The other day, Mr. Baseball asked me why I liked tiki so much all of a sudden, and I didn’t really have an answer for him. Because it feels like I’ve always had a passion for this kind of kitschy stuff, but it had nowhere to manifest itself. I think James A. Teitelbaum captured this feeling in his introduction to Tiki Road Trip: A Guide to Tiki Culture in North America:

“For children growing up in California, Tiki style has always been a part of everyday life. Even with the amount of Tiki we have lost in the past 30 years, Tiki still permeates California.”

So, you might say it’s in my So-Cal soul. Add to that a penchant for retro style, a slightly obsessive personality and my fairly recent discovery of Tiki Central and Tiki Farm, and my affinity has taken root and grown like a palm tree on steroids. I’m very much a noob, but I think that just makes discovering all things tiki that much more new and exciting.

Last weekend was the release/book signing for the brand spanking new book Tiki Mugs: Cult Artifacts of Polynesian Pop at La Luz de Jesus gallery. It was kind of a pain to get there, though, because I guess Lance Armstrong decided he wanted to take a bike ride down Hollywood Boulevard or something so a bunch of the roads were blocked off, making the LA traffic even worse than usual. But it was definitely worth it.

“It’s addicting, isn’t it?” This—or something to that effect—is what Holden Westland (hunched over at left), owner of Tiki Farm, said to me when I gushingly admitted my admiration for his wares. He’s right on the money about that! Author Jay Strongman is next to him in that photo (signing books on a tiki bar, of course) and he was very cool and nice as well.

A side view of the bar in the gallery area where they were serving up free mai tais courtesy of Trader Vic’s. Don’t you love that ginormous lava lamp?

Note my attempt at product placement. (I guess I’ve learned a thing or two from watching so much “Top Chef” and their Gladware glad-handing.) Ah yes, that reminds me. I believe it’s only t-minus-one-month until Trader Vic’s at L.A. Live opens…

“Mauna Loa’s Minions” mugs by Crazy Al, which, along with being featured in the book, were also on display as part of the “Everything But the Kitschen Sync” group art show in the gallery section of the shop. That show is going on through March 29, so you still have a chance to go check it out. (Just make sure that Lance is not going on a little joy ride that night.)

Tiki Farm’s special set-up of mugs for sale. *Drools*

La Luz de Jesus
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-666-7667

If you picked up any tiki mug from my collection, there’s a good chance that you would find the words “Tiki Farm” emblazoned on the bottom. Over the last 10 years, “the hardest working company in tiki” has produced hundreds of designs, including the locale specific ones I’ve picked up at Frankie’s Tiki Room, The Beachcomber Cafe, and Psycho Suzi’s, to barely name a few.

In celebration of this milestone, they put together an exhibition that’s at La Luz de Jesus gallery through the end of the month. The opening night shindig last weekend drew a ton of people and once again I got to experience the joys of trying to find a parking space in Silverlake (totally worth it, though).

Tiki Farm also rolled out these new limited-edition mugs that night: Mana-Mana by Atomic Tony Tiki (Mahna Mahna?), Makalani mermaid bowl by Tiki Shark, Slickster by Ghost, Local Boy by Tiki Shark, Lil Waha Nui by Joe Vitale, and Mr. G Is Stoked by Mr. G. Each was part of a run of only 120 or fewer.

There were lots of long sold-out specimens on display, but I was really taken aback by the test glazes of some familiar faces, like this lilac-colored version of the Tiki Bandit. It was like Bizarro Tiki World.

The parking lot behind the gallery was packed—that’s where the Mai Tais were served up and surf band The Dynotones performed. In fact, I spent so much time chatting with some friendly folks that came down from Fresno that I’ll have to make another visit to really go through the exhibition (in a sober state of mind).

I also got to meet this little friend, who came over to say hi while I was crouching down to get a gander at some mugs on the bottom shelf. I hope Charlie won’t be too jealous!

Tiki mug producer and purveyor Tiki Farm is moving out of their San Clemente digs so this week they’re having a warehouse sale to help lighten the load. (This also happens to coincide with Tiki Oasis in nearby San Diego.)

