Trader Vic's Lounge in BH

A new thread for a new vibe.

Trader Vic's remains and, in some ways, is better. The markeing scheme in the Beverly Wilshire of the "Island Retreat" is appropriate. Its new poolside location makes it the only LA tiki bar to offer an authentic, open air polynesian inspired experience.

Best of all, the traditional aspects of Trader Vics remain: the neon script; the beloved Chai in control of the bar; the Mai Tai recipe and glasses; the Fog Cutter mugs and, yes, there is a large tiki as a silent sentinel offering homage to the by-gone era. The decilious pupus remain - I even think I saw my favorite: the flaming Beef Cho Cho.

Think "W" Westwood; think Miami Beach; think Tiki's Waikiki - for the new Trader Vic's Lounge is reminiscent of each of these tropical locales.

There is also scuttlebut from the coorporate office that Trader Vic's is considering reopening elsewhere in Beverly Hills.

I'll not say it is a net gain: the TIPSY factor is much lower; I didn't enter through an A frame; I didn't see one Menehune bowl; the waitstaff is longer univerally clad in Aloha shirts; the tapa cloth did not reappear; nor did the carved tiki poles. I didn't gaze upon tropical art at the valet. However, I'll not say it's a net loss, either. Updated, open-air and different, yet I still think Mr. Bergstrom would be pleased; certainly his grand-daughter was.

I'll leave it in the capable hands of Soccer Tiki and ALTIKI to describe the evening, after all, they were there beginning when it is still light out.

On 2007-05-04 01:00, christiki295 wrote:
Mr. Bergstrom would be pleased;

For all the newbs: he meant to say "Bergeron".

On 2007-05-04 10:21, tikibars wrote:

On 2007-05-04 01:00, christiki295 wrote:
Mr. Bergstrom would be pleased;

For all the newbs: he meant to say "Bergeron".

You sure JT? Mr. Bergstrom was a pretty hip substitute teacher.

Eater LA has a brief look at the new bar, with a few pictures. Eater LA's parent site, Curbed LA, summarizes it as "Final verdict: Trader Vic's lounge pale, milquetoast imitation of the real thing."

http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/05/04/tasting_trader_vics_lounge.php

um... I'd say that looks like it sucks the ass of 1000 camels.

I have to agree. I really wish they had left it the way it was. Oh well. I do reckon that it's better than nothing.
Having said that, if I had just happened to walk in and ordered a Mai Tai and it was actually good, I'd have thought I struck gold! From the images and all, I'd say this reminds me more of the House Without a Key bar at the Halekulani hotel in Waikiki. Not really tiki, but great drinks.

It seems that there is one advantage to this, and that is the extended hours. The Lounge opens at 11am while the real Trader Vic's did not open until 5PM. More hours for Mai Tais. Otherwise it doesn't look good, but I will withold my judgement until I actually see it in person.

That's exactly where I suspected they'd put it...in that W Hotel-ish lounge that was adjacent to Circa 55 restaurant. From the pictures, I'd have to agree...it certainly looks rather soul-less and sterile. A real Trader Vic's is almost like a cocoon in that it surrounds you with Aloha and Poly warmth...takes you to another place and time that perhaps never really was, but always will be. This thing has the look of just another topical themed pool bar. A "Grade A" pool bar, perhaps. But as far as true Trader Vic's go...a "Vic's Jr" at best.

So what do we have now in addition to the classic and wonderful Trader Vic's that are still out there?

• Nouveau Trader Vic's

• Trader Vic's Mai Tai Bars

• Trader Vic's Lounge

I wonder what the next trimmed-down version will be? Or perhaps more importantly...will we ever see someone build another totally new Trader Vic's restaurant and bar in Southern California that has anything close to the rich depth of detail and design of the now gutted and cannibalized Trader Vic's Beverly Hills?

