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

M Mockingbird Grand Member (2 years) Round Rock, Texas Joined: Oct 05, 2012 Posts: 60	M Mockingbird Posted posted on Wed, Aug 24, 2016 11:34 AM On 2015-01-10 11:49, Dustycajun wrote: 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 DC any way you might be willing to share some inside pics of the menu. Any Drinks or just food items?

On 2015-01-10 11:49, Dustycajun wrote:
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

DC any way you might be willing to share some inside pics of the menu. Any Drinks or just food items?

Post #767820 by Mockingbird on Wed, Aug 24, 2016 11:34 AM