READERS' PICK: Erotica: literary or artistic works having an erotic quality. We assume that our readers didn't vote this as the best gimmick at a club because they bring in their favorite Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin pieces. Rather, I am sure they assume that their costumes, their dancing, their music and their overall sexual innuendos qualify as erotica fit for the new millennium. If you've ever stepped foot in Heart Five on a Friday night I'm sure you'd agree.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Kon Tiki, 4625 E. Broadway Blvd., at the 10-foot, Malibu-lit Tiki mask. The bar gimmick is an entrepreneurial sidestep that kind of petered out in the '80s (anybody remember Congress Street's plaster stalactite-ceilinged Runes?), but this Tucson institution is still going full blast...like a flaming poi-ball performance by a grass-skirted girl who just won't quit. It's all utterly predictable, but irresistibly charming in these all-too-serious times. With its fruity rum drinks and kitschy kitchen items, Kon Tiki effectively levels the playing field for all its party-hardy patrons. There isn't a man alive who can lay claim to looking cool while ordering "Monkey on a Stick." Likewise, any lady clutching an umbrella-enhanced Bahama Mama is going to be grinning like Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent in no time. There are no pretenses here. This is a lounge where the cocktail weenies are plentiful, every drink is the color of candy, and if you say, "Somebody call me a cab," you can count on at least two strangers to holler out, "You're a cab!" and laugh uproariously. The drinks are that strong. (Also see Best Cocktails, page X.)