They set up a few tables out front with all the mugs, scorpion bowls and shot glasses labeled with numbers, and handed out ordering forms for buyers to specify which ones they wanted and how many. This strategy kept things running in an orderly and polite fashion.

It was billed as the biggest sale ever in company history, so I’d honestly expected a bit more. There were definitely some good finds though. Many of their currently offered items were discounted, and I was excited to find some sold-out promotional mugs (like Fender’s Marcus Carcass, $15) and locale specific ones such as The Beachcomber Cafe‘s scorpion bowl ($20) and Big Kahuna mug ($10) which have been out of stock the last couple times I’ve visited the restaurant. Bigger spenders could nab the Vitua’s Vessel mug & Hot Wheels set by Shag for $150 or a United Airlines female menehune reproduction for $175.

A couple items were also making their debut for this event, including “The Happy Cannibals” mug and these cute little “Oi’ Pona” bottle toppers ($5) and salt and pepper shakers ($10). Mr. Baseball said the Marquesan tikis looked like Magneto… (He does have a point.)

Also available were SoCal Tiki dvds ($5), a few different styles of Tiki Farm t-shirts (above, $10), the new Tiki Farm quarterly magazine ($5), posters (see second photo) and a couple racks of sarongs and aloha shirts (below).

They’re also sweetening the deal with free Samoan War Club swizzle sticks with any purchase, plus a free Hot Lava Java volcano sugar and creamer set for folks spending more than $75. The sale continues today until 3 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Monday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tiki Farm Warehouse Sale
1305 Calle Avanzado
San Clemente, CA 92673
949-940-1006

Well, I hope you’re not sick of Suzi because I’m still not done talking about her yet. A trip to Psycho Suzi’s just wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the gift shop, which is on your left when you enter the lobby.

They offer brown and yellow signature tank tops, hoodies and beanies, plus six styles of t-shirts, including one for each of the bars in the Shangri-la Cocktail Lounge. I coudn’t resist the ones emblazoned “Where your petty concerns of authenticity are irrelevant” and “Dock your dinghy at Ports of Pleasure.” The latter also has a neat ship drawn on the back.

In the case they have their first custom Tiki Farm mug (in the middle with the red eyes), along with about a dozen different Dynasty mugs that Psycho Suzi’s has matched up with their drinks. I’m now diggin’ that big volcano mug from Poolside Pineapple.

They recently debuted their second locale-specific vessel for the Shrunken Head bar. You might have seen it on the cover of Tiki Farm’s Summer 2011 Quarterly, which featured an article describing the process of going from the original artwork to a design interpreted by The Pizz to the manufacturing of the final product. This Shrunken Head mug ($20) can be purchased online or in the gift shop, or ordered with its corresponding cocktail in the Shangri-la lounge.

There are even more Dynasty mugs, bowls and shots up on the wall. Most were fairly familiar to me, except for that one that looks like an open-mouth bass. How very Minnesotan!

I thought the Suzi Pint glasses were a great buy at only three bucks each. On one side is the Sailor Jerry hula girl and on the other is Psycho Suzi’s signature tiki.

On the counter you’ll find impulse purchases like logo-rific patches ($4), pins ($6) and beer cozies ($4). Don’t fret if you’re nowhere near “Nordeast” Minneapolis, though — Psycho Suzi’s has started stocking some of their merch in an online store.

I usually would say it’s too early to be thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but this is a special case. The Tiki-Ti has just released their second signature tiki mug, a festive little number designed by Derek Yaniger and produced by Tiki Farm. “Kahuna Kalikimaka” has a silver jingle bell on his Santa cap, a red and green gift and “Tiki Ti” embossed on the back. The beard and expression remind me of Kon-Tiki.

Around 500 of these mugs were produced — they cost $25 each and are only available at the Tiki-Ti (and surely eBay eventually). However the Buhens are about to close up shop for their holiday break, so Saturday night is your last chance to get one until they re-open the bar on December 12.

UPDATE: Kahuna Kalikimaka mugs are now available for shipping. Check out the Tiki-Ti’s Facebook page for details.

