sams seafood

If anyone wants to please stop by and check out sams seafood and just say HI!! the number is 562 592-1321

samsback...yayuhhh!!!!!
so glad to hear the official news. There are plenty of TC'ers just waiting for the grand re-opening...I was really shocked to see it close. It is my local bar and I can bike home in five minutes. Hope everything goes well and business booms. If you need some taste testing to perfect the Mai Tai recipe just let me know.

On 2006-09-03 20:35, lawr_rawr wrote:
We actually walked through the entire building! Little bit creepy to wander around the dining rooms, with all the place settings on the tables. I'd never been there before; we'd been meaning to go for the longest time, and when we actually got around to going, we found it had closed just a week before. I'm not really sure if any of the decor has been removed, but it seemed to be chock full o' tiki. I tried to take some photos, but they didn't come out so well -- all of the rooms, except for the bar and main dining room, were nearly pitch black. Some of my photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawrie77/tags/samsseafood/

The place was broken into shortly after it closed, the hostess said. Someone broke a window (I'm guessing that's why the front windows are boarded up now) and made off with some of the oldest paintings, the ones in at the front and opposite side of the building from the bar. They also got a few pieces of framed art or photographs -- you could see the bare spots on the wall. The bartender felt they were just vandals, but his wife seemed to think it was someone who was more collector than thief, since nothing was damaged and many valuable things were left behind.

Meh... the last thing that area needs is another "Starbucks type minimall". The shopping center/office complex next to Sam's is pretty horrible, with half the spaces vacant. I really hope that doesn't come to pass...

I was pleasantly surprised today when I received a phone call from Alan at Sam's. We discussed a lot of what's happening with Sam's, inside, outside, Tiki Central Party and so on.

Alan confirmed what lawr_rawr wrote about the vandalism and stolen paintings and photos.....I hate to say it but if there are certain things that you miss from the old Sam's it may likely be because of a greedy and selfish Tiki Collector or ebayer! :x

If you see any items pop up on ebay claiming they are from Sam's or you just recognize them from past visits please report them as stolen...maybe we'll actually see them back where they belong, though not likely! :(

On a positive note: Tikis STAYING, Landscaping being updated, enhanced and more tropical, Alan is trying to have a Polynesian Show and hoping for room for bands and a Luau Night.
From what I was told the food is really looking to be improved!! :D
Tiki Mugs are currently a MAYBE.
Bar is currently open and he had hoped to have the resteraunt opened by New Year's but that appears to be out of the question now.
Probably January?

Now that it is back open....we need to get this place on the Historical Registry....in case thinking it had closed for good and then having it reopen wasn't enough of a wake up call. :o

On 2006-12-08 20:08, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:
Alan confirmed what lawr_rawr wrote about the vandalism and stolen paintings and photos.....I hate to say it but if there are certain things that you miss from the old Sam's it may likely be because of a greedy and selfish Tiki Collector or ebayer! :x

I think whoever took the stuff should be given a chance to return it back to where it belongs, no questions asked. If said person does not deliver in, say, 3 weeks, then bring a Polynesian warclub down on 'em.

It would be helpful to post pix of the missing items online, so we can keep an eye peeled.

If it is a collector trying to 'save' stuff, then here is your chance to restore Sams to the way it should be.

On 2006-12-08 20:08, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:

If you see any items pop up on ebay claiming they are from Sam's or you just recognize them from past visits please report them as stolen...maybe we'll actually see them back where they belong, though not likely! :(

Here's something that claims to have come from Sam's but it already came and went...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AVRI&viewitem=&item=190056440777&rd=1&rd=1

Thanks Hakalugi,

I already sent a message to the seller, (for better or for worse), asking him to explain WHERE and WHO he acquired the items from since I just spoke to the owner today and he didn't mention "selling off" a bunch of stuff to someone who normally sells video equipment to sell off.

We shall see.

I'll talk to Alan again tomorrow.

You got to look for the copper BAR tubing they stole also!

lawr_rawr wrote:

Someone broke a window (I'm guessing that's why the front windows are boarded up now) and made off with some of the oldest paintings, the ones in at the front and opposite side of the building from the bar. They also got a few pieces of framed art or photographs

I shot a few pictures at Sam's in August of 2005; most were of tikis but I did get this one on the side of the building opposite the bar. Is any of this wall art missing? The rest of my pics are at http://thelope.com/2006/05/goodbye-sams-seafood.html

http://www.thelope.com

[ Edited by: tikijackalope 2006-12-30 03:38 ]

Thanks tikijackalope,

Some of the many photos you shot and posted on your link do show the black velvet paintings and old photos......some of which may be the missing ones!

5000 Members strong we'll track these items down some how! :evil:

On 2006-12-08 20:08, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised today when I received a phone call from Alan at Sam's. We discussed a lot of what's happening with Sam's, inside, outside, Tiki Central Party and so on.

Alan confirmed what lawr_rawr wrote about the vandalism and stolen paintings and photos.....I hate to say it but if there are certain things that you miss from the old Sam's it may likely be because of a greedy and selfish Tiki Collector or ebayer! :x

If you see any items pop up on ebay claiming they are from Sam's or you just recognize them from past visits please report them as stolen...maybe we'll actually see them back where they belong, though not likely! :(

On a positive note: Tikis STAYING, Landscaping being updated, enhanced and more tropical, Alan is trying to have a Polynesian Show and hoping for room for bands and a Luau Night.
From what I was told the food is really looking to be improved!! :D
Tiki Mugs are currently a MAYBE.
Bar is currently open and he had hoped to have the resteraunt opened by New Year's but that appears to be out of the question now.
Probably January?

