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Tiki Lounges

girl chow
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girl chow

girl chow

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Posted (edited)

I've been meaning to post about this place since our Imperial Garden dinner in May (especially after finding out MsRamsey LOVES tiki lounges)... there is a great tiki lounge in Auburn called the Spunky Monkey that is a restaurant downstairs and a tiki lounge upstairs.

Upstairs and downstairs, the restaurant has a totally crazy interior with monkeys and paper lanterns and tiki lights hanging everywhere. The restaurant downstairs is portioned into secluded booths that are separated by straw mats (and it's always dark and cavelike down there). Everyone gets games when they eat in the restaurant, either monkeys in a barrel or any board game you could possibly imagine. I got tiddly winks on my last visit.

Upstairs is the tiki lounge, which, well, looks like a tiki lounge. I've posted some pictures below. They've got a great cocktail menu with about two dozen revolving martini specials and a decent cocktail menu.

The food is decent although not anything fancy -- the usual aps along with interesting grilled panini sandwiches and pizzas and salad. They have an Atkins menu for low carbers, which I find really cool and interesting (some edible things even). Across the street is one of the best Italian restaurants around the south Puget Sound region: Auguri Ristorante. I like to eat dinner at Auguri and then go to Spunky Monkey's tiki lounge for the drinks.

They have a smoothy bar and it is amazingly good, some of the best I've had.. fresh fruits and just the right texture and they always decorate your cup with crazy ornaments, like shiny monkeys on coconut tree toothpicks. You can never have enough shiny monkeys decorating your drink.

The particulars:

Spunky Monkey, 124 2nd. Street S.E. Auburn; 253-804-9567.

MsRamsey, what do you think about a field trip to this place? I think we should plan one in August. YeYe Girl, are you still working in Auburn? If so, what do you think? Anyone else in?

Also, post away if you've got some other tiki lounges you like. I think maybe Luau's is the only other one that we've discussed on this board, besides the new one that got a mention recently.

Edit: well dammit, dotphoto has eaten my pics. i will see if Tighe can rescue me from picture hell. My links aren't working. Ugh.

Edited by girl chow (log)

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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MsRamsey

MsRamsey

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I'm definitely looking forward to it. August sounds like a good time. Thanks for reminding us of this, girlchow!

LEdlund and I are going to check out the Islander's "tiki lounge" tonight, with a discriminating eye. I'll let you know how tiki I think it is. :wink:

Edited by MsRamsey (log)

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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girl chow

girl chow

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I'm definitely looking forward to it.  August sounds like a good time.  Thanks for reminding us of this, girlchow!

LEdlund and I are going to check out the Islander's "tiki lounge" tonight, with a discriminating eye.  I'll let you know how tiki I think it is. :wink:

EXCELLENT! Cannot wait to hear the details of your tiki excursion. Take pictures if you can.

Ok, people! Here are some dates for the Spunky Monkey:

Monday, Aug. 25

Wednesday, Aug. 27

Monday, Sept. 1

Do any of those days work?

As for the start time of the tiki fest, I'd say probably around 6ish would be good. Probably YeYe Girl and I will be the first to arrive followed by the Seattleites? I leave work around 5ish, so I'll get a head start :biggrin:

P.S. Auburn is about a 35-40 minute drive from downtown Seattle in light traffic. Add 15 minutes for heavy traffic. If you carpool, it won't be a problem. I just checked the White River Amphitheatre schedule and there are no shows on the above nights, so traffic won't be that bad (except around Southcenter).

Edit: We had a scheduling conflict, so I changed the dates to later in the month.

Edited by girl chow (log)

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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tighe

tighe

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Because I take pitty on the picture posting impaired..... :biggrin:

spunkymonkey1.jpg

spunkymonkey2.jpg

spunkymonkey3.jpg

Most women don't seem to know how much flour to use so it gets so thick you have to chop it off the plate with a knife and it tastes like wallpaper paste....Just why cream sauce is bitched up so often is an all-time mytery to me, because it's so easy to make and can be used as the basis for such a variety of really delicious food.

- Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink, 1946

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girl chow

girl chow

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Thanks Tighe! You rule. And, yes, I am completely technically challenged.

I wanted to point out in the picture above that the monkey wine rack is totally cool.

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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Really Nice!

Really Nice!

Posted
Posted
Either Aug. 25 or 27 would be great!  I think Sept. 1 is Labor Day, so that might pose a schedule conflict for some folks.

yes, sept 1 is labor day, so that won't work for me. I'm sure there's a bbq I'm attending or hosting that day. :biggrin:

The 25th or 27th works better for me.

Drink!

I refuse to spend my life worrying about what I eat. There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward. --John Mortimera

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MsRamsey

MsRamsey

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Hopefully my transportation issues will be ironed out by late August (I don't see why not), so Aug 25 or 27 will be fine.

We did go to The Islander (formerly Harbor Place), and that place is simply not ready-for-prime-time. The wait staff seems unaware of their happy hour and what's on special, and the drinks and appetizers aren't well executed. It's a disorganized mess at the moment. So we left amateur hour and went to the well-oiled machine that is Zig Zag.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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girl chow

girl chow

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I'm thinking Monday Aug. 25 would be a swell day to spend sipping drinks at a tiki lounge in Auburn :biggrin:

Put it on the schedule folks! This place serves only OK food and appetizers (panini sandwiches and bar food), but if people want a reallly fine meal, we could go to Auguri afterward. It's a great Italian place across the street and they serve dinner until 9 p.m. :biggrin:

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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MsRamsey

MsRamsey

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I'm in.

No, Sweetie. You and I are going to the mothership: Trader Vic's!! :wub:

Edited by MsRamsey (log)

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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  • 2 weeks later...
girl chow

girl chow

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Hey people! Just a reminder that the Fabulous Auburn tiki outing is 2 weeks away... Monday, Aug. 25 at the Spunky Monkey.

Just wanted to check and see if everyone who previously confirmed is still in... check your schedules!! :biggrin:

All are welcome and invited!! Questions? PM me!

AUBURN RULES!

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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malarkey

malarkey

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wow this is on a monday... hmm I'd be coming from the eastside. I say we go to the italian place next door for food afterwards.

wow msramsey.. do you remember (did you live here when) Seattle had a Trader Vic's? *sigh* it was a favorite late night spot. I still have a parrot from the potted parrot drink and I have a ceramic coconut (that says Trader Vic's!) that they used for their coconut drinks....

Born Free, Now Expensive

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girl chow

girl chow

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Yes! Dinner in Auguri sounds swell! I will call and see how late the kitchen serves eats. I'm pretty sure it's 9 p.m. most nights, but Monday may not be a big night in Auburn (Schielke, insert Auburn joke here :biggrin: ) and they may shut down the operations a bit early.

Worst case scenario is bar food and panini sandwiches at the Spunky, which is not bad at all.

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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  • 2 weeks later...
girl chow

girl chow

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The tiki get together is fast approaching! Monday to be exact. Please shoot me a PM if you're planning on going so I can get a head count for reservations. Also, I'll PM directions if you need 'em!

To recap:

Spunky Monkey

Monday, Aug. 25, 6ish-??

Auburn!!

A palate, like a mind, works better with exposure and education and is a product of its environment.

-- Frank Bruni

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MsRamsey

MsRamsey

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I'm in for an fruity umbrella drink on the lanai! Please PM me directions.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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Ye-Ye Girl

Ye-Ye Girl

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Posted

Turns out my "company picnic" is Monday, and is up in Bellevue. So I won't even be down in the southend that day. I'm going to try to make it to the Spunky Monkey for drinks - but it depends on how much I have to help with clean-up, etc. afterward (it goes all the way until 5:00). I definitely won't be able to make dinner at Auguri. :sad:

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MsRamsey

MsRamsey

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You attend the company picnic? Why, god, why? :wacko::laugh:

Edited by MsRamsey (log)

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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