Post #417407 by PiPhiRho on Wed, Nov 5, 2008 10:58 AM

I met some friends at the Luau on Sunday night. I found parking around there to be a bit of a problem. Most of the nearby parking structures were closed and metered parking on the street was mostly full, although I did eventually find a parking space about a block away. Valet parking is available.

The place looks great from the outside with a few outdoor tables on the patio. Bamboo and thatch give it that kind of generic southseas look. Inside the decor is very elegant and upscale. While the name "Luau" suggests Hawaii, the theme is much more indo-chinese than Hawaiian. The TiPsY factor is quite low. I saw only two tikis in the entire place, and one of those was a painting of a tiki.

But what they lack in tikis, they make up for in puffer fish.

Mahalos to Bamboo Ben, Tiki Ray and Jeff Berry for their great contributions.

The bar is integrated right into the lobby. There are no tables there. In fact, there is only ONE CHAIR in the bar, over by the window. Clearly, this is not a bar that is intended for hanging out and drinking in the bar and other than that it is standing room only. This clearly is intended to be a restaurant and not a bar. If you go there you need to get a table and have some pupus with your drinks.

The drinks are excellent. I had a Pearl Diver and it tasted just like the one in Sippin Safari. Better in fact, because I used too many substitutions in the one I made from the book recipe and it didn't come out all that well. The Pearl Diver at Luau was well made, well balanced and tasted wonderful. The Mai Tais are Trader Vic's style, and since they don't have the Vic's Mix they are made from scratch. They are potent and tasty, but certainly not any cheaper than the one you would get down the street at Vic's. I also had a Bahia, which came in a pineapple.

Also excellent, but pricey.

The food is also very good. We had the halibut and the chicken plus the pupu platter. It was very good, of a quality at least matching that of the Trader Vic's restaurant.

The food, like the drinks, are expensive. I dropped $100 there, but the portions are large and can be shared, so this is not a place to go to alone, nor is it a place to be going to often. I give it a big thumbs up. While it may not be the reincarnation of the old Steven Crane's Luau, it is still a great place for special occasions and a nice replacement for the loss of the BH Trader Vic's.

Ben, Ray and Jeff did an excellent job here in giving this a warm, exotic atmosphere with excellent drinks and food. Just be prepared to leave there with your wallet a lot lighter than when you entered.

[ Edited by: PiPhiRho 2008-11-05 11:31 ]