Post #524273 by Trader Rick on Fri, Apr 16, 2010 4:27 AM

Tried the place out the Friday night of the Carving Jam in Sarasota. I didn't order any food so I can't comment on that. The 1944 Mai Tai was spot on classic Trader Vic and worthy of a second round for me!

I guess I'll wade in with my impressions. The atmosphere was convivial if a bit noisy. The high ceilings amplify the crowd noise. I liked the Tiki's and the general decor of the place. I absolutely hated the televisions perched over every bar. OK. I understand they probably have to have them for the majority of people who have a serious addiction to them and expect and need games and Fox News gibbering away to keep them up to date for office and pool side conversations, but couldn't they have that one small bar by the entrance idiot box free? My main objection to them is they draw your attention and demand a forced effort to ignore them. This harshes my buzz and disrupts my reverie.

OK, that's me and if Trader Vic's was trying to appeal to my tastes they would be quickly out of business. I do not object to them trying to expand their market by appealing to the aesthetics of a broad slice of a new generation. I don't think it has gone unnoticed by their corporate leaders that what brought Trader Vic's to the brink of total disaster and extinction was appealing to a select and small clientele that had the unmitigated gall to die out. You can't sell chow and grog to dead people or the live ones who are in nursing homes. Sure, I'd love to see a resurgence of Polynesian Pop and Tiki Drinks among a new generation. God knows we need somewhere that's fun and takes you to a better place in the grim days we find ourselves in now. I think with a few tweeks here and there (More Tiki's, lower ceilings and a quiet bar) they are on the right track here.