Related Posts:
Our First Trip to the Tiki-Ti
Holiday Drinks & Decor at Trader Sam’s
Tiki Wonderland at the Tonga Hut

Tiki mugs have gone way beyond ersatz portrayals of Polynesian gods. Thanks to creative companies like Tiki Farm and Munktiki there are now ceramics in all sorts of shapes and styles. In the spirit of Halloween, I present this round-up of a few of my favorite spooktacular spirits vessels.

The mugs that Tiki Farm produces for Frankie’s Tiki Room are some of my all-time favorites, especially the ones with Las Vegas details like the dice eyes on the Thurston Howl mug designed by Mark T. Zeilman. The regular version of this mug is green and red but for Halloween 2010 there was a limited run of 100 “Halloween Howl” mugs made in orange and black. (This photo is from an eBay auction since I missed out on this one…)

Trader Sam’s tiki bar at the Disneyland Hotel contains many references to Adventureland attractions like The Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones, but this creepy collectible bears a resemblance to the Hatbox Ghost/tall Hitchhiking Ghost from the Haunted Mansion. Manufactured by Tiki Farm, it made its debut in 2012 but is still available as a souvenir when you order the Shrunken Zombie Head cocktail.

One of the first mugs I ever ordered from Tiki Farm was The Gravekeeper (center), which was sculpted by Baron Shivers of the spooky surf band The Ghastly Ones. (Their song “Ghastly Stomp” is an infectious ode to “Grim Grinning Ghosts” from the Haunted Mansion.) This ghoulish guy was so popular that it was later released in another color: “Perilous Purple.”

Another eerie locale-exclusive mug I like is the shrunken head mug from Psycho Suzi’s in Minneapolis. They commissioned it from Tiki Farm in 2011 for The Shrunken Head bar, one of the sections of the Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge upstairs. (Read more about this mug in my Psycho Suzi’s gift shop post.)

The Southern California event Tiki Oasis has a signature mug every year, and Munktiki drew inspiration from 2008′s theme “Voodoo Vacation on Zombie Island” for this clever creation. (Here again, photo is from an eBay auction.) It’s a zombie-fied take on the Don the Beachcomber head mug — fitting since Don the Beachcomber invented the Zombie cocktail. Speaking of Zombies, if you’re in the mood to mix one up on Halloween (or any other night of the year), you should check out Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink by David J. Montgomery. (Stay tuned for a full review of that e-book.)

Do you have a favorite tiki mug you’ll be imbibing from this All Hallows’ Eve?

Related Posts:
Tiki Halloween Decorations: Shrunken Head Pumpkin
Halloween Art Show at the Tonga Hut
Aunt Tiki’s Halloween-Themed Bar in New Orleans

Maybe you’ve already started taking down the holiday decorations, but I just have to sneak one more festive post in. (I guess my new year’s resolution should be to be more timely with my blogging…)

Last month, the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood hosted their annual Tiki Wonderland event with tiki vendors, art, tunes and tacos.

Mr. Hockey was a good sport and accompanied me, and I think he’s glad he did because the art show introduced him to Krampus. He loves the idea of this scary beast that kidnaps the naughty children at Christmas.

Tonga Hut had some new merchandise available at their booth, including a T-shirt collaboration ($20) with Vintage Roadside and signature rum barrel mugs produced by Tiki Farm in two glazes ($20).

Meanwhile, Trader Pup’s Outpost had these neat tapa-style print stockings with shell necklace details ($16). I picked up the red and green ones to hang under my Bamboo Ben outrigger mug shelf in our tiki room.

Polynesiac Jim makes awesome tiki ornaments (featured in last year’s Tiki Holiday Gift Guide). One of this year’s new designs was based on the “tiki babies” that come down from the Tangaroa tree at Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room. I also loved these Kon-Tiki pirate pendants!

When Bahooka closed last year, they sold some of the decor during their final days but there was still a lot left. A tiki fan named Steve made a deal with the new owners to purchase all the remaining barrel lamps, plastic parrots and other things. He has a thread on Tiki Central where people can contact him about buying some of these Bahooka artifacts. I talked with him quite a bit and he seems like a real stand-up dude.

