Help! Please write a letter to the editor of Chronicle magazine - General Tiki

O Otto Grand Member (3 years) NorCal Joined: Mar 29, 2002 Posts: 1000	O Otto Posted posted on Fri, Jan 21, 2005 1:06 PM This is the editor's email address: [email protected] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/16/CMGHGAG34N1.DTL&type=printable Last weekend much despised critic Michael Bauer wrote the above review of the new Trader Vic's Apparently it actually hurt business there and especially, it made Sven Koch look very bad even though he was not working on the nights Bauer was there. Sven Koch has been very supportive of the Tiki scene Here is my letter in reply Dear Mrs. Biggar Maybe I'm missing something here? Was this supposed to be funny? Michael Bauer a restaurant critic or a comedian? If he's writing for effect I'd have to say it was not half bad, but not half good either. I was shocked to read Michael Bauer skewering of Trader Vic's, San Francisco. I have been there three times and my experience has been much different than his. Surprisingly, on the three occasions I went I sat near the lava rock wall, in the Captain's Cabin area, and at the bar because they were too booked to get a table. This is exactly the same seating as Mr. Bauer, yet my interpretation of events is quite different. While I cannot contest his "palate" - I'm sure it is much more refined than mine - I feel compelled to set the record straight on Trader Vic's bar and overall ambiance. "Most times there's so much crushed ice in the drinks they look more like a snow cones than whistle- wetters. When you're paying anywhere from $8 to $12, the tab adds up fast." The reason patrons are gladly paying $8 - $12 for one drink is because the drink is expertly crafted by highly trained staff of bartenders. Trader Vic's only pours top shelf-quality rum into their drinks and most drinks contain as much alcohol as two or three standard well drinks. It requires a good recipe and proper mixology to make a drink that strong taste that good - hence the "snow cone" of crushed ice. Take the Mai Tai for example. Trader Vic's uses over two ounces of alcohol including their own custom blend of Caribbean rums plus fresh squeezed lime juice,fresh mint, fresh pineapple spear garnish. This is far more than a mere cocktail. Michael failed to note that Trader Vic's has the best selection of rum of any bar or restaurant in San Francisco. Also, it's funny that he states "never mind the wine" yet can't find much good to say about the wine list which I understand to be one of the most well rounded in town? As for the decor which Michael calls "Polynesian Kitsch," yes, it is hard to update a style that is over 50 years old but I think Vic's has done a fine job here. Rather than clutter the bar and dining room which was di rigeur for Tiki bars of the 50s Vic's uses a few large elements to achieve the same effect. A couple of very nicely carved large Tikis look over the bar area and can be seen from anywhere in the dining room. Over head is a huge outrigger, a must for any respectable Tiki bar, surrounded by a varied display of Japanese fish float lights, again, a must for every Tiki bar. The lava rock walls, a standard classic element in Tiki bars, adds an exotic flair to one end of the room yet remains refined and subtle. Across from the bar one wall is covered with authentic South Seas masks arranged into a wallpaper-like pattern - a clever way to provide dense visual decor without intruding into the restaurant space. I found the environment to be intimate yet interesting. I found the wait staff to be attentive and not too obtrusive allowing enough space and time to enjoy a romantic meal. At the bar I found a lively scene with friendly patrons sharing barstools and appetizers. The bartenders instinctively know just how long it takes to finish one Mai Tai and they reappear to remove the empty glass and take a new order. Overall my experience resonated quite well and I believe other folks have had similar experiences, otherwise Trader Vic's would not be booked solid! I find it hard to believe that Mr. Bauer is unable to find one good thing to write about the new Trader Vic's. Sounds like sour grapes to me. Sincerely Otto von Stroheim Tiki News magazine [ Edited by: Otto on 2005-01-21 13:11 ]

This is the editor's email address:
[email protected]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/16/CMGHGAG34N1.DTL&type=printable

Last weekend much despised critic Michael Bauer wrote the above review of the new Trader Vic's

Apparently it actually hurt business there and especially, it made Sven Koch look very bad even though he was not working on the nights Bauer was there. Sven Koch has been very supportive of the Tiki scene

Here is my letter in reply

Dear Mrs. Biggar

Maybe I'm missing something here? Was this supposed to be funny? Michael Bauer a restaurant critic or a comedian? If he's writing for effect I'd have to say it was not half bad, but not half good either.

I was shocked to read Michael Bauer skewering of Trader Vic's, San Francisco. I have been there three times and my experience has been much different than his. Surprisingly, on the three occasions I went I sat near the lava rock wall, in the Captain's Cabin area, and at the bar because they were too booked to get a table. This is exactly the same seating as Mr. Bauer, yet my interpretation of events is quite different.

While I cannot contest his "palate" - I'm sure it is much more refined than mine - I feel compelled to set the record straight on Trader Vic's bar and overall ambiance.

"Most times there's so much crushed ice in the drinks they look more like a snow cones than whistle- wetters. When you're paying anywhere from $8 to $12, the tab adds up fast."
The reason patrons are gladly paying $8 - $12 for one drink is because the drink is expertly crafted by highly trained staff of bartenders. Trader Vic's only pours top shelf-quality rum into their drinks and most drinks contain as much alcohol as two or three standard well drinks. It requires a good recipe and proper mixology to make a drink that strong taste that good - hence the "snow cone" of crushed ice. Take the Mai Tai for example. Trader Vic's uses over two ounces of alcohol including their own custom blend of Caribbean rums plus fresh squeezed lime juice,fresh mint, fresh pineapple spear garnish. This is far more than a mere cocktail.
Michael failed to note that Trader Vic's has the best selection of rum of any bar or restaurant in San Francisco.
Also, it's funny that he states "never mind the wine" yet can't find much good to say about the wine list which I understand to be one of the most well rounded in town?

As for the decor which Michael calls "Polynesian Kitsch," yes, it is hard to update a style that is over 50 years old but I think Vic's has done a fine job here. Rather than clutter the bar and dining room which was di rigeur for Tiki bars of the 50s Vic's uses a few large elements to achieve the same effect. A couple of very nicely carved large Tikis look over the bar area and can be seen from anywhere in the dining room. Over head is a huge outrigger, a must for any respectable Tiki bar, surrounded by a varied display of Japanese fish float lights, again, a must for every Tiki bar. The lava rock walls, a standard classic element in Tiki bars, adds an exotic flair to one end of the room yet remains refined and subtle. Across from the bar one wall is covered with authentic South Seas masks arranged into a wallpaper-like pattern - a clever way to provide dense visual decor without intruding into the restaurant space. I found the environment to be intimate yet interesting.
I found the wait staff to be attentive and not too obtrusive allowing enough space and time to enjoy a romantic meal. At the bar I found a lively scene with friendly patrons sharing barstools and appetizers. The bartenders instinctively know just how long it takes to finish one Mai Tai and they reappear to remove the empty glass and take a new order.

Overall my experience resonated quite well and I believe other folks have had similar experiences, otherwise Trader Vic's would not be booked solid!

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Bauer is unable to find one good thing to write about the new Trader Vic's. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Sincerely
Otto von Stroheim
Tiki News magazine

[ Edited by: Otto on 2005-01-21 13:11 ]

Post #136719 by Otto on Fri, Jan 21, 2005 1:06 PM