Post #703502 by scope on Tue, Dec 31, 2013 7:51 PM

I lived in East Northport from 1957 (10 years old) till 1971. I worked part-time at the Bali Hai as a dishwasher, than busboy than waiter on and off from 1964 to 1968 while attending college. A Filipino who name was Albert was the manager. He was always trying to lure a waitress up to the second floor "office" to put the moves on her. The owners last name was Gater. He was a short white round elderly male ( looked like Alfred Hitchcock). He also owned a steak house called the Gateaway Restaurant located on Jericho Turnpike. He occasionally visited the Bali Hai, pulling up to the kitchen door in the back of the restaurant in his new Cadillac convertible always accompanied by young, very young women.
Most of the employees were either all or part Filipino, Hawaiian, Asian or Polynesian. I was one of the few white employees. I loved the atmosphere in the main dining room and the live entertainment. I recall they once had a world famous flaming knife dancer perform. I saw him several years later performing on tv and at Disney World.
I visited that area in 2004 for a 40 th Northport high school reunion. At that time the building was still standing but boarded up. It appeared to have more recently been a regular American food restaurant.
I heard that what finally did the Bali Hai in was that one New Year's Eve they way over booked and as the crowd grew outside a fight broke out that eventually grew outside and spilled inside. in the process a lot of furniture was destroyed inside and out including the large statutes, lights and ponds both inside and outside the building. I heard the restaurant never reopened after that.