Tiki time

The right kind of kitsch: The Jungle Bird opened last week to much fanfare. The owners of Tank House transformed the former location of Kru at 2516 J Street into a colorful, intimate and immersive tiki bar with just enough playful cheesiness to really make that throwback ’50s vibe come alive. Think bamboo lanterns, patterned wallpaper, Hawaiian shirts and tall totems, plus a low-key back patio.

Cocktails fall in line with the festive decor, with plenty of rum, fruit juice and tiny umbrellas to go around. To pair with your mai tai or lava flow, chef Matt Brown, formerly of 58 Degrees & Holding Co., developed a menu of fun Hawaiian and Asian small plates: Kalua pork on Hawaiian rolls ($7), pork sisig tacos ($6) and pork bao ($7). On the larger end of the spectrum, there’s mochi-fried chicken with coconut bread ($12), macadamia-crusted mahi mahi ($14) and coconut fried rice with Chinese sausage ($10).

This is Sacramento’s only tiki-themed bar, though the short-lived Rum Rok made an attempt at the style late last year.

Greek life: When his parents passed away, Kostas Panayotakopoulos shed his career as a therapist in favor of a blue apron.

He decided to open a traditional Greek market and deli as an homage to his dad and grandfather, who both worked in food.

“It was meant to be,” he said. “It feels right. It’s in my heart.”

After well over a year of figuring out permits, dealing with construction and tracking down organic producers, Panayotakopoulos opened Greek Food Imports (650 Fulton Avenue) last month. The modest spot sells organic Greek goods, such as olive oil, wine, beer and feta, as well as prepared items, including gyros, baklava and the traditional lemony soup avgolemono.

With no hood on site, Panayotakopoulos had to be creative—and largely outsource his cooking. A local baker makes his baklava, melomakarona, kourambiedes and galaktoboureko. For gyros, he sources meats precooked from local farms. The Dixon-raised lamb arrives tender and juicy from a long braise—a distinctly different result than the ubiquitous gyro cones most Mediterranean places order from Chicago.

In the near future, Panayotakopoulos plans to open a 2,000-square-foot patio. He’ll call it the “Greek Garden,” and host live music and dancing on Saturday afternoons alongside a pizza oven and grill for souvlaki.