Regardless...the rich history of place that the Beverly Hills Trader Vic's had...and which it contained within its 50 year-old walls...is sadly all about stories of the past now. So many long-time and loyal patrons will never feel that special vibe again. And so many others will never know it at all, and what a wonderful place they missed out on.

Instead...they'll be marketing-talked into thinking that thing by the pool is the famous Trader Vic's Beverly Hills. That con-job has already begun. :(

Personally...because of the way they disgraced Trader Vic's and its customers with that clandestine execution in the dark of night...I wouldn't have accepted a free drink from any of them. I'm that bitter about how they handled it and continue to do so.

I'm sure that someday I'll frequent the place, and of course hope the great staff earn lots of tips from many transient hotel guests. But right now I'm so pissed off at the Beverly Hilton, that I wouldn't accept a drink from those turkeys even if they danced a hula and bowed down and kissed my okole.

Ok....Here are some pictures form last night's opening......

Signage already in place all over the hotel and at the entrance inside the hotel.

View from outside patio dining/drinking area (Very nice!)

L to R ChrisTiki295, Eve Bergeron, Chai Rojana,SoccerTiki & Tiki Al

The Mai-Tai's were great!!! (I lost count of how many I had!!!)

Eve brought out the ORIGINAL BAR BIBLE from HAVANA Trader VIc's!!!

Tiki Al, Eve Bergeron (Trader Vic's grand daughter)& me

Overall, the food was great, and the drinks were great! The staff really wants people to know that they understand the disappointments and they will do everything they can to make sure everyone enjoys their experience. Even the GM of the Beverly Hilton came over to our table to ask what we thought! (We said "more tikis and happy hours (Tiki Time) like some other T.V. locations.")

I say to all who are unsure....go check it out before you make comments! Sure it's a little "clean" and could use a few puffer fish and some more tikis and floats and sh*t, but I was assured that they are not through decorating. After all, they did all this in less than 4 days!!! My hat's off to Eve Bergeron!!! She is a friend to tiki central! Oh yeah! They also have beach themed movies playing on a 20 foot high wall by the pool!!!!! Very swanky feel!

Go say "Hi" to Chai and the bartenders. They'll treat you right! And you all missed out on some great grub and mai-tai's last night all for FREE!!!

"Mortgages and Mai-Tai's...Whatta life!"

[ Edited by: SoccerTiki 2007-05-07 12:25 ]

Right on!

While everyone else was freakin out,

you guys were

relaxin!

( just from the pics here, 4 days is quite the "dig in!")

Rock on!

Wish I could have been there to ring in the new. It was great that so many people helped to support the effort to save TV, but sadly we can't bring it back. I only hope the employees were treated fairly with the closing.

Bless you SoccerTiki for providing feedback to the GM on how to tiki up the place and for posting all the great pictures along with such positive vibes. Don't forget to suggest to them that the California State Capital needs a TV. :)

I don't mean to sound negative but I have been going to TV for the last 10 years or more and it is just so sad to see it change to this. I will probably go check it out sometime to see if my favorite bartenders are still there or not.

It's better than NOTHING!!!

I'm sorry,
I was there three weeks ago, and it's the same fucking bar with a new sign.

God Chris, I haven't seen a pic of you here in years!
At least you having a good time. That's what it should come down to.

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga 2007-05-05 00:58 ]

Usually in business, especially BIG business, you are supposed to "Up The Ante", not downsize it. It looks just like a poolside trendy club with a neon trader vic's sign...I see nothing remotely resembling anything like how the Original location was set up, unless some decor is set up inside Circa55?
Sometimes if progess steps backwards, maybe nothing is better than something...lol :wink:
I am glad however, to hear that "some" of the employees at least got to keep a job out of the situation. That's about the only good news I see so far with TVL.

Unless the lounge sign is some Hiptser font, it doesn't look like they even used a level to install the letters....

I dunno. It looks about as apealing as any other hotel pool. Which means on a hot day I might use the pool. But its not exactly anything I'd buy a postcard of and send back home to the folks.

Kinda bland.

