Ports O' Call, Dallas, TX (restaurant)

&PStephen Crane told the Dallas Morning News in 1960 that he got the idea for this restaurant in 1936 while attending the Olympics in Germany. “There was a restaurant in Munich called The Four Seasons which had 4 rooms,” he said, “each decorated to represent a season of the year. It gave me the idea for a Ports O’ Call, which would be four restaurants in one-each specializing in a certain kind of food.” He was obviously referring to the restaurant style for not only Ports O’Call in Dallas but what would later be Kon Tiki Ports in Chicago and Boston.

Ports O’ Call was permanently docked on the 37th floor in what used to be the Southland Life tower of the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas. The hotel itself opened in 1958 and the Southland Life tower in 1960. At the time the tallest building in downtown Dallas.

Southland Life built Ports O’ Call and leased it to the Sheraton, who hired Stephen Crane Associates to operate the restaurant. The restaurant officially opened on July 29th, 1960.

This is a picture from the Dallas Morning News of Stephen Crane, Louis Barenello (executive director of management for Stephen Crane Assoc.) and executive chef Al Alstad taken around the same time:

An ad from the August, 1960 issue of Dallas Magazine:

The Restaurant
Upon arrival by elevator to the 37th floor you were instantly transported to the mahogany deck of a ship, The White Cloud, complete with a real helmsman’s wheel to mark the reservation deck and the main sail beam from the ship used in the 1956 movie Around The World In 80 Days. Four dining rooms were ahead, each whisking you off to an exotic destination in the Far East.

To your left was PAPEETE. Here is the description from the Dallas Morning News:

***In the Tahiti setting, rock lava and coral form a setting for a softly-lighted fountain, behind a curving bar of teak and monkey pod wood. Blowfish lighted in green, red, yellow and blue hang above the bar, where a Hawaiian war god rules. Other hand-carved gods from Maori and Tahiti stand at strategic points in the room.

Walls are covered with paper thin, hand-dyed fabric in soft browns and beiges. Hand carved weapons, including a hook on which heads were hung, decorate the walls. An outrigger canoe hangs on the ceiling, huge clam shells shade lights on the walls and polished monkey pod wood is used for the free-form shaped tables.***

from the postcard: *** Nature has been tamed for this tropic hideaway. A waterfall babbles for your pleasure while local wild life stands motionless to keep you at your ease. But spears and pelts remind the diner that the simple life does have its excitements.***

Across from Papeete was SINGAPORE YACHT CLUB

from the postcard: A gourmet’s corner of the Colonies with authenticity as the appetizer. Gas-lit, captain-chaired…very British and truly delightful. Your table, once the hatch cover of a ship that proudly carried Her Majesty’s flag to far-flung harbors.

Further down across the deck of the White Cloud were two more destinations.

First was MACAO

from the postcard: All the fascinations of foreign sorcery beguile you in this harbor of mystery where the rare sweet meats of Cathay tempt even the most sophisticated palate. Dine in the gaze of a noble Ming dynasty Kwan-Yin…delight in the lavish ebony and mother-of-pearl furnishings. You’ll be bewitched!

Across from Macao was SAIGON

from the postcard: A haven of pleasure…dedicated to delights in dining and décor. Rich silks and sacred carvings surround its fortunate inhabitants, heightening their enjoyment in the Oriental offerings. Surrender to the lure of this fascinating city of mystery. It’s inevitable!

Waiters dressed appropriately for the room they were waiting on. Head waiters and captains dressed in formal white naval dress uniform.

Although it was beautifully decorated and featured exotic food and drinks…the main attraction of Ports O’ Call was the view…especially at night. During the 60’s, Dallas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country. New buildings and skyscrapers were going up all around the Sheraton, and Ports O’ Call offered one of the most spectacular views of the fast rising skyline.