I spent most of the time browsing the wares in the parking lot, but we did duck inside the bar so I could sample the Tonga Hut Rum Barrel ($12), a recent addition to the cocktail menu made with Montanya and Demerara rums, juices, homemade falernum and pimento dram. It was smooth and a little spicy and — as advertised — “everything a tiki drink should be.”

Related Posts:
Tiki Wonderland 2010 at Tonga Hut
Saying Goodbye to Bahooka
Reviews of Tiki Bars in Los Angeles

Chicago’s suburbs have beloved tiki spots like Hala Kahiki, Chef Shangri-la and Tiki Terrace, but there hadn’t been much in the city since the new incarnation of Trader Vic’s closed in 2011. Yes, there’d been some tiki nights and menus at bars around town (The Terrace at Trump, Curio, The Whistler, etc.) but nowhere with a tropical setting to match.

That changed in July 2013, when the much-anticipated Three Dots and a Dash opened in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. It’s a project from Paul McGee (formerly of The Whistler) and R.J. and Jerrod Melman of the Chicago restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You (Everest, L2O, Tru). The bar’s name pays tribute to the drink Three Dots and a Dash. Don the Beachcomber, who also invented the Zombie (and tiki bars, for that matter), created it in honor of the end of World War II. (In Morse code, three dots and a dash means “V” — as in “Victory.”)

The Clark Street address is sort of deceiving as the speakeasy-style entrance is actually down an alley off Hubbard, directly across the street from Paris Club (another LEY venture where you can valet, though apparently there are a few self-park garages nearby too.) Look for blue glowing lights and a couple heat lamps and you’ll find a blue door and above it a small sign for Three Dots and a Dash.

You’ll enter a dark corridor and then go left down a set of stairs underneath an eerily lit wall of spooky skulls — sort of like you’ve stepped into an Indiana Jones movie. Keep going and you’ll find the host desk, which is one several relics purchased at auction after Trader Vic’s closed, and then the dining room is on the left.

But before that is the semi-hidden entrance to the private room, decked out with leopard-print banquettes, lots of fake (but very realistic) pillar candles and a revealing black velvet painting on the wall.

Blue and green fish float lanterns give a mysterious glow to the main space. Big round leather booths line the walls while four-top tables fill the center of the room. The showpiece is the gorgeous thatched roof bar with about a dozen barstools where you can admire the extensive rum collection.

Some tiki bars cultivate clutter, but this one keeps things more minimalistic in some spots like this corner with just a few spotlit ukuleles and tikis above the sleek banquettes. (The tikis that McGee snapped up in the auction date back to the 1950s and the original Chicago Trader Vic’s at the Palmer House hotel.)

According to Serious Eats, the Melman brothers visited some of “London’s famed tiki bars” before starting this venture. Clearly, Mahiki must have made an impression — though thankfully there’s no dress code or velvet rope attitude here. Three Dots and a Dash even serves their own version of the Treasure Chest, also topped with a bottle of Champagne and presented in a wooden chest made by Cheeky Tiki. (Reminds me of how both the Mai-Kai in Florida and Kahiki in Ohio had the ritual of the Mystery Drink presented by a lovely Mystery Girl, which the Mai-Kai still performs to this day.)

Three Dots and a Dash has a capacity of 240 but it’s still a new place — and a fun novelty for Chicagoans suffering through the winter — so you’ll likely find a line on popular nights. If you arrive quite early like we did you shouldn’t have any issues and you might even get to hear some exotica music — much preferable to the DJ that goes on later when it becomes more of a nightclub scene. Reservations are now accepted online.

The menu is beautifully illustrated in a vintage style with pictures of the drinks alongside their descriptions. Half are “classics” (Mai Tai, Jet Pilot, Three Dots and a Dash) while the other eight are “modern” concoctions from McGee. Each of these is priced at $13. Then there’s a section for shareable options like the Zombie Punch ($65 serves 3-4) and aforementioned Treasure Chest No. 1 ($385 serves 6-8). On top of all this there’s also a separate tome listing more than 200 rums for tasting, plus 16 classic rum cocktails (daiquiri, Navy Grog, Hurricane, etc.).