Yes better than nothing. But a frikkin bland shame. A thin shadow of its former glory.

On 2007-05-04 23:44, Tom Slick wrote:
Usually in business, especially BIG business, you are supposed to "Up The Ante", not downsize it. It looks just like a poolside trendy club with a neon trader vic's sign...I see nothing remotely resembling anything like how the Original location was set up, unless some decor is set up inside Circa55?
Sometimes if progess steps backwards, maybe nothing is better than something...lol :wink:
I am glad however, to hear that "some" of the employees at least got to keep a job out of the situation. That's about the only good news I see so far with TVL.

No tiki inside of Circa 55.
And, hopefully,a "poolside trendy club" will result - after all, this is LA.
Finally, yes something, even for a finite time, is definitely better than nothing.

Hey, Unga Bunga!

On 2007-05-04 23:44, Tom Slick wrote:
It looks just like a poolside trendy club with a neon trader vic's sign...I see nothing remotely resembling anything like how the Original location was set up, unless some decor is set up inside Circa55?

For now consider the old B.H.T.V. as a memory. The new Trader Vic's Lounge is not even trying to be the old restaurant..... You gotta accept the fact that the restaurant is NO MORE and have an open mind about the NEW lounge. It's cool and wil be a lot fo fun to hang out at.

Give it a chance with the mindset that you are going to a new tiki lounge.....Or not. Cheers!!!!

I was filling up with gas on Santa Monica boulevard and heading home when I spotted the guy on top of the temple pointing his horn east. As a child I often wondered what he was doing up there.


So I drove in that direction for a few miles found myself standing outside of the closed Trader Vic's.
Expected to be confronted after crossing the chain, no one came out to stop me and I took these photos.

Then I decided to check out the lounge since I was there anyway.

I was initially shocked when I first saw the decor. No floats or tapa, Too many fish baskets,(Why are they all identical?) and a modern feel.

There was Chai , Judy and Amy. Several of the long time bartenders were mixing behind the bar. That was a good sign at least. I spoke with Lynda who is the director of public relations for the Beverly Hilton. She had been visiting TC lately to get a sense of our feelings and when I told her who I was, I expected to be thrown out as she had read my posts. Instead she invited me to photograph the lounge and give her my opinion.

I took the portrait hallway to the deserted parking lot and entrance. There was the big tiki sitting in the dark, just him and me. For a few minutes I remembered some of the times I had visited him in the past while I stood there in the dark.

Sure, I'll miss the old Trader Vic's more than most of you. My mother Ione loved going there for dinner.
When she decorated the Trade Wind's restaurant years later, some of the rooms of the Trade Wind's like the Sadie Thompson or the Zanzibar rooms weren't what most of us would consider tiki. The main dining room and tiki temple had that traditional tiki look that I hope they will try for in the Trader Vic's Lounge. The outside lighting reminds me of the movie "The Year of Living Dangerously" In spite of trying not to I found myself liking the space.

Thats what I see them doing here and it is a new chapter in Trader Vic's Beverly Hill's.
I need to apologise to many of you for some of my angry comments over the past few months.
Especially to the Cuban's and the Havana Cuba Polynesio who I hope will forgive me.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-05-08 15:53 ]

Nice photos, Ojaitimo.

Doesn't look horrible....

The entrance is the thing I'll miss most...The A Frame and giant tiki...driving by and seeing it was always nice.

If they could find a way to incorporate that into the new place, I think it might be cool.

I might check out the lounge.

The Bright side :
Hey folks, just think, if none of us in here (and others like us) didn't say a peep about it, they would probably just have been torn out it completely, with no Trader Vics ANYTHING....so call this a small victory. The fact that the hotel manager is reading stuff on Tiki Central is a testament to how this place, and tiki culture actually has a voice.