Now that it is back open....we need to get this place on the Historical Registry....in case thinking it had closed for good and then having it reopen wasn't enough of a wake up call. :o

Sounds like some positive improvements! Keeping the bar open is a good thing. The missus and I will try to make it by sometime soon. I've got a friend coming out this weekend, and with Christmas around the corner it's going to be crazy. But I am definitely going to be stopping by.
Improving the food is a good idea. I always thought it was pretty good, and reasonably priced. Make it better? Great idea!
As for tiki mugs, I think they're very important, but I understand that if you serve every drink in a mug, a lot will get stolen. That only ups the cost of doing business, so it's understandable to not want to do that. The Puka Bar in Long Beach doesn't use mugs for that very reason. I'd say that if tiki mugs are being considered, do what most places do-- serve drinks in a glass. Give the patron the option of buying said drink in a tiki mug and charge 'em $5 or whatever for the glass. I think Hula's in Monterey does it that way. They serve some drinks in Dynasty Wholesale mugs, and only charge like $5 since the mugs are so cheap anyway. If you buy a drink in the Munktiki mug, I think they charge a little more, like maybe $10 or something. It's been a couple years since I was there, so I don't remember the prices.
I'm totally excited about seeing Sam's open back up again! And I will definitely be keeping my eye out for "lost" or stolen artwork!
Keep us informed of any new developments!

On 2006-12-08 22:05, Hakalugi wrote:

Here's something that claims to have come from Sam's but it already came and went...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AVRI&viewitem=&item=190056440777&rd=1&rd=1

I just got off the phone with Alan again to ask about the above items. He says there were a few items that he gave to ebay Seller: video_general to differ the cost of some of the other work.

But ANYONE ELSE SELLING SAM'S ITEMS IS LIKELY A THIEF! :evil:

Things sound very exciting! Sounds like Bamboo Ben is on board helping out!

Alan also mentioned a SPECIAL TIKI CENTRAL NIGHT where we might have artists and vendors and a full TC BLOW OUT PARTY to start SAMS off right! :D

On 2006-12-11 16:41, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:

Alan also mentioned a SPECIAL TIKI CENTRAL NIGHT where we might have artists and vendors and a full TC BLOW OUT PARTY to start SAMS off right! :D

WOOOOOHOOOO! :)

On 2006-12-08 20:08, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:

Bar is currently open

Don't know if this is my place to say but I'm gonna say it anyway.

Dr.TikiMojo might have his wires crossed.

The Bar is not open. It's actually getting all new equipment and flooring. The bar top and facade is there...the booths are there....the tikis are there....the square Bamboo is there....everything is there but, there's just no equipment yet. ( as for the Hidden Vilage too!)

Just didn't want anyone to be bummed out if they drove from afar thinking they were serving, just yet, as said above.

Hang tight... ( or loose!!:) )

It'll Defiantly be Known when the "Only Original OC Tiki Bar" is open again.

Awesome Ben! Thanks for the clarification. I'm glad I didn't drive up on a whim like I was thinking of doing the other night. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an update! Thanks again!

Alan told me that they're shooting for a mid-January opening.

On 2006-12-12 12:39, tikibars wrote:
Alan told me that they're shooting for a mid-January opening.

Cool!

On 2006-12-11 20:01, RevBambooBen wrote:

On 2006-12-08 20:08, Dr.TikiMojo wrote:

Bar is currently open

Don't know if this is my place to say but I'm gonna say it anyway.

Dr.TikiMojo might have his wires crossed.

The Bar is not open. It's actually getting all new equipment and flooring. The bar top and facade is there...the booths are there....the tikis are there....the square Bamboo is there....everything is there but, there's just no equipment yet. ( as for the Hidden Vilage too!)

Just didn't want anyone to be bummed out if they drove from afar thinking they were serving, just yet, as said above.

Hang tight... ( or loose!!:) )

It'll Defiantly be Known when the "Only Original OC Tiki Bar" is open again.

Hey Ben,

I know you're actually talking to Alan face to face as opposed to my phone conversations....maybe I misunderstood?
Besides having thought that was what he told me I was also going by this TC post which has dated back to September:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=20894&forum=1

On 2006-09-03 16:17, lawr_rawr wrote:
Sam's Seafood is now open on Saturday nights from 5-10PM. Bar only.

My boyfriend and I were walking in that area last night, and were both surprised to see the sign lit up and an OPEN sign in the window. We talked to the bartender and his wife, and they said the owners needed to keep the place operational to keep their liquor license. They told us to tell our friends to stop by, and that the drinks are cheap. :) I've never posted here before, but have lurked a few times... and figured you guys would be interested.

So it appears it will become a new restaurant eventually? Hmm...

Maybe it's ONLY SATURDAY NIGHTS but apparently some TCers have been in there and drinking! :D

Guess the best idea is to ALWAYS CALL FIRST!
I drove out to Fobidden Island one night only to find out once I got there that they are closed on MONDAYS.

[ Edited by: Dr.TikiMojo 2006-12-14 13:41 ]