My favorite — and Chicago magazine’s, too – was the Painkiller No. 3, a creamy, dreamy combination of Bajan rum, Jamaican rum, coconut liqueur, passionfruit and pineapple. Named after a lyric from “South Pacific,” A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea is a riff on the Mr. Bali Hai featuring aged rhum agricole, blackstrap rum, Indian rum, cold brew coffee, pineapple and lime. It’s labeled with a skull warning of its “impressive strength” and it’s no joke. Our designated driver asked for a recommendation on a drink to get sans alcohol and our server suggested the Poipu Beach Boogie Board. This sweet and tart tipple of guava, maraschino, grenadine, pineapple and lemon is usually given a kick with rye whiskey and overproof rum.

I’m not a fan of bananas, but I still insisted we get Bunny’s Banana Daiquiri for the garnish, a half banana turned into a dolphin. Don’t expect too much sweetness when you sip this blend of fresh banana, coconut liqueur, lime, Jamaican rum, spiced rum and overproof rum. Of course we also had to order the namesake drink, here made with aged rhum agricole, Guyanese rum, honey, falernum, lime, allspice and Angostura bitters. It was a well-balanced winner, presented with three Luxardo cherries and a pineapple spear. (Three dots and a dash, get it?)

Foodwise, there’s a small menu of about 10 small plates and we sampled almost all of them, starting with the “luau chips” ($9). The pineapple-flecked guacamole came with puffed rice crackers, though I probably would have preferred tortilla chips.

The Thai fried chicken ($11), which is highlighted on the menu as a signature dish, was a hit with us and disappeared the fastest. The boneless nuggets were lightly breaded and doused in an amazing garlic-chili sauce. Crag Rangoon ($11) is usually heavy on the cream cheese, but the filling in this rendition was actually loaded with blue crab. It came with a tray of four dipping sauces: Thai chili, peanut (so good!), sweet and sour (also tasty) and hot mustard (not too spicy). The award for best pupu presentation would go to the coconut shrimp ($13), which are served in half a coconut perched on top of panko breadcrumb “sand.”

The meat on the Polynesian spare ribs ($16) didn’t fall off the bone but the pineapple glaze was tasty enough. Also decent were the Hanali spring rolls ($12) and curry chicken skewers ($13) though with such steep prices for small portions I think next time we’ll pass on all three of these and stick with the Thai fried chicken and crab Rangoon.

(Photo by Three Dots and a Dash)

I love when tiki bars come out with souvenir mugs custom made for them, and Three Dots and a Dash already has three designs produced by Tiki Farm. First was the blue sea urchin mug, definitely one of the most beautiful mugs I’ve ever seen, then came this golden bamboo mug and a likeness of McGee with seashell spectacles ($20 each). They also serve and sell several other styles of Tiki Farm mugs, including a few imprinted with the bar’s logo.

Three Dots and a Dash takes the state of tiki in Chicago to a new level with its serious mixology, good food, signature mugs and swizzle sticks, and impeccable decor that provides the perfect setting for a bit of tropical escapism. It should come as no surprise that I’ve added Three Dots and a Dash to my list of the Top Tiki Bars in America.

Three Dots and a Dash
435 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312-610-4220

Related Posts:
Reviews of Tiki Bars in Chicago

I love Halloween and the fall season — what little we have of it in California — and I’ve taken a break from eating all the pumpkin-flavored foods I can find to bring you my list of the Top 5 Creepy Tiki Mugs of 2014, a follow-up to last year’s round-up of spooky tiki mugs.

I love a good tiki mashup and that’s what Bosko has presented with Severed Bob ($80), putting together the iconic Tiki Bob mug from the defunct San Francisco bar and the rare (and disturbing) Severed Head from the long-gone Ren Clark’s Polynesian Village in Fort Worth. Only 40 of these were made but it looks like there are still some left for sale on Bosko’s web site…for now.