It could easily have went the way of the Star Bowling alley, and many other great LA landmarks....

http://www.tikiyakiorchestra.com
http://www.tikiyaki.wordpress.com
http://www.cuefactory.com

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2007-05-05 09:37 ]

I went last night with every intention of hating it and being dissapointed, but had fun despite myself. But it was certainly not the same... To me, its the exact same vibe of going to the Farmer's Market on Faifax now. You can disappear momentarily in the old school feel, but always get snapped back to the harsh reality of the Grove and its neon soul-less hell... It simply can't hold a candle to the old venue... They had more decor out than I expected, and the drinks were spot-on as always... But here is another dissapointment for me - drink prices went up an average of $2-3 for ALL drinks since I was there two months ago. Drinks now range from $13-17... But the new drink menu did include the specialty drinks from Dallas (the Star) and Scottsdale, and a new Beverly Hills drink which was like a tiki mojito. Damn good. Those were new to me... But for the drinks, especially if they add Happy Hour prices, I'd go back... I guess TV knows that if you give a heroin addict some watered-down methadone, they'll still take it....

*On 2007-05-05 09:59, Crowntiki wrote:*But here is another dissapointment for me - drink prices went up an average of $2-3 for ALL drinks since I was there two months ago. Drinks now range from $13-17.

I noticed that too. The Mai Tai is up to $14 now. Ouch. Those are almost London prices. The Menehune Juice is $16. Guess you gotta pay 2 extra bucks for the rubber doll.

In just a couple of hours I'll be joining 24 other TC'ers at the recently reopened Trader Vic's in Dallas. Perhaps that will take the some of the bad taste out of my mouth over their handling of the closing of Trader Vic's Beverly Hills.

RE: Tim's great photos. Hate how that sign says it's been "Relocated." That really burns me every time I see it. Why can't they be more honest and just say, "Trader Vic's Is Closed. Come Visit The New Trader Vic's Lounge Poolside...Now Open."

OK,
Thanks for the photos
0aitimo's photos are showing promise.
You think they would done this before opening, for a first impression.

Does anybody remember those freestanding Tikis from the original location? Because they are nouveaux Asian carvings, you can see it in the lips of the Cannibal Carving. (In the little guy that is. The mistake with the mouth not enveloping that little guy is an old one, comitted when the Luau menu artist copied the Beachcomber menu triplets.)
Maybe TV added those to the old restaurant a while ago, before the move, or they were brought down from SF now, in an effort to remain "Tiki", but they are not vintage.

On 2007-05-05 09:59, Crowntiki wrote:
I went last night with every intention of hating it and being disappointed, but had fun despite myself. But it was certainly not the same... ... But the new drink menu did include the specialty drinks from Dallas (the Star) and Scottsdale, and a new Beverly Hills drink which was like a tiki mojito. Damn good. ...

If TVL is judged by itself, not against its former glory (however difficult), it is a very enjoyable tiki spot.
It could have been far worse - just think of Islands at the Red Lion Hanalei.

It is important to enjoy TVL now, while we still can. It will only last a few more years. It has no lease with the forthcoming Waldorf Astoria and will disappear when the Beverly Wilshire is razed.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2007-05-05 16:09 ]

Those drink prices are out of my price range. I thought that the $11.25 I paid for a Mai tai in March was exorbitant. $14 is utterly ludicrous. They were $10 in Scottsdale, and the quality was significantly better I thought. Kind of odd I know, but I wasn't all that impressed with the one I had at TVBH.

Chris

I guess I'll go down there sometime and see what-all they have there...I keep thinking that this lounge is merely a "move" they initiated to placate the tiki folks..."Here's a cookie, now stop protesting, ya dumb culture-obsessed jerks!" But honestly, based on photos and descriptions, it does look like fun, I am glad some of the employees are staying on here, and I would like to check it out.

WHAT ???

"same island escape" - this is ridiculous ...

... the guys from the advertising agency must have lost their minds
or they had too many maitais
or they were forced to lie
or all together !

Observe the parrotlike similarities between these two press release snippets:

This attributed to Hilton's Beny Alagem: “Like our entire renovation, we have taken steps to honor what people love about the hotel’s exciting past while bringing The Beverly Hilton into 21st Century.”

