Post #423287 by CPRTiki on Thu, Dec 11, 2008 1:33 PM

Hello All. I'm new to posting here but not new to Tiki. Wanted to share my firsthand experience at the new Luau Beverly Hills. Much has been made about the decor (which is nice) but not much has been said about eating here and it is first and foremost a restaurant...so here goes. First the summary: Food-very good. Service-excellent (contrary to some other reviews at other sites I read). Atmosphere-very good (it's definitely not kitschy tiki, it's high brow restaurant polynesian with some nice tiki accents). Cost-very high (if your drinking it's AT LEAST $100 per person so come prepared). So on to some details. I didn't take any photos, there is another review here by Phi Phi Rho with some great photos-check them out. My wife and I were celebrating her birthday so this was our excuse to spend way too much money on dinner & drinks. We started off with some drinks at the bar. I had the Mai Tai my wife had the Navy Grog. Both of them excellent. The Navy Grog a bit fruitier and sweeter than the Mai Tai but both with real nice, subtle flavors. Neither one was too sweet and the Mai Tai had some hints of ginger (i think) and mint and was as good as any I've had. We both had a few more and each was equally good and helped us reach a very nice Luau state of mind which was the whole point! On to the food...We started off with a nice Puupuu platter to sample the appetizers. All selections were quite tasty. The main course...I had the Halibut steamed in a banana leaf. My wife had the filet mignon (which I of course sampled). We also ordered a side of veggie fried rice and another side of bok choy. Plenty of food! The halibut was very nice with a fruity sauce on the side which added a lot to the fish. My wife's filet was really excellent with some interesting flat bread and rice on the side. Of the two dishes her's was the tastiest if a little heavier. The sides were also quite good. We skipped the dessert as we had had plenty of booze and food at this point. My general impression is, as I said before, very good-if overall not quite excellent. I'm going to have to reserve the excellent status for the time being, having been spoiled several times at the original Trader Vic's and several other Vic's across the country. Regarding the service...we dined on a Wednesday evening and this place was busy! Reservations are definitely recommended. The host was very helpful in getting us a booth which we really wanted and were willing to wait for. His attitude and attention to detail were top notch and when you're spending this kind of dough I feel it's imperative to get good service-which we did. The waitress was friendly and helpful but stayed nicely in the background except for when we needed her and frankly that's the kind of service I prefer. THE ATMOSPHERE...all right let's get down to brass tacks. It's cool, it's luxurious, it's Beverly Hills. It's not kitschy in the least which is something I really enjoy in Tiki but you won't find that here. It's got a very nice vibe, it's relaxing. There's some nice Moai lamps around the restaurant as well as some cool masks, some tapa paper with oceanic style patterns, and a lot of puffer fish-35 in the dining room alone. It's great. It did not blow me away but few places have. If you've ever been to the Dallas Trader Vic's-then in my opinion you've seen the best of high end, new style (kitsch free), polynesian decor. I was hoping for something up to that spec and the Luau isn't quite there, but that doesn't mean it's not a great place to go. The bottom line-if you've got the dough, you ought to go. Definitely take a trip up the stairway to the bathrooms (you'll probably have to anyway) there is a lot of split bamboo and it's maybe the most immersive tiki part of the restaurant. Two thumbs up! Hope you find this review useful.