The sea urchin shell mug that Tiki Farm produced for Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago is one of the most beautiful mugs I’ve seen, so I was a bit startled by their latest signature ceramic piece: The Fiji Mermaid ($20, only available at Three Dots and a Dash). (Of course, I still added it to my collection anyway.) The design is inspired by the Feejee Mermaid sideshow attraction made famous by P.T. Barnum in the 1840s. The “mermaid” was actually a gruesome manmade creation composed of the top half of a monkey and the bottom of a fish. (Munktiki has also produced likenesses of the Fiji Mermaid.)

Munktiki’s got a bit of a dark side, embodied in recent releases like Dead Summer, Fu Zomb Chu and this Shrunken Fugu. There were only 100 limited editions ($75) produced in black/white and “Dead Skin Brown,” and they’re all sold out since their release back in May this year. I guess it’s funny that I find it kind of creepy and yet I don’t think twice about seeing pufferfish turned into lamps at tiki bars (and my own tiki room)…

Truthfuly I find these Taboo Island Skull Tiki Mugs more cute than creepy — I think they remind me of the “Beetlejuice” cartoon I loved as a kid. Anyway, one hundred skull mugs were produced, plus 25 of these super limited artist proofs ($70). Each one features a unique color glaze and comes packaged in a little wood coffin filled with coconut fibers.

Coconut monkeys are a Hawaiian souvenir cliché but Munktiki takes them to another level with the ceramic versions they’ve produced over the years. For Halloween this year, they had eBay auctions for 11 unique designs paying tribute to “Friday the 13th,”Scream,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and more.

Related Posts:
Top 5 Spooky Tiki Mugs
Tiki Halloween Craft: Shrunken Head Pumpkin
Tiki Sightings at Halloweentown

If you’ve guzzled enough butter beer at Universal Studios Orlando and want to mix things up with a tiki drink, you should check out Emeril’s Tchop Chop (pronounced “chop chop”) at the posh Loews Royal Pacific Resort.

You probably know Emeril Lagasse from his many Food Network appearances (“Bam!”) but he’s also got a slew of respected restaurants in New Orleans plus Las Vegas, Orlando and beyond. Emeril’s Orlando at CityWalk offers his signature upscale Cajun/Creole food, while Emeril’s Tchoup Chop presents Asian/Polynesian fusion fare.

Rockwell Group in New York designed the techno-tropical decor with a lily pond in the center of the restaurant, chandeliers composed of small glass flowers and a colorful mosaic of giant blooms above the counter facing the open kitchen. It reminds me of a restaurant you’d find in Vegas casino.

On the left side of the restaurant there’s a bar with about a dozen bar stools. A few tables are also crammed in on that side of the room divider but we were told they were for those with reservations. The place was booked pretty solid on the night of our visit.

Lurking underneath the bar are several Balinese-style tikis, each carved in a slightly different style. One holds a fish while another carries a water jug and so on. (Notice the “E” carved on each.)

One of these was the model for the restaurant’s custom Tiki Farm mug, which has “Emeril’s Tchoup Chop” emblazoned on the back. There have been a few different glazes (green, blue, brown) over the years and the tiki mug even used to have metal rings hanging from its ears. The mug is sold for $15, with no discount for ordering a beverage in it.

Happy hour is offered every day from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the bar inside and at the outdoor “Tiki Bar.” (The weather was cold and rainy when we were there in February so the thatched hut bar was all shut up.) The deals include $4.50-$6 beers, $5 well cocktails and $6 house wines and homemade sangria. There’s also a discount on one featured specialty cocktail, The Painkiller ($10, normally $15), a cousin of the piña colada. I tend to make those at home so I opted for the 1944 Mai Tai Roa Ae ($15), made about as true to Trader Vic’s recipe as one can get. Other choices from the “Tiki Classics” section are the Fogcutter, Hurricane, Dark & Stormy and La Floridita (Hemingway Daiquiri.) (They’ve even put in the extra effort to include a little background information on each drink with the description.) On top of that, there are several original “Signature” cocktails that have some tropical flair.

You’re free to order off the full menu at the bar, but we made a meal out of the happy hour “small bites.” I’d skip the robata shishito peppers ($4) since there’s not much bang for your buck, but we did enjoy the spicy salmon cucumber roll ($6).

