Tilted Tiki in MN

 Stillwater, MN

Not a selfie

Tilted Tiki

This evening we took a drive to the MN/WI border and ended up at a Tiki Bar in Stillwater, MN.  Tilted Tiki is a lively Tiki themed bar in the cute downtown of Stillwater, MN.  They have indoor and outdoor seating and on the Thursday night we were there, they had a live band playing music.  It was filled with what looked like local regulars having a great time.

We had our expectations tempered going in.  We knew this wasn't a Hale Pele Tiki experience and we were right.  The decor was a little more "off the shelf" and the drinks were more on the sweeter end of the spectrum but it was still a great experience in my opinion.

There were giant video screens with tropical videos running.

I love a good Tiki Mug!

My drink was bourbon based and it was really good.

They had a coin pusher.

My Loco Moco was pretty good as well.

Tilted Tiki was a fun place and I am sure it would be a really nice tropical break during the dead of winter.  If you are passing through I suggest you swing by Stillwater and check it out.

That's it for today.  If you missed, Finally a Jucy Lucy, check it out.  We had the iconic cheeseburger here in Minneapolis.

Tiki in Calgary!

 Calgary, AB

Prosperity Bar

Today we visited Prosperity Bar in Chinatown.  We pass by it every time we head into downtown Calgary and it looked like a cool Chinatown type bar we would see in San Francisco so Donna looked it up and it turns out it's a tropical bar / Tiki Bar.  It opened in February, after I did my Calgary research, so it wasn't on my radar.  It was a short walk over the Bow River.  We arrived at opening and there was already a group there.  

The décor isn't over the top tiki, but it's tiki enough for me.

My first drink had an awesome paper lantern garnish.  We talked to the bartender and he had seen something like it online for way too much money, so he decided to develop his own.  He said he had just perfected the design the other day.

We spotted a Smuggler's Cove cocktail book at the bar.  Our bartender said it was his personal copy.

We read the food was good so we ordered some.  This is the BLT Fried Rice.  It was fantastic. 

We also split a Philly Cheese Banh Mi.  It was also fantastic.

I was obsessed with the paper lantern so I took a few more photos.  It's such a good idea.

My 2nd drink was a daiquiri.  They have about 4 different daiquiris on their menu.  It was also fantastic.

That's it for today.  If you missed, IKEAda, check it out.  We went to an IKEA in Canada and got a Canadian experience.

Pinball, Tiki, a Free T-Shirt, and Corn Dogs

 Victoria, BC

Our Morning Walk

This morning we grabbed Francis and walked down to the waterfront, a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb.  We walked over the Johnson St. Bridge, the one that was shown drawn in yesterday's blog, and enjoyed the sun.  

There is a brewery and food hall that we haven't visited yet.

They don't appear to have the weird obsession of getting rid of Dandelions here.

The Johnson St. Bridge in its down position.

Here is the big gear that raises the bridge when it goes up.

Both sides of the bridge have completely separated pedestrian paths which is very nice.

The Google reviews for these chairs are very high. It's a nice place to sit and watch water taxis go by.

They decided to use kilometers on this sign.

Pinball

This afternoon we went to Pinhalla Pinball and Pizzeria, twice.  We went at 3pm when we thought they opened and then again at 4pm when they actually opened.  It's a very short walk from our Airbnb so it was no big deal, I just had to delay my pinball urges for an hour more.  Pinhalla is a brand new Pizzeria and pinball arcade.  They have 34 machines in excellent condition.  I was excited to play a few that I have never played before.

On our first visit they were still closed.

Mars God of War was a new machine for me.  It's really fun.

Whoever designed this toilet interface failed.  You shouldn't need to add instructions to your toilet.

I also got to play Popeye Saves the Earth for the first time.  It's a lot of fun too.  On my 3rd game I earned a replay for my high score.

I am sure at some point I will be able to review the pizza, but I can say that the pinball side is fantastic with a lot of room to move around.  The machines have plenty of space between them.  It's a great place to play pinball.

Tiki in B.C.

After pinball, we walked 5 minutes to Tora Tiki for their 5pm opening.  We didn't have huge expectations for it but it ended up being really fantastic.  Their happy hour runs from 5-7pm and their decorations are really great.  It was a really comfortable tiki bar with very friendly staff and fantastic drinks.

They had two portholes with monitors behind them.  The video cycled from aquarium to a sunset while we were there.

I really liked the skull shirt but I also liked the other shirt because it said Victoria BC on it.  

We didn't steal a cursed mug.

Donna got the Trader Vic's Grog.  It was fantastic.

I got the Happy Hour Daiquiri.  It was only $8 CAD and also fantastic.  

I also got an order of the corn dogs.  I love corn dogs and these were pretty good.

It was cool to see old Bruce Brown movie posters.  I had most of his surf movies at one point.

It's also a Karaoke bar but that doesn't happen until later in the evening and it's in a private room.

After our drink and corn dogs I asked about the T-Shirts.  Our bartender and possibly the owner said they only have small and extra small and more were on order.  She then looked at Donna and asked if she wanted a shirt for free because there aren't many small or extra small tiki bar patrons.  Donna checked out both styles and settled on one.

This is the shirt she chose.  We ended up leaving a large tip.

That's it for today.  If you missed, Victoria So Far..., check it out.