Post #787782 by Pelorus on Mon, Jun 18, 2018 1:24 PM

I visited the Polynesian with my partner on June 8th. We sampled 5 drinks and 2 appetizers. EXPENSIVE.

Lovely menu with nods to tiki bar history throughout.

Menu has enough drinks to keep you busy. Every drink we had was outstanding.

We had the Tangoroa, Vaya Kon Tiki, Kamehameha, Mistaken Identity, and the Smokin' Sarong. My favorite was the Kamehameha. The ceramic mugs were all neat. I asked about purchasing a mug, and they said none are for sale yet, but will be in the future.

We had the coconut shrimp and the fries. Both were good, but ridiculously overpriced.

Service was terrific. They gave us complementary shots of some kind of tropical cooler. We ate inside for the Polynesian ambience. I wouldn't call it tiki in the main areas. The bar itself was more interesting, but we couldn't get seats there. Music was 60s lounge music, jazz, and reggae. Not too loud. No televisions.

The crowd was mostly young, Manhattan types. Maybe some tourists. Even for being on 42nd street, the bar's just enough past Times Square to be relatively hidden, especially since you have to take an elevator inside the hotel to get there.

I wore a vintage aloha shirt. I wasn't alone. Several other patrons were wearing aloha shirts, including one gentlemen who had a Mai Kai shirt.

While looking around, I ran into Brian Miller, who I shook hands with and congratulated for opening the bar.

My partner and I enjoyed watching the other patrons' reactions to the drinks. She pointed out to me that a lot of the younger people in the crowd were ordering the rum and coke - a travesty IMO when there were so many creative and well re-imagined drinks on the menu. It's all the same price.

We plan to return at some point with friends so that we can share some of the large format drinks.

In all, I enjoyed the experience, and we will return, though I don't think we'll be regulars because of the prices.