Brandon at Welcome to Blog recently went on a one-night mission to take the pulse of Portland tiki, and he found a nice, strong heartbeat, indeed. After a brief lament for the loss of the Jasmine Tree, he pits the Portland grand dame of tiki, The Alibi, against brand-new upstart Thatch in a contest of Decor, Tikis, Drinks, The Crowd, The Background Music, The Bathrooms, and The Staff. Sounds like my kind of night out on the town. He gives thoughtful consideration to each location’s strengths and weaknesses — in particular, it’s great to hear that Thatch is playing Les Baxter. Which Tiki reigns supreme? Well, thankfully, one doesn’t have to win over the other — Portland is just lucky to have two great tiki bars, and hopefully that will be the case for a long time to come.

• Tiki vs. tiki [Welcome to Blog]
• Jasmine Tree Falling Victim to Urban Redevelopment [Critiki News]
• The Alibi [Critiki]
• Thatch [Critiki]