Tiki Time: Bahooka

Summertime is prime season for tropical excursions and it just wouldn't feel like we had participated fully in the summer season unless we made our way back to that mecca of tropical splendor, Bahooka in Rosemead, CA.

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Bahooka (est. 1967) is the world-famous tiki restaurant that has been celebrated in many books, on many websites and "best of" lists, and in the hearts of tiki-philes everywhere.  It truly is a mecca for enthusiasts of Polynesian pop and although it may seem so well-known that it wouldn't need to be featured here, we just couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't shine one more light on this wicky-wacky tacky landmark.

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On our most recent visit, we were joined by our newlywed pals, Jesse and Emily (be sure to visit her film blog, thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com).

Mary, Mr. Tiny, Emily & Jesse

Bahooka is a tiki restaurant, so it straddles the line for us between a Tiki Time and Chow Time post.

  

Decisions, decisions....

It wasn't difficult to choose the heading under which Bahooka would fall; let's just say that they are not as well known for their food (not the best we've ever tasted) as they are for their huge assortment of (very strong, so we're told) tropical, tiki cocktails.

I've mentioned it before, but we are confirmed teetotalers so we left the rum
to the rummies in our group.  The newlyweds sharing a flaming "Scarlet Sails"
which according to the menu is actually a gin-based drink.  Do you call
someone drinking gin a ginny?  Or maybe a gin rummy?

Scarlet Sails in the sunset.

We definitely brought down the cool factor at our table
by several points by just drinking water.  At least it came
 in bamboo-shaped glasses!

Our real motivation in visiting Bahooka is the atmosphere - a combination south seas shipwreck, tiki bar, and marine aquarium.  I love that there isn't a blank space in Bahooka; everywhere one looks, there is an overabundance of visual stimulation.

Our dining table, a true feat of nautical craftsmanship -
anchored to the wall and suspended from the
ceiling by marine-grade chains.

As ever, my love for amazing light fixtures never wanes.
My favorite was this meteor lamp in a fish net.

The Big Kahuna

The best!
A tiki head illuminated inside a vintage,
 flower-bedecked gas pump

The most amazing thing about Bahooka is the amount of upkeep required to maintain the hundreds of fish tanks that fill the restaurant and surround each table.  The most famous fish in the aquarium that is Bahooka, is Ruffus.

Emily thought it was going to be like those old-timey lobster tanks
where you could choose your dinner.  She was inconsolable when
she realized she couldn't have Ruffus as her main course.

My favorite fish was this guys - dig those crazy fish lips!

To some it might seem ridiculous for the last remaining member of the Temperance Movement (not really) to drive forty minutes for a mediocre meal at a place famous for alcoholic drinks, but it is always a huge treat to visit Bahooka.  Such is the life of wacky tacky, searching out the delightful places that aren't so much frozen in time as they are a sweet respite from the worries and hurries of time.  

Bahooka
4501 N Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA
(626)285-1241

www.bahooka.com


Cheers & Aloha!

Mr. Tiny

Tiki Time: Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

"Tap, tap, tap...Wake up Jose..."

Concept art for Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

This weekend we decided to check out Trader Sam's, the new tiki bar at The Disneyland Hotel.  It was an ironic choice for our trio as we are all confirmed teetotalers.  As luck would have it, we ran into our friends Robert "Big Sandy" and Elaine and they ended up joining us on our tropical getaway.   

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

We were prepared to be embarrassed at being the only people in the bar drinking Shirley Temples, but the drink menu offered three tropical "No-Booze Brews" and we "imbibed."  Fortunately Robert and Elaine chose grown-up beverages and we didn't look too square.

Our drink choices: Piranha Pool, Rosita's Margarita, Skipper Sipper,
Jungle River Sunset, Schweitzer Falls
(photo by Bea White)

Going to Trader Sam's is a very interactive experience.  There are special menu selections that result in ringing bells, tribal chants, a sinking Pirate Ship, thunder and lightning and being sprayed with water by the bartender.  When someone orders a "Shrunken Zombie Head" whilst sitting at the bar, his or her barstool lowers to the floor.

The scene behind the bar.

The ship in the bottle (bottom right) "sinks" out of the bottle every
 time someone orders the "Shipwreck on the Rocks." (see Disney magic) 

When anyone orders the "Krakatoa Punch" the idyllic tropical
setting seen from the window changes to a thundering lava flow.
(photo by Bea White)

The decor at Trader Sam's was exceptional because it was "Disney-fied" but it was rather predictable and rather clean.  Clearly, most of the pieces came from Oceanic Arts, a bit of polynesian paradise in Southern California.  The bar, however, didn't have the dank, dirty feeling of a good, old-timey tiki bar.  Instead, it looked very carefully designed - lacking the time-worn qualities of its more authentic, mid-Century counterparts.  But the pillars and posts had moving eyeballs!

The interior architecture is great and includes
 replicas from The Enchanted Tiki Room.

A smattering of tikis

A shot of the tiki wallpaper
(photo starring/by Bea White)

Critiki rating: 9.4

wacky tacky rating: 8.5 - Trader Sam's is a cool alternative to the fare found at Downtown Disney.  It is a throwback to the old Tahitian Terrace and is a fun place to hang out with friends.  Maybe the kitsch and character of its elder brother, the Tiki Room, will develop over time.  The interactive effects that occur  when someone orders a specialty drink are cool the first fifty times but quickly lose their novelty.  There is live entertainment, but when we went out to the lanai area, the guy was singing Fleetwood Mac songs.

For your listening pleasure, I have added videos of two very different songs for two very different moods.  The first will put you in the tiki mood - and keep you there forever as it will be stuck in your head for eternity.  The second is a romantic number sung by our friend and tropical drink benefactor.  He has other songs that mention drinking/alcohol, but I like this one because when you see them together, you can tell that he and his girlfriend like-like each other and that's as refreshing as any Jungle River Sunset! 

The theme from The Enchanted Tiki Room by The Sherman Brothers

"The Night is for Dreamers"

Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys

Cheers and Aloha!

Mr. Tiny