Tiki, Tropical & Polynesian Pop Culture
Fred Stone Cold Ice Mold Tiki Lover Alert! If you love the Tiki Polynesian culture, you immediately recognize this iconic stone face. It is of the famous statues that date back to ancient times. They originated from the Rapa Nui native people of Easter Island. Territory of Chile, it is probably the most remote island […]
Bikini The Bikini is an international term for a 2-piece swimsuit or bathing suit. While it is nearly always spelled and pronounced the same way, Brazilians might spell it as Biquíni or Fio Dental (string bikini). Either way, its a universal name spoken the same way in every language. Original bikinis were a result of […]
Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll, pronounced Pikinni, meaning coconut place, is an atoll in the Marshall Islands in an area of the South Pacific Ocean between Asia, Australia and Hawaii known as Micronesia. From 1946 to 1958 during the Cold War, dozens of nuclear bombs were tested on the reef, the sea, the air and underwater. To this day some […]
Bell Pepper Syrup While in the Caribbean I came across a pepper so hot, its actually supposed to be hotter than Scotch Bonnet. Its name is Madam Jeanette or “Surinam Yellow”. While they are like small bell peppers, they are as hot as Habanero with a mango or pineapple like flavor. With all that heat, […]
Tovolo Tiki Ice Molds This was a complete fail, no sense in beating around the bush here. It is not that it does not make ice, its the fact that it makes a cylindrical cube that cracks in the middle and looks nothing like the ice it presents on the packaging, which was obviously clear […]
Kon Tiki For anyone that wants to try to understand the Tiki and Polynesian Pop culture craze, this is required reading and/or viewing. While some might want to clearly define what Polynesian Pop is, you really can’t because its a mix of several cultures, flavors and cuisine, and this is the essence as to why. […]
Hunan Taste From the highway this looks so bizarre and out of place it can only a lure to draw in people to a lame all you can eat buffet where quantity is king for the price. However, My initial thoughts were dead wrong. This is not only one of the better Chinese restaurants I […]
Renaissance Aruba Blue Bar On the rooftop of a strip mall where a hotel resides, is one of the best places to get Polynesian cocktails I thought I could ever find. I never really expected to find one of the very best craft cocktail lounges I’ve ever been to is a Marriott hotel attached to […]
Otto’s Shrunken Head As their story goes, a small group of native New Yorkers got together in early 2002 and decided that New York City did not have a decent Tiki Bar. The demise of Hawaii Kai in Times Square and the destruction of Trader Vic’s at the Plaza Hotel by Ivana Trump left New […]
Waitiki Waitiki in Orlando Florida and in the general area of Disney World should the adults need a break from Mickey Mouse. I know I did. Of course Disney has their own Tiki restaurant, but if you care to slip away into the city and get away from the theme park theme, downtown Orlando is […]
China Gourmet – West Orange NJ For the longest time I’ve wanted to return here. It seemed really tiki (at least on the outside) and these places are quickly vanishing for fast-food and fast casual dining places. Plus, had been at least 15 years or more. It’s neighbor Pal’s Cabin, a landmark which I see […]
China Paradise CLOSED 2016 [ORIGINALLY POSTED 11/11/12, Now Closed] After 25 years this same restaurant in the same location still seems to be fairly reliable. Their website claims they have been in business over 40 years, since 1968, which would make it closer to 45 years, and that would truly date it in the height […]
Lee’s Hawaiian Islander What to love about places like this, is that they have not changed on the inside or out for nearly half a century. Its really surreal to step off the street into a place that looks like its practically closed. There are no windows, so the outside world is shut out, and […]
Chan’s Dragon Inn This is truly one of the last of the great Polynesian themed tiki bars. In New Jersey there are less than a handful left, and this is only one of 3 in North Jersey. It has all the decorations to make it officially tiki: vintage photos of Hawaii up on the wall, […]