Post #505366 by Hurricane Hayward on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 1:55 AM

Great debate in this thread. I can see both sides and am quite torn. Is there such a thing as a populist purist?

Of course, in Florida we have so many restaurateurs and bar owners with an insidious tendency to declare their establishments a "tiki bar" when in fact they couldn't be more off the mark. There are dozens of these establishments in South Florida giving Tiki a bad name and I avoid them like the plague. Props to Tiki Road Trip for pointing out this odd behavior: http://www.tydirium.net/tiki/florida.html

So in that context, I welcome the new Trader Vic's concept. If it somehow raises the bar for these faux Tiki bars, hallelujah! However, I am seriously worried about the future of the beloved, unadulterated Tiki bar as envisioned by Vic. Is Mr. Bergeron flipping in his grave? Maybe half a flip. But let's not jump to too many conclusions yet.

Bohemiann, I can't wait hear more details and see more photos, especially the night shots. At least there's now a reason to travel to Sarasota :>) ... You just need to pry me away from the Mai-Kai.