Trader Vic's rich history
*December 28, 2005
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA Staff Reporter*
People tend to talk about Trader Vic's restaurants with waves of nostalgia, and that was the case earlier this month when the restaurant announced it was leaving the Palmer House after a 48-year-run. The Harry Caray's restaurant group will reopen Trader Vic's next year on the North Side as part of a franchise agreement.
The calming South Seas effect of Trader Vic's extends to restaurants in Bangkok, Berlin, Tokyo and Beirut. Next year Trader Vic's is slated to open on the Las Vegas strip, China and Amann, Jordan.
Pupus for peace.
And why not?
"You hear bad things about America's standing in the world, particularly in the Middle East," said Hans Wilhelm Richter, president and CEO of Trader Vic's Inc. "It is not true when it comes to Trader Vic's. Not only do we cater to nationals, we cater to anybody from anywhere. We're not just a restaurant. We're sort of a club without membership. And it's friendly American service, not European where they have a hand behind their back when they pour you the wine."
Richter was calling from the patio of the Trader Vic's at the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin. He sounded happy. A band from Havana, Cuba, was playing in the background. After Berlin, he was going to visit the Trader Vic's in Singapore. "Next year we will open in Doha, Qatar," he said. "The per capita income of Qatar is third highest in the world. The average income for a citizen is $40,000. That's where many of our American soldiers moved when there was trouble in Saudi Arabia."
A 65-year-old native of Germany, Richter is the third generation of his family to work in the hospitality industry. He calls himself a "modern gypsy," traveling to the Trader Vic's restaurants worldwide. Richter worked with Trader Vic Bergeron from 1969 until the founder's death in 1984. They also collaborated on food consulting for Chicago-based United Airlines. Bergeron retired from Trader Vic's in 1972. "I had a background in first-class hotels like the Waldorf-Astoria," Richter said. "It was an eye-opener when I met Vic. We were trained in different ways. I was forewarned for the first interview."
In 1969 Richter was catering manager for the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco. Bergeron was looking for a German-speaking manager to open Trader Vic's in Munich. " I sat down and he said, 'You're German, you are too militaristic,' " Bergeron recalled. "I replied, 'Trader' [only his wife called him Vic], I understand you are of French descent. I don't think you are any better. End of interview." But Richter was hired and opened Trader Vic's in Munich a year before the 1972 Winter Olympics.
Bergeron created the Mai Tai, which still gets all the publicity at Trader Vic's. But the dinner menu is more enticing and easier on your brain cells. Another reason Trader Vic's is accepted internationally is its Island cuisine that blends French, Asian and American influences. The Polynesian-style of cooking incorporates more fruits, curries, chutney, raisins and Chinese peanut sauces than its Caribbean counterparts.
Foodies consider Bergeron as a pioneer of fusion cuisine. He was one of the first to serve kiwi fruit (which he called Chinese gooseberries). It's also often overlooked that Trader Vic's still uses Chinese wood-fired ovens.
The most popular items at the Chicago Trader Vic's are duck and lamb, both prepared in the wood (applewood or oak) fired ovens. Preparation time is 10 to 15 minutes, roughly the same as a conventional oven. "The bins are very large and self-contained," said Palmer House (and Trader Vic's ) Executive Sous Chef Michael Campbell. "The cooking technique actually dates back to the Han Dynasty. They used split almond wood as the base. The smoke from that gives the food its flavor."
The food is never exposed to an open flame. It is only exposed to light smoke from the wood in a non-carcinogenic method. Fish and steak also are wood-fired items. Mahi mahi is a popular Trader Vic's item on the West Coast.
Campbell said the duck is marinated in soy sauce and the lamb marinated with crushed onions, lemon juice and a dash of honey in a secret Trader Vic's curry. "I don't even have the recipe," he said with a smile. "It comes from Trader Vic's. And seasoning is very important, especially when you're dealing with curry dishes. A little bit is great, but if you start getting too much then its way too much. There's Chinese Five Spice and overpowering spices. Its imperative you know how to mix them properly."
Campbell, 36, will remain with the Palmer House when the operation is taken over by Thor Equities of New York, which purchased the hotel in August. The new owners will use the 240-seat restaurant for retail space.
The Harry Caray's restaurant group hopes to relocate Trader Vic's on The Magnificent Mile or in River North. They also hope to bring back the lunch menu, which was discontinued several years ago at the original Trader Vic's. "Whether we're open for lunch is relocation specific," said group president Grant DePorter. "We've been getting a lot of e-mails from people about the food. Everyone has their own opinion about what items should stay, whether its egg rolls or crab Rangoon. And everyone is excited that we're going to continue the concept."