This attributed to Hilton's Marie Garvey: "Just like our entire renovation of The Beverly Hilton, we have tried to honor the things that people love about the hotel’s past while bringing The Beverly Hilton into the 21st Century."

This mini-lounge thing was probably CREATED in response to the protests from the Tiki community; it and the press releases are all designed to placate, and also to paint a picture of Hilton as a sympathetic entity.

So not only is it insulting, but it wants to manipulate the opposition into turning away from the drama or to "re-perceive" the situation in a less dramatic way. Why? The public image of the company is at risk; AND, it'll cost them more money in the long run just processing the drama, unless the opposition gets quieted, fast.

I'll go down to this thing sometime and have a drink or two, sure, but I'll perceive it as what it is.

Well I am on my way there, Ayyyyyyy.......may the force be with me.

Sunday night at Trader Vic's - excellent idea.

So... do they show entire movies on the wall or just snippets of surf films. I mean for 14 bucks or whatever I wouldn't mind nursing a mai tai or two if I get to watch an entire movie.

Another Hollywood minute.

There are 4 tikis now. However, word on the street is that still more have been requested, including tall, free standing ones for the outside.

Oh, the Samoan Fogcutter mug and the volcano bowls are still available as are the gardenias.

There should be a suggestion box - My suggestion is for tiki torches.

The good The bad and The ugly

first the good
Christiki was there and Q-tiki and I had a great time.
Music is still Hawaiian
Navy Grog is good and in the right glass
3 bartenders were form the old TV, no Alfie or Ben :(
it is open 2pm-2am
Valet parking doesn't cost anything except for tip, TV validates for 4 hours
there is a huge Bird of paradise plant, an old one , right in front of the bar

the bad
no resemblance to old TV, major downgrade
has the same atmosphere as the Roosevelt, or the Standard
no more munchies in a bowl, instead bread in the basket (not too bad)
Mai tai was too sweet and not enough rum (could be the bartender)
not much ambiance

the ugly
BH TV is gone forever.....

The movie on the wall is just a repetition of some guys surfing in the ocean. The restaurant does not serve TV menu.
Yes I would go back again at 2 in the afternoon sit by the pool and have a nice tropical drink. It has 50's feel to it and I liked it.

Thanks for an Honest review Hiltiki.
I want to go there and check it out too, but am very skeptical.
I really hope that Alphi is working there, he was the best in my opinion.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

This from the LATimes, which references this board and some of its members:

Tiki-philes carrying a torch for Trader Vic's
The iconic restaurant in Beverly Hills was quietly downsized last month, without the send-off some fans feel it deserved.
By Ashraf Khalil
Times Staff Writer

May 8, 2007

The iconic high-peaked Polynesian entrance and towering islander totem pole still stand near the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel. But Trader Vic's, the legendary Rat Pack watering hole that helped launch a national tiki-bar craze, has officially been downsized.

Quietly (tiki enthusiasts allege secretively) the restaurant that introduced mai tais to the mainstream closed its doors April 29, prompting howls of protest from L.A.'s community of tikiphiles.

"I say to descend on [Trader Vic's] en masse and strip it of everything and then burn it down," wrote one contributor on the Tikicentral Internet message board. "THEN folks would think twice before closing their tiki bars."

In truth, Trader Vic's, once considered among Southern California's top restaurants, isn't going away completely. A new scaled-down version opened Thursday next to the Hilton pool, offering a limited food menu but some of the same signature cocktails.

"We're excited about it. We think it'll introduce Trader Vic's to a whole new clientele," said Marie Garvey, spokeswoman for Hilton owner Benny Alagem, who bought the hotel and the property housing Trader Vic's from Merv Griffin in 2003. "We see it as honoring the restaurant's past while taking it into the future."