I’ve spoken with several Dallas natives who remember dining at Ports O’ Call, and the view from 37 floors up is always the first thing they mention. One gentleman told me he visited soon after they opened and couldn’t get over how far and wide he could see from the restaurant. It was the tallest building he’d ever been in so it was an experience he wouldn’t soon forget…sitting by the window able to see the entire city and watching the planes come and go from Love Field. But what of the restaurant? He couldn’t remember which dining room he ate in but he said the decor made him crave roasted pig. We’ll assume it was Papeete.

The Papeete room was obviously the most popular of the four dining rooms. “Visit our famous Papeete Club” is the wording at the bottom of this ad from the January 1969 issue of D Magazine.

Notice they’re really pushing the view as the big attraction to dining at Ports O’ Call. It’s a little different than the ad in the June 1968 issue:

Then came the 70’s. With tiki devolution in full swing, there sat Ports O’ Call with it’s Far East destinations...the same destinations people were watching turn extraordinarily violent on the nightly news. No longer an escape, it sat as a painful reminder of the world it was trying to an escape from. It’s amazing the restaurant survived as long as it did…and it was mostly because of that spectacular view no one could get anywhere else.

Not only was Ports O’ Call now considered “tacky” by the trendy 70’s nightlife, but stories began to spread that the food and service was terrible. There were also stories of embezzlement by employees (which apparently made the papers) but I haven’t been able to find any solid information.

Ports O’ Call did make an attempt at altering the menu somewhat to try to attract more customers as can be seen in this write-up from D Magazine, March 1978:

The menu now docks in many new ports (wiener schnitzel from Germany, steak au poivre from France, etc.) though the featured fare is still mostly Polynesian. And nothing special at that – but then that’s never been the appeal anyway. The attractions are the lavish (almost ludicrous) dining rooms, the 37th floor view with the “big city” feeling and the exotic rum concoctions in the tiki-god-and-blowfish bar – try the Test Pilot, limit 2 per customer.

The final blow to Ports O’ Call was handed down in 1978 when Reunion Tower opened across town. At the top of the tower, 55 stories up, was a brand new rotating restaurant. Ports O’Call no longer had the “best view in town” and by the summer of 1978 it was all over.

D Magazine managed to get in one more review before they closed for good. This is from the July 1978 issue:

The over-ambitious menu, which includes continental as well as Oriental dishes, has no outstanding items. Portions are large, as if to make up for the bland and uninspired preparation. But the fancy fruit and rum drinks are still fun, and if you have a tourist friend who’s trapped downtown, you can recommend it for what it’s worth.

No-one EVER knocked the drinks.

The Menu
The only menu I’ve had an opportunity to closely examine is the one pictured here. This menu was something the customer kept as it contained a swizzle stick, a pack of matches and a paper coaster. The menu was shaped like a piece of luggage with stamps from all four exotic destinations. (note - this is obviously not their complete menu and I’ve not been able to find any info on what exactly these were used for.) The selections are fairly limited…shirred eggs with chicken livers anyone? And what would happen if a woman tried to order the “Business Men Luncheon”.

Another look at the extras that came with the menu:

This brochure was also included:

The Dallas Morning News had this to say about the menu shortly before the restaurant opened to the public:

The Ports’ Saigon room will feature curried dishes, the Papeete will offer such delicacies as Chicken Taboo and rare porks, the Macao will present a superb Cantonese fare and the Singapore Yacht Club will be headquarters for such traditional British fares as steaks, chops and mutton.

The Drinks
I’ve yet to get a good look at a drink menu. They’re very rare and usually go for BIG bucks on Ebay. If anybody has one PLEASE post some pics!! I did notice these in the Macao postcard:

The Artifacts
One piece that’s quite intriguing is the covered coconut mugs that were used as condiment bowls similar to the ones at the other Stephen Crane locations. Here’s one missing the lid.

You can see them on the tables in the postcards:

Creamer and butter pat:

One thing I’ve yet to see is an actual tiki mug that is marked Ports O’ Call. We’ve all seen the many different mugs from the Kon Tiki Ports locations, but I’ve yet to see one specifically marked “Ports O’ Call.” It’s probably safe to assume they did use tiki mugs, especially in Papeete, but possibly unmarked? Here’s a Ports O’ Call tumbler, photo courtesy Unkle John:

The S shakers were pretty much identical to the ones used at the other Stephen Crane locations:

Epilogue
The Dallas Sheraton is still standing and is now the Adams Mark Hotel.

