Post #732166 by wizzard419 on Tue, Nov 25, 2014 9:19 PM

True, but if you think about it Tiki or Polynesian restaurants were a gimmick too.
That's what we will never get to see is the whole newness that Polynesian restaurants were
back in the day.
The foods the drinks and even the art was so new.
Most people had never heard or seen, eaten the stuff that was in the Kahiki.
People now have at least seen a tiki joint on tv.

The bloom is off the rose.

They still are a gimmick, their 90's incarnation was "Pan-Asian" and in the early to mid 2000's it was called "Asian-Fusion". All incorporate things and add soy sauce but make it geared towards the American palate.

The cocktails were mostly on shaky ground too since they were not as much balanced for flavor of the spirit as much as either getting you wasted, covering up the taste with sweet, or making them visually appealing over anything else.

Which is funny when award-winning new tiki drinks like "Death in the South Pacific" don't appear to get a mention here.