Steak Island, Austin, TX (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

D Dustycajun Tiki Socialite Santa Barbara, CA Joined: Nov 16, 2007 Posts: 5295	D Dustycajun Posted posted on Sat, Jan 10, 2015 11:49 AM Name:Steak Island Type:restaurant Street:600 E. Riverside City:Austin State:TX Zip: country:USA Phone: Status:defunct Description: The name exudes a haunting and mysterious experience... come to enchanting Steak Island on the lake, Austin's most "Exotic Restaurant"! I have collected two matchbooks from the Steak Island restaurant in Austin that depict a round thatched hut UFO building similar in style to the Marina Del Rey and Santa Clara Don the Beachcomber buildings. I also have a menu that depicts two Witco carvings on the front entrance door. Some history of the Steak Island restaurant: Steak Island started as the Lahala House (now Joe’s Crab Shack on Riverside), a partnership between Corpus Christi restaurateur Harry Porter and G. Jim Hasslocher of Jim’s Restaurants fame. Porter eventually sold his interest to Hasslocher, who renamed the restaurant Steak Island. The thatched-roof establishment billed itself as “Austin’s Most Exotic Restaurant,” and was built on the shores of Town Lake (now Lady Bird Lake) at a time when there weren’t many businesses on the water. Though the Steak Island menu was more steak and seafood than pupu platter, the decor and sarong-wrapped waitresses were definitively tiki. It was considered fine dining by Austin standards of the time and was a favorite haunt of President Johnson when he visited Austin. Trader Vic's in DC may have had President Nixon, but Steak Island had LBJ! DC

Name:Steak Island
Type:restaurant
Street:600 E. Riverside
City:Austin
State:TX
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
The name exudes a haunting and mysterious experience... come to enchanting Steak Island on the lake, Austin's most "Exotic Restaurant"!

I have collected two matchbooks from the Steak Island restaurant in Austin that depict a round thatched hut UFO building similar in style to the Marina Del Rey and Santa Clara Don the Beachcomber buildings.

I also have a menu that depicts two Witco carvings on the front entrance door.

Some history of the Steak Island restaurant:

Steak Island started as the Lahala House (now Joe’s Crab Shack on Riverside), a partnership between Corpus Christi restaurateur Harry Porter and G. Jim Hasslocher of Jim’s Restaurants fame. Porter eventually sold his interest to Hasslocher, who renamed the restaurant Steak Island. The thatched-roof establishment billed itself as “Austin’s Most Exotic Restaurant,” and was built on the shores of Town Lake (now Lady Bird Lake) at a time when there weren’t many businesses on the water. Though the Steak Island menu was more steak and seafood than pupu platter, the decor and sarong-wrapped waitresses were definitively tiki. It was considered fine dining by Austin standards of the time and was a favorite haunt of President Johnson when he visited Austin.

Trader Vic's in DC may have had President Nixon, but Steak Island had LBJ!

Post #734864 by Dustycajun on Sat, Jan 10, 2015 11:49 AM