Post #39054 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Fri, Jun 13, 2003 1:02 PM

My dear tiki brethren,

I just received in the mail an extraordinary postcard that I won on Ebay recently. My apologies to any other Tiki-Centralites who may have been among the bidders fighting for this one. I hope I can make it up to you a teensy bit by posting some photos of it.

This is Sam's Seafood the way it looked back in the 1960s:

Here are some closeups. First, the bar we Southern Californians all know and love:

It still looks pretty much the same today, except for those nice peacock chairs that no longer exist.

Next, The Gift Shop, which definitely no longer exists:

The thing that excites me about this image is that you get to see one of the rare glimpses of the Tiki Mug (Ceramicus Vintagidae Tikiform) in its original habitat:

If you look at the larger photo of the giftshop, you can also see the Volcano Bowls at the bottom edge. Did Sam's have custom mugs and bowls? It appears so, since they match the logo on the menu and the photos of the mugs and bowls inside the menu as well. They seem close to the Kona Kai mugs, but they're in a kneeling position. Here's the pictures from the menu:


Has anyone ever found one of these mugs or bowls? (I think I may need to start hitting the estate sales in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach from now on).

Here's some more closeups of the restaurant as it was:

Including the kitchen:

Here's the text from the back of the postcard:

*World Famous Sam's Sea Food and Hawaiian Village Family Restaurant, is a beautiful and dramatic dining show place for the entire family, where the surf meets the sand; conveniently located on Coast 101-A Hwy, in Surfside, Calif.

Tourist for 40 years acclaimed this visit as a high spot in dining thrills. Look for the sign of the swordfish where Sam's own fishing fleet delivers its catch fresh daily. Sam's Sea Food menu is world famous and has ardent followers in the South Pacific Isles, along the Cape Cod Coast and on the European Continent.

Swordfish. . . the Steak of the Sea; Albacore, Yellowtail, and Rock Cod from our own deep blue Pacific; Fresh Trout from cold mountain streams; Chinook Salmon from Washington's rushing rivers; Lobsters from the coves surrounding Catalina Island; Jumbo Frog Legs from the marshes of Louisiana; Prawns from the South Seas; Curries in the Bombay manner; Abalone from the Monterey Coastal Crags. Eastern Corn-Fred Aged Steaks, charcoaled to perfection. Tender Mild-Fed Chickens.

Attractively Prepared Children's Special Plates. We are located between Long Beach and Huntington Beach at 16278 So. Pacific Coast 101-A Hwy. in Surfside, Calif.

Your Hosts: Nick, Ruth and Richard Katsarsis*

Again, this postcard was so cool, that I had to share it with the rest of you as soon as I could. I didn't even know such a postcard existed, but I'm happy it does.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-06-13 13:02 ]

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-06-13 13:04 ]