Seattle: Polynesian Cuisine & Tiki Lounge ?

in today's Seattle Weekly, the following blurb about a new restaurant...

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0330/food-hotdish.php

i'll try to do a drive by this weekend..not sure if the stuff on the menu fits into the Atkins Diet.. but we'll see!! here's hoping!

Thoa Nguyen goes against the current with her new restaurant, the Islander.

CAN THOA NIX THE JINX?
Restaurateur Thoa Nguyen (pronounced "twah nwin") has scored success after success since opening the first Chinoise Café back in 1996. Let's hope she hasn't exhausted all her good karma because she's gonna need some with her latest venture, the Islander. Billed as "a Polynesian Cuisine & Tiki Lounge," the Islander opened Monday at 96 Union Street, a location that has devoured a number of hopeful restaurant ventures over the last few years, among them Leo Melina's, 96 Union (closed December 2001), and, most recently, Harbor Place. Nguyen's hoping that her casual Pacific-fusion approach will suit the neighborhood better than predecessors did, and we have to admit, items like geoduck corn chowder, volcano rolls (tuna, avocado, and papaya), fish pockets with spicy mango salsa and slaw, and moo moo coriander-crusted beef sound pretty intriguing, not to mention light enough for a downtown lunch. Here's wishing you luck, Thoa: The deck at 96 Union's too nice to be locked behind a "Closed for Remodeling" sign most of the time.

So that's where it is. Humuhumu posted about this place a couple weeks back and did some window fogging to try and get a peek. I walked all over the neighborhood looking and didn't think about the Harbour Place location. I'd be very much into a gathering of Seattlite Centralites to check out the decor and cocktail offerings if anybodies are interested.

I'm visiting Seattle next month to determine if it's going to be my new home because i'm leaving this god forsaken jungle hell. How's the tiki vibe in Jet city? Do they still dislike folks from smogville?

hey Tiki Rivera! i'm a former californian, moved here in Nov 02. tiki-wise, there's no comparison to CA, but everything else makes up for that!! the weather isnt as bad as Willard Scott would have everyone belive, and theres no backlash against the influx of refugees from smog.. let us know when you'll be here, we'll hook up for some tiki-ness or just sightseeing!!

Woofmutt: we'll meet you there ~ gads, so many events in Seattle during the summer!! festivals and concerts everywhere... friday or a weeknight would be best for me ~ do you want to be The Planner for a trip to The Islander?

elicia

The word on the street from my bandmate in Lushy who walked in last week on their "test" lunch day was that the place was more nice hawaiian tiki than funky, dark, old, they don't make 'em like that anymore tiki. But the menu looks pretty good.
A three martini lunch on my birthday next week is in order... I think I'll check it out for lunch next Thursday if anyone cares to come by for some birthday cheer around noon (7.31)

You may not feel hated, dogbytes, but that doesn't mean you aren't hated. And that goes for anyone else thinking of moving here. And our weather does too suck, so everyone should just stay home.

In reality we're so used to Califusans that it doesn't even get a comment. But if you're still worried...The west coast accent is pretty similar, so just tell folks you moved from Chehalis or Aberdeen.

For a possible get together at the probably disappointing new Tiki place see "Seattle: The Islander...When?" in Tiki Events.