And what of the Ports O’ Call location on the 37th floor? Now just a series of meeting rooms, with less than exotic names like Majestic 1, Majestic 2, Majestic 3 etc...a far cry from Papeete and Macao.

The view from the 37th floor, however, isn’t as far and wide as in the days of Ports O’ Call, but pretty nice nonetheless:

[ Edited by: Kenike (RESTORING MISSING PICS) 2011-03-17 11:21 ]

[ Edited by: Kenike 2011-03-18 03:30 ]

Name:Ports O' Call
Type:restaurant
Street:400 Olive St
City:Dallas
State:TX
Zip:75201
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Stephen Crane operated restaurant located on the 37th floor of the Southland Life tower, part of the Dallas Sheraton. Operated from 1960-1978. Had four different dining rooms similar to Crane's Kon Tiki Ports locations.

[ Edited by: bifcozz 2007-02-09 21:32 ]

Great pics...thanks!! I forgot to post my pic of the cocktail glass. I stupidly traded it away back when I was only collecting "tiki" mugs.

Fantastic research!! Thanks for all the work you put into this post.

Damn Kenike!!!
Out-STAND-ing research!
You have been squirreling away information for quite some time, as well as spending a good many hour at the library, no? Thank you so much for enriching us all!

DA-HAMN!!!

Inspired to get on the ball herself,
F

I am seriously impressed with the images!! A fantastic look at the Ports!!

on the page that heads up
'PAPEETE" 'Paradise of the Pacific'there is a drawing of a "carved sepic river house hook" does any one know what that is ,or used for . and does anyone have one?thanks TD

Hey Tiki David-

I have one, yes; mine has only one double hook, not two as in that drawing.

I've been told they were used for both the mundane (hanging your food and whatnot upon to keep it off the floor) as well as the religious (hanging representations of what you hoped to gain on the hunt).

Oh man that is awesome!!
BTW You;ll have some more additions to the thread after the meet-up :wink:

Texas Tikiphiles Unite!

[ Edited by: Unkle John 2007-02-07 21:26 ]

Thanks for the kudos everyone. Yes, much time was spent at the Dallas library.

Ports O' Call was really big news when it opened in 1960 so the Dallas Morning News archive proved invaluable from that time period. The problem that I ran into was that there are no archives available between 1977 & 1983, which includes the time when Ports shut it's doors. Repeated calls to the Dallas Morning News have gotten me nowhere. There's probably some good info buried somewhere in there. D Magazine and Dallas Magazine were my other two big sources of info.

That hand holding the swizzle stick/ashtray holding the matchbook concept is just priceless!
...did they know about us then?

Wow great post! Thank you Kenike you rule!

Amazing body of info you put together! I'll give you a menu lead, if you want to hit the main Dallas Library, again. In the late 70's, someone put out a few editions of a book named, "Dallas Menu". I ran across a copy I have a few years ago, but now I can't find it. It had reproductions of the menus of many Dallas restaurants (the ones that paid to be put in the book, I'm sure). One of them was Ports O'Call. The library has copies of this book, but it doesn't circulate - reference only. If they don't have a scanner, maybe you can copy it on the copy machine.
I have an ulterior motive to this, too. As soon as one of us goes to all the trouble of downtown parking, library copying fees, etc., and finally posting the menu here,... my copy will magically turn up.

This is terrific, terrific stuff -- thank you so much for taking the time to compile all of this and present it in such a wonderfully digestible way, Kenike! It's given me a much better sense of what the Ports o' Call restaurants were like than anything else I've seen.

Meant to ad this bit of ephemera from my files for a while to this excellent thread:

Thanks for posting that, bigbro! Is that from the Dallas Morning News? I don't recall coming across that article. Great picture, too. Looks like the Singapore room. Gotta love the head waiter on the right talking on the phone in his "I'm very busy" pose. And how about those Dallas fashions!