Plans call for the former Trader Vic's building and part of the Hilton to eventually be replaced by a new Waldorf Astoria Hotel and two luxury condominium buildings. The project is part of a $500-million expansion of the existing hotel complex.

The community of hard-core tiki enthusiasts is taking the change badly — seeing it as the end of a much-beloved era. Alagem's plans were public knowledge and the closure was expected at some point. But many complain bitterly of being blindsided by the sudden move and deprived of the chance for a final old-times-sake mai tai.

Many fans had resigned themselves to the restaurant's eventual end, but assumed there would be an extended series of events to properly bid it farewell. Hilton officials, however, seemed determined to close the original Vic's, "under cover of night, with an utter lack of pomp," wrote a blogger who goes by the name Humuhumu. "Trader Vic's deserved a full state funeral and a raging wake. Instead it was buried in a cardboard box under an unmarked grave."

Garvey said the timing of the move was determined by negotiations with the international Trader Vic's franchise and by sensitivity to longtime employees and their union.

The Beverly Hills Trader Vic's was a Hollywood hotspot in the '50s and '60s, attracting show-business royalty and helping spark a nationwide trend in island-themed bars. Dean Martin and his compatriots were regulars, as was Ronald Reagan.

But tiki culture fell on lean times as American trends moved on. Now in the era of sleek lounges, green apple martinis and Red Bull concoctions, the 200-plus-seat restaurant simply wasn't turning a profit anymore.

"It faced business challenges," Garvey said diplomatically.

Sven Kirsten, the L.A.-based author of "The Book of Tiki," tracks the downturn to the counterculture movement of the '70s. Young baby boomers rejected tiki bars as emblematic of their parents' generation.

"The generation gap in the '70s was really the death blow to the culture," he said. "Then the '80s were the decade of destruction, when things really bottomed out."

Tiki experienced a slight revival in the early '90s as part of a general retro '50s trend that repopularized swing and rockabilly music, Kirsten said.

Hollywood figures associated with Miramax Films often used the bar as a gathering spot and after last year's Golden Globe Awards, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Spacey and Sandra Oh drank and danced there.

Meanwhile, the Trader Vic's brand name continues to endure with more than two dozen franchises from Las Vegas to Beirut. But locally, in the city that invented the genre, the pickings are slim. Kirsten, an admitted "tiki-snob," said there were only a handful of tiki bars left in the L.A. area.

[email protected]

'The generation gap in the '70s was really the death blow to the culture. Then the '80s were the decade of destruction, when things really bottomed out.'

Sven Kirsten, author of "The Book of Tiki"

[i]On 2007-05-07 23:19, christiki295 wrote:

Hilton officials, however, seemed determined to close the original Vic's, "under cover of night, with an utter lack of pomp," wrote a blogger who goes by the name Humuhumu. "Trader Vic's deserved a full state funeral and a raging wake. Instead it was buried in a cardboard box under an unmarked grave."

Nice quote, Humuhumu.

Wacky. I mean, I think it's neat & all, but the folks at Tiki Central get ticked, and it makes the LA Times? (Front page of the site, no less!) That's a little silly. Slooooooow news day.

On 2007-05-07 23:40, Humuhumu wrote:
Wacky. I mean, I think it's neat & all, but the folks at Tiki Central get ticked, and it makes the LA Times? (Front page of the site, no less!) That's a little silly. Slooooooow news day.

Silly - slow news day? I think not.
It's the power of the tiki.

May 8, 2007
But tiki culture fell on lean times as American trends moved on. Now in the era of sleek lounges, green apple martinis and Red Bull concoctions, the 200-plus-seat restaurant simply wasn't turning a profit anymore.

[email protected]

Are you fu**ing kidding me?? No, Seriously....If the Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills wasn't making profit, then someone should have let the standing room only people know about that. IF thats the case, then all the other Vic's should be folded up too, because I believed that location was one of the top 3 in the company for turning profits! I don't think I've ever seen an empty table for long in my times of being there...Maybe they just didn't have enough seats! And at $13 Mai Tais and $30+ dinner menu items, How could have they NOT made profit?! Especially when all the booths were filled most of the time?...Someone got smoke blown all up in that ass....If it didnt make profit,Beny Alegrem sure wouldn't have made a lounge for them(TraderVics), that profiteering SOB, and you can bank on that!