Bergeron opened his first restaurant at the age of 32 in 1934. Hinky Dinks was a rustic outrigger bar in Oakland, across the bay from Bergeron's native San Francisco. Bergeron liked the World War I refrain "Hinky dinky, parlez-vous." He printed his rum drink menu on thin wood cigar boxes and the bar quickly became popular with sailors. By 1937 Hinky-Dink's morphed into Trader Vic's and Bergeron installed the Chinese wood-fired ovens for the first time.
The current worldwide expansion of Trader Vic's reflects Bergeron's wanderlust muse. I have a 1947 Trader Vic's drink menu as part of my tiki menu collection. The back page of the menu features Bergeron's essay on rum. In part, he wrote, "On our own continent it is best to begin with the Queen's Park Hotel, Trinidad, whose Queen Park's Swizzle is the most delightful form of anesthesia given out at the present time. Olaffson's punch of Haiti has made the Haitian rum famous. Kelly's Bar on the Sugar Wharf, Jamaica is famous for its Planter's Punch and Planter's cocktail, both of which have helped to glorify this spirit." Bergeron also gave props to the Bon Ton Bar on Magazine Street in New Orleans, La Florida Bar in Havana (the site of his earliest rum inspirations), and of course his compatriot Don the Beachcomber.
Richter will miss the original Trader Vic's in Chicago.
"I know it very well," he said. "This is one of the oldest and probably nicest Trader Vic's restaurants ever built. Because on one hand you have outriggers from the island, yet on the other hand you have different tikis. And depending on the island they come from, they change their face. In Chicago, they also used a lot of tapa."
Tapa comes from the skin of a birch tree and is soaked in water for a couple of days. Strips are then laid out on an anvil and hammered with a wooden beater to create a design. "The design also changed from island to island," Richter said. "Samoa is made different than Tahiti. Some are very artistic. They used tapa like wallpaper. Chicago's Trader Vic's also has a lot of artifacts from New Guinea, such as masks." The restaurant also features gods carved from coconut trees." Harry Caray's plans to move most of the artifacts.
"Trader Vic's is not a chain," Richter explained. "It is a group of restaurants and each one is different. Like here in Berlin, I'm sitting on a lagoon with palm trees and flamingos. But you walk into a place like the Palmer House and you're in the basement. The moment you enter, you forget where you are.
"You could be anywhere in the world."
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TRADING WITH FIDEL
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA STAFF REPORTER
Trader Vic's opened in 1957 in the lower level of the Palmer House in Chicago. It was owner Vic Bergeron's first Trader Vic's outside of California. During 1958 Chicago customers were given a brochure with pictures of Jim Backus doing his Mr. Magoo mug in front of a tiki god and South Seas author James Michener chatting it up with Vic's hostesses.
In the brochure Bergeron told his customers about opening up Trader Vic's in the Savoy-Hilton in New York and the Habana Hilton Hotel in Havana, Cuba. Here's part of his account: "...Havana opened with a bang but, of course, Mr. Castro's little boys chased everyone away so for a short time we were running a restaurant for the local people only ... which made us unhappy. But the fact we are pleasing the Cubans pleases us. I think the Cubans are drinking more rum than they ever have in their lives, which is amazing considering the fact they are confirmed Scotch drinkers."
LAST CALL AT TRADER VIC'S
Dec. 31 is the final night of Trader Vic's at the Palmer House
This is the evening's menu, reservations required, must be at least 21 with I.D.
The send-off includes open bar from 9 p.m. until midnight.
Traditional Trader Vic's tidbits and Pupu buffet until midnight.
Lei greeting upon arrival and live performance by hula dancers accompanied by musicians.
Champagne toast at midnight along with party favors and noisemakers.
PASSED TIDBITS
Crab Rangoon, folded in a won ton with cream cheese
Crispy Prawns, fried golden with panko bread crumbs
Cheese Bings, ham wrapped in a crispy golden crepe
Almond Duck Tidbits, pressed duck with a sweet plum sauce
Egg Rolls filled with chicken, ham bean sprouts and snow peas
BUFFET PRESENTED TIDBITS
Bamboo Chicken Skewers with Hawaiian sauce
BBQ Pork Spareribs from Chinese wood fired ovens
Beef Cho Cho seared on bamboo skewers
Vegetable Spring Rolls lightly fried with a sweet chili sauce
Trader Vic's Special Fried Rice, with cha siu pork and chicken
DESSERT
Dessert Buffet with Coffee Bar
French pastries, Petit Fours, truffles and strawberries dipped in chocolate
COST & LOCATATION
$85 a person, includes tax and gratuity.
Trader Vic's Restaurant and Boathouse Bar is in the lower level of the Palmer House Hotel, 17 E. Monroe. For information and reservations call (312) 917-7317.
