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Hala Kahiki, River Grove, IL (bar) |
Humuhumu
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 3536
From: San Francisco
|  Posted: 2008-08-01 4:20 pm Permalink
So glad you got to go to Hala Kahiki, mrbalihai -- it's one of my all-time favorites, despite the incredibly lame drinks. I think James told me the woman who runs the joint likes her drinks on the frosting end of the spectrum, and it's influenced the menu. I think that perhaps it's also a popular place for date night with the young set, and I can understanding wanting to keep the drinks on the wimpy side if that's the case. The next time I go, I'm bringing spiking supplies with me.
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Critiki - Ooga-Mooga - Humu Kon Tiki
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MrBaliHai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2002
Posts: 775 | Posted: 2008-08-01 7:05 pm Permalink
On 2008-08-01 12:12, BambooLodge wrote:
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Did you make it to Chef Shangri-La? Way better drinks than HK!
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Yes, we ate dinner there the night before we went to Hala Kahiki, but since I had to drive us to see Blue Man Group later in the evening, I only had a Dr. Fong. I definitely preferred it to the drinks at HK.
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MrBaliHai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 01, 2002
Posts: 775 | Posted: 2008-08-01 7:10 pm Permalink
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On 2008-08-01 16:20, Humuhumu wrote:
So glad you got to go to Hala Kahiki, mrbalihai -- it's one of my all-time favorites, despite the incredibly lame drinks. I think James told me the woman who runs the joint likes her drinks on the frosting end of the spectrum, and it's influenced the menu. I think that perhaps it's also a popular place for date night with the young set, and I can understanding wanting to keep the drinks on the wimpy side if that's the case. The next time I go, I'm bringing spiking supplies with me.
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Yeah, they definitely cater to the dating crowd, Humu. Practically everyone there was a couple. It's too bad they can't come up with a couple of kickass drinks for those of us who aren't into diabetic comas, because everything else about the place rates a solid 10 on my scale.
Maybe you could stash a hypo filled with "Scorpion Juice" in your bamboo purse the next time you go?
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Weblog: Eye of the Goof
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2008-09-25 12:09 pm Permalink
A close call - or not?
Here are pics taken a block or so away from Hala Kahiki during last weekend's miserable flooding.
Given that HK is built on a mound of earth a few feet about street level, and that the street slopes uphill a little bit, they're safe from having been submerged.
But I wonder about their roof....?
Anyone been there in the past ten days?
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Tonga Trader
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jan 23, 2006
Posts: 97
From: Chicago
| Posted: 2008-09-25 1:53 pm Permalink
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On 2008-09-25 12:09, tikibars wrote:
Anyone been there in the past ten days?
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We were there Monday nite. They said they were fine, the water didn't get across the road right there, but some neighboring houses got some water in basements. They did apparently close for a day or two, though, since no one could get there.
TT
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-09-25 2:19 pm Permalink
oddly enough, the flood of 1987 was less severe than this one and hala kahiki was buried in it....that's how their light up sign and post got destroyed (yes- they actually had a real sign out in the front lawn)
...they also used to have a big tiki with a real flame coming off it's head fed by a gas line but someone came in the night, wrapped a chain around it and ripped it out of the ground and stole it, leaving the gas line severed and spewing gas all over the neigborhood...this was years ago...before the 87' flood.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-09-26 11:18 am Permalink
Damn! Photos, Dave, photos!?
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-09-26 11:58 am Permalink
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On 2008-09-26 11:18, bigbrotiki wrote:
Damn! Photos, Dave, photos!?
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..you're right....i never asked the family if they had any photos of hala kahiki from back in the day....i bet they have a bunch of great ones..especially of the time they first opened...they were very proud of it. I'll get out there and see what i can find....maybe i can borrow a couple of them to scan so you can all see what it looked like...
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-11-27 07:06 am Permalink
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On 2008-09-26 11:18, bigbrotiki wrote:
Damn! Photos, Dave, photos!?
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.....i didn't forget you sven!!
...i was out at hala kahiki last night and inquired about photos...cookie said that rose had a bunch of photos of the place as i suspected...however they are still in the process of sorting things out from her passing and have yet to locate them...when she finds them she'll let me know....she said they did have photos of the old sign and the big tiki out front with the live gas flame on it's head......I do know that they are planning on making a framed photo collage of what the place looked like over the years and hang it on the wall in the foyer for all to see....so it seems they were already motivated to find the photos before i even brought it up....
stay tuned......
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-11-27 1:24 pm Permalink
Mahalo. Make sure they don't cut up and paste the original photos for their collage! 
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3923
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-12-01 10:17 pm Permalink
[/quote]
I do know that they are planning on making a framed photo collage of what the place looked like over the years and hang it on the wall in the foyer for all to see....so it seems they were already motivated to find the photos before i even brought it up....
stay tuned......
[/quote]
Tipsy,
That would be a great sight to behold, hope you can track the collage down and post it some day.
DC
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3388
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-12-24 05:18 am Permalink
..last thursday SPIN Magazine flew out from new york to do a photo shoot at hala kahiki before they opened......don't know who the celeb/band is that they were shooting (i wasn't there), but i imagine this will be for one of their magazine covers(?) or article in an upcoming issue.....probably not till spring but keep watching, those of you that read spin.....and let us know when you happen across the article.....please post a link to it in this thread....thanks!!
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Tiki-Kate
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 21, 2003
Posts: 1700
From: Yucaipa, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-30 7:43 pm Permalink
Matchbook
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AllisonV
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 01, 2006
Posts: 37
From: Milwaukee/Chicago/San Francisco
| Posted: 2010-03-04 09:37 am Permalink
February 2010
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10562
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-03-04 10:49 pm Permalink
It is always good to see the HK is still there. A bit empty, though. Hope they are doing well enough in these still tough times...
This hideaway should be on the national register of historic places for its interiors.
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