Post #458179 by TorchGuy on Tue, Jun 2, 2009 9:05 AM

Gotta add my review. Been here twice before, but that was well before I discovered Tiki Central. Once was for dinner and drinks, the other at the bar for drinks only, and both were excellent, though I don't remember details. Warning: VERY long post ahead. Also know that I haven't had a lot of TV's drinks, so what I enjoy may still not be the "proper" preparation. Generally, I prefer tiki drinks to be complex - tart, sweet, bitter - not sickly sweet, but aside from that I could be "wrong" on some of these.

Dropped in around 6 PM on Thursday, the 28th of May. Bar was quite full, but we got two seats. As noted, no more booths in here, and it had a darker look to it. Not traditional TV's decor, no, but worlds better than, say, TV's Las Vegas was. Decor adds a lot to my enjoyment, and I love old-fashioned tiki bar clutter, so yes, this felt a bit clean and neat, but it was still relaxing.

We ordered the big pupu platter type affair, which came on a plate with a spirit lamp under it. Portions were smaller than I remember (only two ribs?) but it was all quite tasty. Our main focus, though, was the drinks. I brought a camera, but completely forgot to photograph anything I got, but remembering such things, needless to say, got more difficult as the night went on... Thank goodness I got a menu, or I'd never remember what we got.

I started with the Dr. Funk. Noted: while absinthe is now legal (and some old menus say "Sorry, no real absinthe any more!") Vic probably wouldn't have used it in the original; wile Vegas' menu noted Herbsaint but they only carry Pernod, Palo Alto's menu description mentions Pernod. So I asked - what DO you use in yours? They had Herbsaint! I had had this in Vegas and it was okay, but here it really was excellent. Nice drink, a little tart, deep rum flavor at the bottom with the heady aromas of Herbsaint and mint when I buried my nose in the top. I liked that they had a squeezer built to take lime halves, and put the husk in the drink, something that makes a novice like me smile. I think my BF had a Rangoon Ruby, basically a vodka-cran with lime, not really tiki but tasty.

Asked a few questions, chatted about unusual liqueurs, tender gave us a taste of one odd herbal bitters he had, and also discussed some of the non-Angostura bitters they had, including the wonderful Peychard's (I noticed they also carried Sazerac rye). We ordered the flaming beef, and I asked for a recommendation. Was pointed to something not on this particular menu, the Trader Vic's Grog. I'm partial to the Navy Grog, but this was also extremely tasty - I'd order it again. This took bitters, and he used Peychaud's at my request. My BF ordered the Gun Club Punch, and after I pointed out the shotgun shell mugs, it got served in a Starboard Light mug. When I asked about it, the tender told me he likes to use that one for it because it holds more liquid. The flaming beef was good, of course served with a little cast metal hibachi filled with chunks of Sterno.

Next up was calamari, a Fogcutter for him, and I asked for another recommendation - I remembered a reallty strong drink being noted somewhere on the Forum, and I love very potent drinks that actually have flavor, i.e. aren't a death drink (like the Adios Mother...) He knew exactly which one I meant: the Queen's Park Swizzle, "the strongest drink on our menu" he told me. One sip and I could tell it was killer, but it tasted great, which is more than I can say for some extra-strong drinks I've tried. I've had the Fogcutter before, and it was quite good, but the Queen's Park Swizzle and Trader Vic's Grog were standouts. The calamari was also very good, though I love fried calamari anywhere. This was light on the coating, which is always better, and very tender, not at all rubbery like bar food calamari always is.

As usual at any TV's, we ended the night with Black Stripes. Despite the hot weather, I always love this one, though Las Vegas put no spices in it, nor did they (claim was that they couldn't - can anyone confirm?) light it. Here, as on our past two visits, it was hot, strong and spiced, with that lovely blue flame on the top from the 151 float. I also asked about the differences between the gift-shop mixes and the bar mixes, and he, too, confirmed, stating that bar mixes were different only for the Grog and Mai Tai, and that he could sell me Grog mix for $10, but management no longer let him sell the bar Mai Tai mix. He told me they're changing menus soon, and passed me an extra cover (that "Rum, the spirit of the ages" is going up on my wall) as well as noting that gone would be the existing cover with the topless girls leanin' on the Trader censored with badly-added bikini tops. I find these censored covers rather funny.

I did snap a few photos, including the big painting that (I had no idea was) painted by Vic himself. I guess I know now why i was drawn to it. I asked the tender for his name, and he wrote down "Clinton", I'd try to go when he's working on my next visit. I'm 99% certain he was our tender the previous time, too. I told him a little bit about Tiki Central, and asked if I could take his picture and, further, post it. He agreed, and grabbed four bottles, all Trader Vic's official rums. Notice his very cool TV's-drinks Hawai'ian shirt - are these common employee wear? I've never seen one before. I also grabbed a few of the paper coasters, which list 28 TV's locations including the sadly-missed defunct Bellevue, WA location.