Those kalua chicken egg rolls ($5) were so good that we ordered another helping, and I still wasn’t able to snap a decent picture before we started demolishing them. The regular menu gets kind of pricey, but definitely has some dishes that sound tempting, like the “Duck Duck Goose” (kiawe smoked duck breast with foie gras gyoza, gooseberry “poha” jam and citrus mustard vinaigrette). Their new chef de cuisine Ryan Vargas is a Hawaii native and an alum of Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, so he’s pretty legit.

The theming of Loews Royal Pacific Resort takes inspiration from the “Golden Age of Travel,” so the vibe is luxurious and exotic but not really “tiki.” (Although the hotel does host a weekly luau and I did spot a tiki mask in Jake’s American Bar, which is worth a look.) I’d highly recommend taking a stroll down to Universal’s neighboring Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which was all my mid-century modern dreams come true.

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop
Loews Royal Pacific Resort
6300 Hollywood Wy.
Orlando, FL 32819
407-503-3340

Related Posts:
Reviews of Tiki Bars in Orlando
Dole Whip with Rum at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Tiki Farm is the king of modern tiki mug manufacturing. For 15 years, founder Holden Westland and his team have collaborated with super-talented artists to create more than 2,000 designs. La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles is hosting an exhibition of mugs along with art from Tom Laura aka “BigToe,” Scott “Flounder” Scheidly, Doug Horne and Ken Ruzic. There’s also a retro-futuristic solo show, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” from Michelle Bickford.

While the 10th anniversary exhibition rounded up examples of practically every mug Tiki Farm ever produced, this time around the display features 500 of the “most important and coveted selections.” Bamboo Ben customized the eight cases of shelves with bamboo and thatch A-frames.

Most of the mugs are arranged chronologically, but one of the sections groups together designs by The Pizz, Tiki Farm’s late art director. Seeing so many of my favorites here, like the Bahooka Ruffus mug, for instance, brings home how big a part he played at the company. (Holden penned a beautiful tribute to his friend in the latest issue of Tiki Magazine & More.)

I’m pretty content with my collection, but this exhibit is full of temptations. This stately mug (by The Pizz) for the recently re-opened Clifton’s Cafeteria caught my eye. It kind of reminds me of the Maltese Falcon … except it’s an owl. I actually ended up visiting that downtown LA landmark the same weekend, but unfortunately they’re out of stock of this style — I hope they get more soon!

Each of the featured artists also designed new mugs in honor of Tiki Farm’s 15th anniversary, including Ken Ruzic’s Poko Ono Pineapple Mug, BigToe’s Bobomb (the iconic Tiki Bob transformed into a hand grenade complete with a pin) and the Rub for Rum Easter Island Tiki Decanter ($75) by Michelle Bickford.

In the middle is Doug Horne’s Tiki Farm Temple Mug (with holders on the back for Tiki Farm’s anniversary swizzle sticks) and on the right is Flounder’s Nari Rani Marquesan Mug. There were limited edition glazes ($50 each) released at the event — a few are still available on Soap Plant’s website — and Tiki Farm just made the other versions (priced around $20) available for order.

The artists even incorporated their mug designs into the paintings, as you can see in this close-up look at Ken Ruzic’s “Too Much Information.” I love the whimsical style and incredible details, especially paired with this carved frame by Derek Weaver.

Tiki Farm also made a 40-page booklet ($5) listing all the designs created since 2000, plus some photos and little anecdotes about the process. We also get a sneak peek at some mugs that are in development. There’s some exciting stuff in the works, like a 60th anniversary mug for Oceanic Arts, two new designs for Tiki-Ti, a mug for Tiki Tolteca in New Orleans and a rum barrel/bulldog for Idle Hour in North Hollywood.

Mondo Tiki! is on view until November 29th at La Luz de Jesus. On Saturday, November 28th, Holden, BigToe and Ken will do a “docent tour” from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. to discuss the mugs and art and take questions. You can also see all the art (like Flounder’s gorgeous “Sea Goddess” pictured here) on the website for the gallery.