Post #297833 by Rumbuddy on Mon, Apr 9, 2007 10:36 AM

I read about the Dallas opening in the newspaper last week and immediately designated Saturday night as THE NIGHT. I couldn't wait to go and I wasn't disappointed!

I wanted to dress tropically but it was freezing out, so, I was the most colorful lady in the room among all the tan, brown and black clad women. I hope patrons get more into it in the warmer weather!

We arrived at 9:30pm without a reservation and were told there would be about a 15 minute wait. The bar was crowded and we had to wait a r e a l l y long five minutes at least to order. The crowd was well dressed, and in their 30s-50s+.

First order of business, the Dallas Star, because I HAD to have the glass, but was expecting something yucky. I was wrong and it was very good and I will order it again and again. I ordered my husband a Mai Tai since his experience with alcohol has been painfully limited to wine and margaritas. He liked the Mai Tai, but it is not my favorite.

Thankfully, the 15 minute wait part was not true. It was more like an hour. I asked the adorable young Phil, one of the four or so friendly bartenders, to prepare a Menehune because I wanted one of those little naked menehunes for my collection, but he talked me out of it because it is similar to the Mai Tai.

So, I needed the Tiki Puka Puka. He warned me twice that it was very strong, but I was never one to be afraid of a little more alcohol. It was served with a gorgeous floating gardenia, which I am still enjoying two days later. It was strong for give or take two sips, after that, I really didn't notice. I had a very big smile for no particular reason, and made friends with some young ladies sitting next to us who had already developed a reputation for imbibation at the bar. I would have liked to sing along to the Gilligan Island song at the beginning of a new episode because you see the text on the screen, but no one else seemed to notice.

Our waiter was Shawn and he took good care of us, making suggestions for my Weight Watchers needs - which I promptly disregarded. Everything we ate was excellent: the Ahi Tuna Poke with taro chips, halibut with sweet potatoes, the fillet with rice, asparagus and carrots, and for dessert, the coffee creme brulee. SO GOOD!

Some of the music was OK, but it could have been better. I also would have liked more relics and memorabilia, but that is OK too, the place was head to toe tiki and the food and drinks were divine experiences.

I took a few photos and will post them soon. I will be counting the days until May 5 for my next Tiki (puka puka) fix!