Life in plastic—and plastered—at Malibu Dream Bar
Latest Vignettes pop-up capitalizes on a summer blockbuster (or two)
Malibu Dream Bar pop-up. // Photo by Morbid Awakening Photography
The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-fueled Barbie (in theatres July 21) has a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 54 minutes. It takes half of that to become plastically plastered at Vignettes’ newest pop-up concept, “Malibu Dream Bar,” open through August 5.
This time around, the foyer features two of the better photo-ops it’s ever housed in a pink convertible cutout and, for the true cosplay legends, the Malibu Dream Box, a life-sized mock-box crafted by the Storybook Forest, a local event and party troupe.
Inside, creative director Maggie Boone’s vision comes to life with pastel paints, golden glitters, and festive floral arrangements punctuating larger setpieces from muralist Colleen King, who again added a bevy of signature features to the look of the place with works like the doll house wall art and the wooden tiki-awning over the bar. The walls are decorated with painted palm trees and a logo mural by Keenan O’Brien, as well as surfboard art pieces by Stephanie Danger.
I sit at what has become my reviewer table, the second booth from the bar, which is itself dolled up with a glowing pineapple and rubber duckie atop a minimalist foil table-topper running down the center.
We peruse the menu featuring Scott Helling-designed cocktails and kitchen offerings from Brian Hall. I pull the trigger on the “High Tide” (silver tequila, cucumber, cantaloup syrup, soda) and am immediately downing it while fidgeting with the classic bendy-straw. I love cantaloupe.
My friend orders the “Beach Bonfire,” a bourbon-based mix featuring bananas, aromatic bitters, and foster syrup. This, too, is fantastic, as the banana is not too overpowering, and the bite of the alcohol sits just right on the palate.
From the stage, which is accented with a boombox background, Kim and Lisa: The ReEchos Unplugged, are taking requests and churning them out with care and confidence. They would, of course, play “Barbie Girl,” as well as some CCR, Nirvana, and “Take Your Mama” by Scissor Sisters.
“We just kind of wing it most nights,” an animated Lisa says at the bar after their Saturday show on opening weekend.
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Moving on, I follow up with a strawberry “Pinka Colada,” which is exactly what it sounds like and adequately delectable. We also bring out the “Strawberries and Cream,” a strawberry gin, cream soda, and cream regular concoction that was again well-balanced if not a little bit too sweet for some.
With a grumbling stomach, I feast my eyes on the “Maliburger,” which includes roasted pineapple, fried onions, bacon, BBQ sauce, white American cheese, garlic parmesan, and a side of kettle chips. It’s fucking good—the best food I’ve had at Vignettes/ReRoll Tavern to date.
The dining options also include “Say Cheese,” a cheese plate including pepper jack, swiss, and cheddar, everything-seasoned crackers, and blackberry jam, and the “Lil Bit Salty” (buttered pretzel bites and cheese).
The shots came rolling in next, with my guest opting for the “Bazooka Joe” (Irish cream, banana liqueur, blue curacao) over the “Skipper” (spiced rum, pineapple juice, blue curacao). As is the custom, I go with the boldest in the “Oppenheimer,” a figurative bomb made up of apple vodka, Red Bull, and grenadine.
Finally, I topped my night off with the “Ameri-Ken” (Hypnautical, grenadine, and lemon-lime soda), which easily tied the “High Tide” as my favorite drink of the night. As the night dies down, the stage has gone quiet and has been replaced by the Barbie soundtrack. As I thank Helling and the rest of the crew for their efforts, I have them put on some Beach Bunny—one of my favorite Chicago-based bands that, by name alone, lends itself well to the overall theme.
The rest of the menu includes the “Malibu Dreamsicle” (whipped cream vodka, triple sec, orange juice, whipped cream), the “Pink Pink Pink” (pink lemonade vodka, pink lemonade, and pink pineapple), the “Dollhouse Daquiri” (a frozen watermelon daq), the “Fashionista Fizz” (a vodka-soda with bubble gum syrup), and the Barbie-posse proportioned “Slumber Party” group drink (made up of whipped cream vodka, VS Brandy, rose syrup, lemon juice—and serves two to four normal people for $45).
“Malibu Dream Bar” will host all ages Sunday through Friday and adults only in the evenings on Friday and all day on Saturdays. A rotating live music cast will be there every Friday and Saturday, with themed karaoke set for Sundays, comedy on Tuesdays, themed trivia on Wednesdays, and music bingo on Thursdays. A handful of one-off special events and competitions are also in the works.
So far, nothing is set in stone, but… fans of the abundant pineapples and floral, nautical tones of this scene will likely be more than ready for what the team is planning for the pop-up to follow this one. In the meantime, the “Malibu Dream Bar” offers a perfect pregame palace ahead of the film, or perhaps even a victory lap after completing the legendary Oppenheimer double-feature.
All photos by Morbid Awakening Photography