What he said.

I loved Trader Vic's as much as anyone, but I think some people are being a bit delusional about the profitability of the restaurant. I live down the street and have frequented the place for while. It was rarely packed, especially on weekdays. I do wish that there had been some warning prior to the closing and that is the main thing that irks me about this. I am actually quite excited to check out the lounge, and am glad that I can still grab a mai tai and look at a few tikis when I get the itch, which is a lot more than I was expecting.

On a happier note I joined the Tejas Ohana this past Saturday at the recently "reborn" Trader Vic's in Dallas. What a great place, excellent traditional drinks, all the right mugs, super food, excellent service, and a great management team. Grab the next flight from L.A. and check it out.

Well, here's the thing to keep in mind: the hotel A) was running the restaurant, and B) wanted to shut down the restaurant so they could put a tower of condos/hotel rooms there instead. That's not a recipe for success.

What incentive did they have for running the restaurant responsibly and doing the basic things one should do to be profitable? Taking a hit on a restaurant is chump change compared to how much they'll be able to make with it out of the way. The info I have heard from some "ask not to be identified"-type sources at Trader Vic's is that Hilton simply wasn't even trying to make it work.

This is the kind of thing that makes you not wanna talk to the press anymore. I talked to the guy on the phone from home, after I had just had a Navy Grog at the Tiki Ti with a Norwegian journalist who is doing an article on Thor Heyerdahl in Polynesian Pop.

I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle when I had to spell the name "Don The Beachcomber" to the LA Times reporter: While the Norwegian writer knew every obscure joint in America that ever bore the name Kon Tiki, this local did not know anything of the founding father of Poly pop, not to mention of Tiki history, its meaning, and the Tiki revival.

While I was talking, I could already hear that certain things that did not fit were not registered, others were. He even specifically said that he'd heard Vic's was not turning a profit anymore, and I replied that I believed that to be untrue, having seen the bar buzzing each time I had been there, though I never went into the restaurant. And I clearly stated that I expected the new place to be milk toast, and an appeasement move by the new owners.

My hole spiel about the revival being a subculture in the 90s, but taking off in the new millenium, propelled by artists in the LA graphic design community, was reduced to only the first half. And I had to agree that there were less and less Tiki Bars in LA, so that was his gist. He went to the Tiki Ti, but that did not amount to much, I guess.

It's a lesson to be careful with what you say on TC, because the "burn down the place" quote made us look like crank pots, while Humu's critique was much more level headed, and hit the mark.

All in all though, I still believe that there is no bad press, the "Tiki-philes carrying a torch for Trader Vic's" headline certainly validated our feelings....while the sub-header perfectly played along with the developer's PR by not calling it a "closing" but a "downsizing"!:"The iconic restaurant in Beverly Hills was quietly downsized last month, without the send-off some fans feel it deserved."
Like I said, slick talk.

To be fair, we do not know what the original text was like and what was edited out, or what of the headline was written by another editor, but the fact remains and is here proven again that American media is now in the hands of big money, and they will not go against one of their own. Just compare the foreign press coverage of the Irak war with the omitted, smoothed out stuff one gets fed here.

Well, the hotel is not in the business of historical preservation, so if it will be more profitable to put a luxury hotels and condos there, then that is what they are going to do. In a perfect world, corporate boards would be appreciative of the importance of tiki, but such is not the case. Truth be told, the only way that Trader Vic's is going to fit into what is going to be a very slick development, is in the form of the current lounge, and even so, probably not for long. If Trader Vics makes sense in L.A., they'll open another restaurant, hopefully in a more appropriate area than Beverly Hills, and hopefully maintaining many of the elements of the original restaurant.