Tiki Heaven

All too often, the thing that's missing in Vegas bars is character. In the land of a thousand PT's Pubs, swanky hotel ultra-lounges and look-alike sports bars, a watering hole that pulls off a unique (and interesting, or just plain comfortable) identity of its own is a rarity. And this is what makes Frankie's Tiki Room such a treat. Located in the not-so-sexy downtown area of Charleston and MLK, Frankie's is a teeny-tiny place owned by the same people responsible for the Double Down Saloon, a bar that pretty much has nothing but character to boast about.

The outside of the place is innocuous enough, but upon entering Frankie's patrons will find themselves in a tiki wonderland. They also will find themselves temporarily blinded by the darkness if they venture in during daylight hours, as I did. (It's worth mentioning that once you've regained your sight and situated yourself at a table with frosty beverage in hand, it's pretty entertaining to watch others walk in and then fumble in the dark while waiting for their eyes to adjust. Just remember, that was you only a brief time ago.)

But back to the tiki wonderland -- Frankie's is indeed one small room, resplendent with little, wooden chairs and tables that appear to be carved from tree stumps, tiki statues, thatched roof, theme-appropriate surf guitar soundtrack, a vice tester carnival game and all manner of strange old beach party clips running on TVs over the bar. The room is comfortably kitsch-y, theme-y and fun without feeling like a Disneyland property.

The drink menu offers the standard Tiki fare (the Zombie, Mai Tai, Lapu Lapu, Pikake) and an assortment of original rum-based creations. I sampled the Malekula, a tasty mix of coconut rum, Tuaca, melon liqueur and pineapple juice, the Bearded Clam, basically a mojito with a splash of passion fruit, the Ninth Island, a mix of gold and silver rums, 151 proof rum and pineapple juice, and the Zombie, a tart, pleasing mix of rums and juices. The mixers used in each tasted fresh, an important detail for these types of drinks.

Between its happy, lived-in ambiance and its heaping spoonful of character, Frankie's Tiki Room is a place I want to frequent. I want to go back to Frankie's for drinks with my local friends, I want to take my out-of-town friends to Frankie's when they come to Vegas and want the local experience, and I can't wait to introduce Frankie's to my various friends who have moved away temporarily, but are on their way back home.

And isn't that the ultimate endorsement for a locals bar in Vegas?

Get Ready to Rhumbar

Don't be fooled by the wall of booze-slurpy machines just outside of Rhumbar -- the cocktails served up inside this new establishment are seriously good. The interior of the place (all white glass bar, all white barstools, floors and walls and strange looking shiny silver alien-robot things in glass cases along the top of the bar and the ceiling) combined with the music (mostly latin-flavored world music while we were there) give it the feeling of a tiki bar. In the future. In outer space.

But it's the drinks that really drive the tiki feeling home. Our visit started with a Spanish Trampoline (pictured right) and a Daiquiri, and for me, it was love at first sip. The Spanish Trampoline is a magnificent concoction of tangerine, mint, pure cane sugar, lime and Sagatiba cachaca. It may be my new favorite cocktail, the one I've been waiting my whole life to find. The drink was perfectly balanced, light, fresh and citrus-y, and went down like a tangerine-infused mojito. I normally dislike overly sweet, sugary drinks, but the Spanish Trampoline was so refreshing I believe I could drink 100 of them.

Likewise, the daiquiri was perfectly balanced, and much to our great happiness was not a blended drink, but a simple and tasty mixture of rum, lime and syrup over ice. Maybe I haven't been looking hard enough, but I haven't found many bars serving up a true, classic daiquiri.

For our second round, we went with the Spicy Lover and the 1944 Mai Tai. As a fan of (almost) all things spicy, I was pleased with the combination of tequila, cucumber and Tabasco sauce in the Spicy Lover. It goes down smooth, the cucumber and tequila mix nicely, and the spicy kick at the end is a treat. My date wasn't quite so enthused with the spicy-tequila-cuc combo, but his deliciously booze-y Mai Tai (again, not too sweet or fruity but well balanced) made up for it.

We didn't sample any of the establishment's cigar offerings, although the people next to us at the bar indulged. Early in our visit, the bartender had explained the three-week old bar's fancy air filtration system, and sure enough, I barely noticed the smoke from just one stool over. Unfortunately, slightly chilly weather also kept us from venturing onto Rhumbar's outside patio, but it looked like an excellent place to pass an hour or two. I will certainly be returning to the Rhumbar, and when I do I'll take on the Zombie.