Oh, and I love this sentence:
"Bright green carpets and furniture upholstery in this room are softened to blue-green appearance by the lighting from assorted many-colored balloons."

Balloons????

I also have more to add to this thread and will do so eventually.

Not sure if this is the right place to post the question but this is the only Steve Crane restaurant posting in this category.

I'm looking for Steve Crane restaurant pictures or drink menus partly to see what drinks go to what mugs. The main one I can never find a picture or a reference of is the famous Steve Crane Bird Bowl (or even the Steve Crane Scorpion bowl). Are there any pictures of these bowls on any menus or photos?

For that matter, I think it would be great if someone could start a posting for either the Beverly Hills Luau or the Kon Tiki restaurants! (and no, I am not the right person for that)

Thanks!

In the Ports O' Call drink menu I have, all of the drinks are pictured in glassware (or pineapples or coconuts). No Bird Bowls or mugs. Anyone have a drink menu from Kon Tiki Ports of the Luau?

This image I found here on the Tiki Central gallery. You can also find it on pages 158-159 of 'The Book of Tiki'. It's from the Luau but I'm pretty sure this was also used at the Kon Tiki Ports locations.

It shows Steve's Rum Barrel (drink = Rum Barrel), The War Club Mug (drink = ?), Tongue Mug (drink = ?), and the Ku Mug (drink = War God). However, again no pics of the Coconut Mug, the Scorpion Bowl, and The Bird Bowl.

Sometimes I wonder if the bird bowl was used for Chicken Soup... a ferocious chicken soup of course!

[ Edited by: Kenike 2010-11-22 12:38 ]

Thanks Kenike for all the great material. You are right, when lining it all up like that, it does seem like they were almost purposely avoiding Tiki imagery. The emphasis seems to have been on "Exotica".

And the articles drive home again what I mentioned in the BOT: How the romantic musings about Saigon in the early 60s became so ironically wrong by the late 60s, this really being a perfect metaphor for the break between the Tiki generation and its Vietnam war protesting children.

And that souvenir swizzle/matchbook/coaster menu is still one of my favorite pieces of Tiki/Lounge ephemera that I covet.

it does seem like they were almost purposely avoiding Tiki imagery. The emphasis seems to have been on "Exotica".

Maybe it was because of the 4 dining room concept...they didn't want patrons to think it was ALL "tiki" or Polynesian. That logo implies a ship being tied to a mooring somewhere, and the traveler could pick one of four destinations.

Interesting then is the fact that the later restaurants with the same concept all became "Kon Tiki Ports." Perhaps realizing that tiki was still sort of hip, they decided to incorporate tiki into the restaurant name and all the goodies. Ports O' Call never made that change since they were already well known and successful, but their fate would have been sealed regardless.

Pronounced keh-NEE-kay

[ Edited by: kenike 2008-06-15 17:54 ]

You may have noticed that the menu says that you have to supply your own rum or "other potent juices", for the bartenders to use. "Those who boarded unprepared will find a bountiful supply available at the ship's stores of our goodly flagship, the White Cloud." In other words, they had a convenient on-premises liquor store. What was up with that?
At that time (1960's), Texas did not allow the sale of liquor by the drink. You had to buy liquor by the bottle at a liquor store. You brought your own bottle of hooch to a restaurant, which sold "set-ups" - a mixed drink without any liquor added, yet. You added the final ingredient, yourself, or you could give the bartender your bottle(s) to use, in the preparation of your drink.
In 1971, Texas changed the law. Dallas began allowing restaurants to sell drinks in 1972 - in certain designated "wet" areas. Thats when the restaurant boom really took off, in Dallas.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-12-26 11:58 ]

WOW!
I just got a wrinkle in my rum soaked brain.
Great history lesson LL!

Thank you, Kenike. This is one of my favorite posts.

I'm hoping that someone who knows about the Steve Crane restaurants can help me with something that I've been obsessing about for a while. Does anyone have any information about Scam 9000?

