Don the Beachcomber's problems???? - Tiki Drinks and Food

C CincyTikiCraig Tiki Socialite Cincinnati, Ohio USA Joined: Mar 31, 2009 Posts: 466	C CincyTikiCraig Posted posted on Wed, Feb 29, 2012 12:45 AM On 2012-02-29 00:17, bigbrotiki wrote: Nice "Quick question"! We have discussed this here repeatedly, and yes, we all agree: In order for Tiki temples to survive, they need to have good service and food, and yes, we all deserve a bang for our buck. Yet I still maintain that if this is what you are looking for in a Tiki restaurant, you are into Tiki for the wrong reasons. In a perfect world, all Tiki places would look like the Mai Kai, play only Martin Denny and Exotica, mix cocktails like Jeff Berry, and serve food like Anthony Bourdain would croon over. Well, keep on looking. You know, when I'm paying north of $10 per drink I don't feel that I'm being unreasonable in expecting a well crated cocktail that respects the traditions of Tiki Cocktaildom. Ditto for the food; I'm not expecting 5-Star La Grenouille cuisine, but I do expect food that's better than what I can get at the local Chinese carryout down the street from me here in Cincinnati. This is where TV's is really falling down on the job. Don't take my word for it, no less a figure than Beachbum Berry has been highly critical of TVs recently: http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2011-12-20/page-3/tiki?seen=1 "You've previously said you felt Trader Vic's legacy has been 'crapped on'. Why and by whom?" "I said that about Trader Vic's [the restaurant group] because of the drinks. They are falling down on the job. I understand that they are expensive to make, but Vic was a quality control fanatic and God help you if you turned in anything less than a perfect drink in any of his 20 restaurants across the world. Today I don't see that quality control, they are not using the rums he would specify. I was in Atlanta recently and you don't get aged Martinique rum, or aged Jamaican rum in your Mai Tai - instead they use cheap well rums. I don't see the same attention paid to his recipes, but the hotel prices haven't dropped. I have enormous respect for Vic but being honest it does bother me when I have a Trader Vic drink and it's not what it used to be."

On 2012-02-29 00:17, bigbrotiki wrote:
Nice "Quick question"! We have discussed this here repeatedly, and yes, we all agree: In order for Tiki temples to survive, they need to have good service and food, and yes, we all deserve a bang for our buck. Yet I still maintain that if this is what you are looking for in a Tiki restaurant, you are into Tiki for the wrong reasons. In a perfect world, all Tiki places would look like the Mai Kai, play only Martin Denny and Exotica, mix cocktails like Jeff Berry, and serve food like Anthony Bourdain would croon over. Well, keep on looking.

You know, when I'm paying north of $10 per drink I don't feel that I'm being unreasonable in expecting a well crated cocktail that respects the traditions of Tiki Cocktaildom. Ditto for the food; I'm not expecting 5-Star La Grenouille cuisine, but I do expect food that's better than what I can get at the local Chinese carryout down the street from me here in Cincinnati. This is where TV's is really falling down on the job. Don't take my word for it, no less a figure than Beachbum Berry has been highly critical of TVs recently:

http://www.diffordsguide.com/class-magazine/read-online/en/2011-12-20/page-3/tiki?seen=1

"You've previously said you felt Trader Vic's legacy has been 'crapped on'. Why and by whom?"

"I said that about Trader Vic's [the restaurant group] because of the drinks. They are falling down on the job. I understand that they are expensive to make, but Vic was a quality control fanatic and God help you if you turned in anything less than a perfect drink in any of his 20 restaurants across the world. Today I don't see that quality control, they are not using the rums he would specify. I was in Atlanta recently and you don't get aged Martinique rum, or aged Jamaican rum in your Mai Tai - instead they use cheap well rums. I don't see the same attention paid to his recipes, but the hotel prices haven't dropped. I have enormous respect for Vic but being honest it does bother me when I have a Trader Vic drink and it's not what it used to be."

Post #626906 by CincyTikiCraig on Wed, Feb 29, 2012 12:45 AM