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

S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Wed, Feb 29, 2012 9:07 AM On 2012-02-29 00:45, CincyTikiCraig wrote: 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." I agree. And I agree with BigBro. I agree with you because DtB is a new place. They set themselves up at DtB and I would go in there expecting a DtB cocktail that is a reasonabel example of the quality I make at home. I'd really expect better actually! But, I'd accept it being close. If it was off the mark, that is a reason that we can all expect the place to fail, and do we want that? As you say, that's why Tiki died in the first place. And I would also agree with BigBro because DtB is in a vinatge location. If their drinks suck, order a hi-ball and enjoy the location while you can. This a NEW tiki establishment in an OLD location. So it should both be held to high standards as any restaurant and Tiki bar, and it should be appreciated as a cultural icon, which it is. When you go to Hala Kahiki, it is the place that is king and we fogive the drinks. When we go to Smuggler's Cove, it is the drinks that are king and the location is secondary. Would anyone argue that if the drinks at the Cove started sucking we should continue to go for the decor?

On 2012-02-29 00:45, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

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."

I agree. And I agree with BigBro.

I agree with you because DtB is a new place. They set themselves up at DtB and I would go in there expecting a DtB cocktail that is a reasonabel example of the quality I make at home. I'd really expect better actually! But, I'd accept it being close. If it was off the mark, that is a reason that we can all expect the place to fail, and do we want that? As you say, that's why Tiki died in the first place.

And I would also agree with BigBro because DtB is in a vinatge location. If their drinks suck, order a hi-ball and enjoy the location while you can.

This a NEW tiki establishment in an OLD location. So it should both be held to high standards as any restaurant and Tiki bar, and it should be appreciated as a cultural icon, which it is.

When you go to Hala Kahiki, it is the place that is king and we fogive the drinks. When we go to Smuggler's Cove, it is the drinks that are king and the location is secondary. Would anyone argue that if the drinks at the Cove started sucking we should continue to go for the decor?

Post #626948 by Swanky on Wed, Feb 29, 2012 9:07 AM