I saw this photo on ebay with a great shot of a woman dining at the Papeete Room at the Ports O Call in Dallas.

Here is the photo

This is the postcard from the Papeete Room

DC

At the Hukilau last June there were some artists renderings on display at the Mai Kai on Sunday. Unfortunately, I was already on my way back to TX but Koitiki was kind enough to take a few pictures:

Bora Boris alerted me to this picture buried in the Dallas Library photo archives. Great pic of the Saigon Room

A month or two ago there was a drink menu on Ebay that I’ve never seen before. I lost the auction to another TC’er and I’m hoping they’ll provide us with a good scan. Here are the pics from the auction.

It’s cut off in the picture, but it says something about tiki mugs being available at the bar. So there WERE tiki mugs at Ports O’ Call.

Kenike - I used those renderings in my 'Tiki Architecture' seminar that I presented at the 2008 Hukilau on the last day (Sunday). I made up the posters and put them on display at the Mai Kai for closer inspection after my seminar was over.

I got the renderings from my good friend JonPaul who is out in LA. He has a fantastic story on how he came into possesion of those artworks, and I shared it at Hukilau.

Zulu

I'm new here, so not sure if this is appropriate- just let me know- but my family lived in Dallas during the 70s. Port's o' Call was one of my father's favorite places, and where I first heard of "surf and turf". I only ate there once - my high school boyfriend took me to the Singapore room when he announced his appointment to the Naval Academy. The main thing I remember is that the place was freezing, and the boyfriend wasn't allowed to take off his suit jacket for me to wear. Instead, they loaned me one of the jackets they had for the men who didn't meet the dress code - I wasn't that thrilled. This was in 1973.

[ Edited by: mochaloca 2008-10-24 12:36 ]

On 2008-10-24 12:35, mochaloca wrote:
I'm new here, so not sure if this is appropriate- just let me know- but my family lived in Dallas during the 70s. Port's o' Call was one of my father's favorite places, and where I first heard of "surf and turf". I only ate there once - my high school boyfriend took me to the Singapore room when he announced his appointment to the Naval Academy. The main thing I remember is that the place was freezing, and the boyfriend wasn't allowed to take off his suit jacket for me to wear. Instead, they loaned me one of the jackets they had for the men who didn't meet the dress code - I wasn't that thrilled. This was in 1973.

I think any eyewitness anecdotes about long gone Tiki palaces are very relevant, this one in particular pointing out the divide between the young generation and the "establishment" back then, which eventually was the death stab of fine "theme" dining places like these. They probably would not have let me past the door even because of my shoulder-long hair back then....

Well, maybe if I would've tried to pass as a girl :) . Tiki and trying to be 'hip" were two opposing worlds back then.

On 2008-10-06 12:56, Dustycajun wrote:
I saw this photo on ebay with a great shot of a woman dining at the Papeete Room at the Ports O Call in Dallas.

Here is the photo

Here is the Mr. to go along with the Ms. Looks like a prom date!

Your right Sven, judging by these photos, I think you would have had to gone as the girl to get your skinny ass in there! Nice DJ photo hipster.

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2008-10-29 00:06 ]

Article in todays Dallas Morning News about the 90 million dollar renovation being done at the Dallas Sheraton:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-sheraton_19bus.ART0.State.Edition1.4abff3f.html

"The hotel's fitness center will get much bigger, and the 38th-floor restaurant – formerly the Chaparral Club – will be revamped.

"It's being totally redone as a 4,000-square-foot-plus catering venue," Mr. Hammer said.

There's even talk of reviving the central tower's top-floor space, once used for a signature restaurant – Ports of Call – and an observation deck. Now the owners are considering everything from a nighttime venue to a spa, Mr. Hammer said.

Please, not a spa. How about a four-dining-room-themed restaurant?

Maybe you could show them the success of TV.

Found this postcard of the rendering of the tower recently, I thought it really brings out the contrast between this ultra modern box, and the elaborately decorated and themed rooms of the Ports of Call:

Postcard for the Macao Room. Gotta love the exotic description.

