JOHN-O's Las Vegas (& Honolulu pg 8) Thread - General Tiki

J JOHN-O Tiki Socialite Dogtown, USA Joined: May 16, 2008 Posts: 2721	J JOHN-O Posted posted on Fri, Dec 3, 2010 10:37 PM "Honolulu Confidential" Part 8 of 10 Let's go dive bar hopping again. This time we'll start with a dive bar that's really not a dive bar (but used to be)… The Side Street Inn The Side Street Inn is actually one of Honolulu's most popular "in the know" restaurants. They serve up an interesting mix of Pan Asian and island comfort food covering simple dishes like fried pork chops, Kim Chee fried rice, yakisoba, kalbi, smoked pork, etc. The place really became well known when it became an after work gathering spot for some of Honolulu's top chefs. I highly recommend it when you want to go somewhere where you can feel like you're in on a local secret. For a non-touristy experience, the fact that it's located on a seedy industrial street doesn't hurt matters either. It's also in proximity to some other businesses fairly unique to Honolulu (that also appeal to my Noir sensibilities). I'm talking about "Korean Bars". This place is right next door... At Korean Bars (aka hostess bars aka Lucas Vigor's "buy me drinkee" bars), girls who might be Korean but who could also be from Vietnam or China will come sit with you to engage in casual conversation. Drinks for you and your buddies will be cheap, we were paying $5 each for bottles of beer, mixed cocktails, and straight whiskey (not well stuff either). Drinks for your hostess(es) however will be much more expensive. The hustling of these girls seemed to be relational to their age. At one place a group of twenty-something Taiwanese girls sat down with us, requested Crown shots ($20 each !!), downed them within seconds and then immediately asked for another round. When we declined to order, they promptly got up and left the table. Some of the older hostesses (forties +) will stay and chat longer, often times discussing how their teenage children are doing in high school. It's a surreal scene to say the least. How (seemingly) unemployed local guys can afford to spend money in these places is beyond me. Keep in mind some of these places might house illegal activity. If the girl tries to get you to join her in the back room or in one of the high-backed booths in a dark corner, you should probably decline. Still for an "exotic" experience where you can live out your Korean or Vietnam war R&R fantasies, it is unique. Just make sure you ask how much the drinks are BEFORE you order for her. If you want to dispute your bill, I'm sure the 300-pound Samoan doorman will provide the appropriate mediation. I think the iconography of these places is really cool. They have a timeless quality to them that suggests both seediness and exotic secrets (kind of like a devolving Tiki bar). On a future trip I may have to put together more comprehensive photographic documentation. This nearby place isn't a Korean Bar, but it did have a super cool mid-century neon sign that I wanted to capture… [ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-12-03 22:45 ]

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 8 of 10

Let's go dive bar hopping again.

This time we'll start with a dive bar that's really not a dive bar (but used to be)…

The Side Street Inn

The Side Street Inn is actually one of Honolulu's most popular "in the know" restaurants. They serve up an interesting mix of Pan Asian and island comfort food covering simple dishes like fried pork chops, Kim Chee fried rice, yakisoba, kalbi, smoked pork, etc. The place really became well known when it became an after work gathering spot for some of Honolulu's top chefs. I highly recommend it when you want to go somewhere where you can feel like you're in on a local secret.

For a non-touristy experience, the fact that it's located on a seedy industrial street doesn't hurt matters either. It's also in proximity to some other businesses fairly unique to Honolulu (that also appeal to my Noir sensibilities).

I'm talking about "Korean Bars". This place is right next door...

At Korean Bars (aka hostess bars aka Lucas Vigor's "buy me drinkee" bars), girls who might be Korean but who could also be from Vietnam or China will come sit with you to engage in casual conversation. Drinks for you and your buddies will be cheap, we were paying $5 each for bottles of beer, mixed cocktails, and straight whiskey (not well stuff either). Drinks for your hostess(es) however will be much more expensive.

The hustling of these girls seemed to be relational to their age. At one place a group of twenty-something Taiwanese girls sat down with us, requested Crown shots ($20 each !!), downed them within seconds and then immediately asked for another round. When we declined to order, they promptly got up and left the table. Some of the older hostesses (forties +) will stay and chat longer, often times discussing how their teenage children are doing in high school. It's a surreal scene to say the least. How (seemingly) unemployed local guys can afford to spend money in these places is beyond me.

Keep in mind some of these places might house illegal activity. If the girl tries to get you to join her in the back room or in one of the high-backed booths in a dark corner, you should probably decline. Still for an "exotic" experience where you can live out your Korean or Vietnam war R&R fantasies, it is unique. Just make sure you ask how much the drinks are BEFORE you order for her. If you want to dispute your bill, I'm sure the 300-pound Samoan doorman will provide the appropriate mediation.

I think the iconography of these places is really cool. They have a timeless quality to them that suggests both seediness and exotic secrets (kind of like a devolving Tiki bar). On a future trip I may have to put together more comprehensive photographic documentation.

This nearby place isn't a Korean Bar, but it did have a super cool mid-century neon sign that I wanted to capture…

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-12-03 22:45 ]

Post #567518 by JOHN-O on Fri, Dec 3, 2010 10:37 PM