Kon Tiki
4625 Broadway Blvd.
Rating: 3.8 of 5

This throwback to another decade takes its theme up to and past the front door. To get in, patrons must first navigate through a lush Polynesian-style garden complete with koi pond and torches (OK, I'll marry the king's daughter, but please don't throw me into the volcano!).

Inside, Kon Tiki is littered with bamboo, lamps covered with cocktail umbrellas and, you guessed it, Tiki masks.

Dominating the area behind the bar is a giant terrarium for Kon Tiki's resident monitor lizard. Although he was hiding when we got there, patrons and bartenders alike assured us that the lizard was an impressive 4-footer.

Settling into a semi-private side area of the bar ÷ perfect for seclusion or large parties ÷ I glanced over the drink menu. Kon Tiki serves such island favorites as the Mai Tai, Pi–a Colada, Navy Grog and Zombie, but this bar adds its own house drink.

It's called the Scorpion, and you can make it a double but it's a two-person deal. With a bewildering amount of alcohol, the Scorpion is Kon Tiki's house specialty that, like a batch of jungle juice at a house party, blends alcohol with sweet juices ÷ ensuring that you'll be half in the bag, or at least a little tipsy, when you're slurping up the bottom.

And at $6 a round, it's one of the best drink deals in town.

So, after a round of Scorpion bowls or so, we decided to stagger out to the car; fortunately, someone else was there to drive. Fair warning.

What I love about Kon Tiki: The Scorpions.

What I don't so much love about Kon Tiki: It's a little far for regular attendance.

The Keys
445 Wetmore Road
Rating: 4.2 of 5

This cavernous sports bar and restaurant at Oracle and Wetmore offers more than just your average bar with a television.

In fact, walking into The Keys is almost like walking into the TV section at your favorite electronics store: There isn't one angle where you don't have a perfect vantage point on a screen, making it an ideal bar to watch football, the AL/NL championships, the opening day of hockey or just about any other televised sporting event.

The Keys has a few deals on beer and food on game nights. For Monday Night Football, Miller and Coors products are on special, and there's free cheeseburgers for the first 100 people through the door.

Some game nights at The Keys might even feature a DJ or two from one of your favorite radio stations giving out prizes and tickets, so look sharp.

But, say you're not much of a sport fan ÷ as my companion that evening was certainly not. There's more than enough diversity in ambiance at The Keys to satisfy any bar goers' idea of a fun night out.

The Keys is separated into four distinctly different environments: the sports bar, with booths and tables ringing the impressively stocked bar area; the piano bar, perfect for that dirty martini or glass of scotch; the dance hall, a vast open area with a double-stacked line of televisions on the side wall, a giant pull-down projection screen and plush couches for when patrons aren't bumpin' and grindin'; and, no island-theme bar is complete without an ample patio section.

Saturday nights are the time to be at The Keys, however; the extensive expanse of The Key's four areas are usually packed with bargoers ÷ making it one of the biggest scenes in town. However, college-aged patrons are usually in the minority, as The Keys is mostly frequented by our native Tucsonan friends.

What I love about The Keys: It's a fantastic place to go and watch the game.

What I don't so much love about The Keys: Where are all the college kids!?