Hey all, first poster tiki noob here!

But all this talk of the Ports O Call has brought me to yall! Anyways, my folks got engaged there back in 1976. Have a napkin, matchbook, swizzle stick........and oh yeah I got a couple of mugs from there too. B)

I was reading this post and called to chat with mom and she told me that the tiki mugs she gave me long ago were from there. I opened up the cabinet and bang!

She assures me they are from Dallas as she has never even been to Chicago or Boston.

On 2009-09-03 16:02, Nikko wrote: m
She assures me they are from Dallas as she has never even been to Chicago or Boston.

Welcome to TC Nikko!

Interesting factoid there, as we've been wondering if Ports used tiki mugs and if so did they say "Ports O' Call" on them. Someone found a menu that says "tiki mugs available at the bar" but we could never figure out which mugs they were. Perhaps now we have our answer. Kon Tiki Ports was the name given to other Steve Crane owned locations that were nearly identical to Ports O' Call in Dallas.

Post some pics of your other Ports O' Call swag when you have the time!

On 2008-10-24 13:19, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2008-10-24 12:35, mochaloca wrote:
I'm new here, so not sure if this is appropriate- just let me know- but my family lived in Dallas during the 70s. Port's o' Call was one of my father's favorite places, and where I first heard of "surf and turf". I only ate there once - my high school boyfriend took me to the Singapore room when he announced his appointment to the Naval Academy. The main thing I remember is that the place was freezing, and the boyfriend wasn't allowed to take off his suit jacket for me to wear. Instead, they loaned me one of the jackets they had for the men who didn't meet the dress code - I wasn't that thrilled. This was in 1973.

I think any eyewitness anecdotes about long gone Tiki palaces are very relevant, this one in particular pointing out the divide between the young generation and the "establishment" back then, which eventually was the death stab of fine "theme" dining places like these. They probably would not have let me past the door even because of my shoulder-long hair back then....

Well, maybe if I would've tried to pass as a girl :) . Tiki and trying to be 'hip" were two opposing worlds back then.

Holy Crap, is that YOU ?

Ok so here are a couple more pics. Turns out that you could get more than one type of mug at the bar I suppose. Stopped by my mother's on the way home today and she told me these were from the Ports also. She said they got them on a different trip to the restaurant.

Here are scans of the matchbook I borrowed from mom's scrapbook. Was able to get the 30 year old tape off without destroying it.

Kenike,

Sorry to have missed you when we were out your way this summer.

Came across this photo of Stephen Crane and figured this had to be from the Dallas location.

DC

On 2010-08-04 22:48, Dustycajun wrote:
Kenike,

Sorry to have missed you when we were out your way this summer.

Came across this photo of Stephen Crane and figured this had to be from the Dallas location.

DC

Wow...this is the first pic I've seen that shows some of the entry into one of the dining rooms. They're standing at the entrance of the Singapore Yacht Club. She appears to be holding the top of the handrail that can be seen in this postcard:

Thanks for posting this...great pic of Steve the Ladies Man. Any idea who the woman is?

Kenike,

I knew you would spot that photo as Dallas.

I'm pretty sure the women with Crane is his (third?) wife, Martine Carol.

He was the Ladies Man!

DC

The Ports o Call in Dallas had the very cool Clipper Ship White Cloud theme that was advertised in this brochure...

I grabbed some web images showing the early construction phase of the White Cloud.

Including this one showing Steve Crane christening of the ship herself.

How cool is that!

DC

Definitely cool..thanks for posting!

Another Ports o Call ad from Dallas featuring the White Cloud.

and the Table of Plenty Buffet!

DC

Saw the postcard on ebay that contains the standard photos of the four rooms.

Plus a shot of the White Cloud entrance area that looks just like the ad I posted earlier..

Back of the card.

DC

Hi, I might have missed this on the 'Polynesian restaurant china and server ware' thread, but I think it's appropriate to post this under Locating Tiki.

It's for sale on etsy.com by a seller that lives in Dallas.