Post #337548 by ikitnrev on Wed, Oct 10, 2007 1:23 AM

A little more time on the NY Times website found a review for a restaurant named 'Gaugin' that occupied the former space of the NY Trader Vic's.

From a July 1, 1994 article .....

"Wrapping my hand around the tall rum drink to keep it from toppling over on the wobbly table, I found myself clutching the naked breasts of the women who decorate the glass. Gauguin may be a Trader Vic's for the 90's, but not that much has changed.

Yes, the decor is different. Sort of. There are still bamboo ceilings, but now a large kitschy metal palm tree sparkles, star lights twinkle and orange cloth whooshes gently as sarong-clad waitresses brush past them. Combined with the darkness, they make the room look like a gym dressed up for prom night."

And this review of the same restaurant, from September 30, 1994 .....
First paragraphs:

"Gauguin is the perfect restaurant for children on expense accounts. Only a child could truly believe in this festive South Seas atmosphere, its fake palm trees ablaze with colorful lanterns and its murals working hard to conjure up an island image. Children can appreciate the juice drinks strewn with paper umbrellas and plastic dolphins, even without the alcohol, and they are not embarrassed by the naked ladies on the glasses or the waitresses wrapped in sarongs.

Unfortunately, only a very rich child could afford this particular pleasure, and seen through adult eyes the restaurant that now occupies the room that once was Trader Vic's can be vaguely disquieting. It is too easy to sense the smirk beneath the surface."

and the last paragraphs ...

"To children, all of this is enchanting. They gather up their piles of paper umbrellas and plastic palm trees and go dancing through the crowded dining room to the bridge at the door. "I loved that restaurant," said one little girl to her father, climbing the red-carpeted stairway to reality. Her father just looked sad.

I think I might know why: sitting in the midst of all this fake cheer reminds you that there was a time, not that long ago, when even grown-up Americans were not too old to believe in silly drinks and fake palms."

Another reference to the Gaugin resaurant was found in 1997, when a guide book for British tourists provided the following rule of thumb for NY restaurants..

"Avoid restaurants or bars named after famous painters (Gaugin, etc.) or any other kind of theme-u-raunts."

Vern

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E5DB1739F932A35754C0A962958260
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E0DB1F3AF933A0575AC0A962958260