicaraguan rum, Giffard peach, pineapple, mint, and honey. Nicely sweet, and not overly so. I adored it. So well made. 

Dianne started with a non-alcoholic cocktail called the Captain's Apprentice. This featured a non-alcoholic spiced gin, green chartreuse, mint, strawberry, cream of coconut, lime leaf, and lime. She really liked it. Dale had a beer and Pete started with a Mai Tai. 

For my second drink I went with the Three Dots and a Dash. A true classic which was sharper and had a wonderful hint of bitterness which really provided a great contrast with my first drink. Loved this one too. 

Dianne's second drink was another non-alcoholic choice called the Shipless Sailor. This one featured non-alcoholic Jamaican rum, heirloom Alechemeres, orgeat, hibiscus, lime leaf, lime, and pineapple. I think she like this one just a little bit more from her first drink. Dale got another beer for his second round. Pete asked what I recommended for his second drink. I told him the get what I was having, the Three Dots and a Dash, because it complemented the sweetness of the first drink. He loved it. 

I asked the bartender if they had any tiki mugs for sale and he brought out the little guy pictured above to show me. He was hand carved and made into a mold. The tiki mugs were a limited edition of only 500 mugs. I made him mine. He was to cool not to pass up. Dianne marveled at the detail and liked how his eyes would follow you when you look at him. 

The Undertow bar experience was slightly similar to that of Pagan Idol in San Francisco. The bar takes place in the hold of a ship which sets sail after being seated. When you reach port after your hour and a half seating time you're expected to exit the ship. The experience at Pagan Idol takes you a port as well but you can stay as long as you like. 

We all had a great time and it was worth the hour and a half drive to get to Gilbert from Peoria. 

Everything was amazing: the drinks; the service; the decor; the atmosphere. We all felt the same way. I can't wait to go back. 

Until next time....

Spring Break 2022 - More Photos of the Bikini Lounge

Tuesday, April 6, 2022

Spring Break 2022 - The Bikini Lounge

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Dale and I hit the Bikini Lounge today. It opens at 3 pm and we arrived not long after that. The front door was propped open which was nice because it made it a lot easier to see. I know tiki bars are supposed to be dark but it was nice to have the decor more visible. 

The back door to the patio was open as well and there was a glorious breeze running through the place.

Dale ordered beer. I asked for the tiki drink menu. 

I started with the Painkiller which consists of dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut. I loved it. 

I put some Orville Peck on the jukebox. Dale told me to quite down because he thought I was singing along too loudly (I didn't think so but I decreased my volume anyway). 

For my second drink I went with the Freaky Tiki which the bartender said was his favorite and that it's basically a variation of Sex on the Beach. It was made up of coconut rum, peach Schnapps, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and lemon lime soda. Although it was very well made it wasn't my favorite. It was a  bit over sweet for my taste and the cranberry juice made it taste like a punch which isn't to my liking. 

The place was much busier than when we were here a few years ago. There were about nine of us in the bar as compared to only three people back in October of 2019. Because of the busy-ness we didn't get as much attention from the bartender compared to last time. This fellow was a great guy and a great barkeep but I was hoping to catch his name and have more time to chat like last time and get some stories out of him but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. 

Dale really loves this place so I'm glad we checked it out a few years back. We would have returned sooner but Covid got in the way of that. When we left our bartender thanked us for stopping in. We told him we'd be back. 

Celebrating A Birthday

I had a birthday recently and Mom and Dale and I  celebrated by heading to Psycho Suzi’s to sit on their glorious patio.

For my first drink I had the Paralyzed Politician. I believe it used to go by the Paralyzed Polynesian. Here’s how it was describe on the menu:

I didn’t get it in the mug (I already have it) but here’s how it looked in a regular glass:

Quite tasty. Dale and Mom had beer. 

In the above photo you can see Mom and Dale in the lower right quadrant. Dale was a little pissy that they didn’t have table service so I went and ordered the food from the bar which is where I took the picture from while waiting in line. Dale got a hamburger and Mom and I shared a Hawaiian pizza. We also had some appetizers (tater tots and calamari). It was a gorgeous evening to sit on the patio overlooking the Mississippi River.

For my second cocktail I got the Psychotic Suzi Shipwreck (see above) which I believe used to go by the Psychotic Suzi. 

I did not get the drink in the collectible mug (I already have it). However, the presentation was still quite lovely in a regular glass (see above). 

Dale cheered up especially once we got a little food in him and a good time was had by all. 

Especially me.