Trader Vic's Downtown Los Angeles!, Los Angeles, CA (restaurant)

Name:Trader Vic's Downtown Los Angeles!
Type:restaurant
Street:Olympic & Figueroa
City:Los Angeles
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:n/a
Status: Closed

Description:
Angelenic.com reports: it is official! Trader Vic's is coming to LA Live in downtown Los Angeles! Across the street from Staples Center and mixed up with ESPN Studios, The Grammy Museum, The Conga Room, and the Nokia Theater (already open), this should become the hoppingest TV location outside of Las Vegas! Wow, and I live within walking distance! Happy days...

Read article:
http://www.angelenic.com/816/trader-vics-signs-lease-at-la-live-takes-final-space/

[ Edited by: KaptainKuku 2008-09-04 21:10 ]

[ Edited by: Bora Boris - Changing status to closed. - 2014-03-19 06:34 ]

Okay TC'ers that were at Tiki-Ti tonight. Let's hear the scuttlebutt about the place.

[ Edited by: Coco Joe 2008-10-22 23:32 ]

The scuttlebug is all good and very exciting news. The owner of the LA Trader Vics sat with us and told us all about it, and is a serious tikiphile, and it appears that there will be no stone (tiki) unturned when it comes to the TIPSY factor in this Trader Vics. :) :) :)

Can't wait for this !

I'm very encouraged by everything he told us. He mentioned that he was going to get some original decor from Vic's grandson that has been in storage.

Note that the LA location will have a special mug made by Tiki Farm:

http://www.tradervicsla.com/

As long as there is fabulous Trader Vic's cocktail in it!!! Then I'm happy.

I hope that the Downtown Trader Vics gets some of the old Staff/Bartenders
from the BH location.
I went to the Trader Vics lounge a few times, and got a big white guy, or a lady, and they did not make the Navy Grogs correctly.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2008-11-23 10:00 ]

119 days til it's opening.

I can't wait to see this place when it's finished.

Signs of life!!!

The insider's point of view:

On 2009-01-09 18:07, bigbrotiki wrote:
The insider's point of view:

Has the decline in your book sales forced you to get a job with Calasia? How's your team coming along?

On 2009-01-09 20:32, Coco Joe wrote:

On 2009-01-09 18:07, bigbrotiki wrote:
The insider's point of view:

Has the decline in your book sales forced you to get a job with Calasia? How's your team coming along?

I heard Sven's Team is from Cal-Asia and not using OA as of yet...

I wish them all the best.

On 2009-01-12 22:41, RevBambooBen wrote:
I heard Sven's Team is from Cal-Asia and not using OA as of yet...
I wish them all the best.

I don't have a team. No one works for me, and I work for no one --I have but one master, and I aim to serve him faithfully: TIKI ! :)

Just to clarify: Many L.A. Tiki community members and TCers have had the opportunity to meet and talk to John Valencia, the owner of the new L.A. Trader Vic's, at various classic places like the Tiki Ti, the Tonga Hut, and Damon's. John has been exceptionally interested and open towards the Tiki community, and his attention to Tiki detail and tradition has impressed many of us.

So I was very happy to, beginning in the last year, oblige John with some advice regarding the decor of this downtown Trader island. So far, although my work has in no small part aided the resurgence of interest in Trader Vic's franchises, the T.V. company had steered clear of seeking my expertise. So I was very careful to offer only my opinion, not my "demands". John ran by me several possible pieces from the Trader Vic warehouse, which as we all know has been denuded of most classic Tikis in last year's sale. I was able to warn him of the high "Poly-Asian" content in some of those remaining carvings, and give my opinion on various other decor objects. The final decision always rested with him, of course.

I recommended the use of American carvers over the Trader Vic Co. outsources in Asia, but it seems I was only partially successful. As a businessman, John Valencia has the last word on where the investors' money is spent, and so some of the interior Tikis will be Asian-made (this and the fact that the build out will be done by an Asian company is what Ben was referring to)--hopefully though, after I provided John with some traditional Oceanic Art examples, they will be less buddhist and more authentic Polynesian. The good news is that the three large exterior Tikis will be carved by Danny Gallardo aka Tiki Diablo, and that one, the tallest, will resemble the classic De Young Trader Vic's logo Tiki. I am very happy that my expertise could make a difference here, and will continue to offer it as the project progresses.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-01-14 10:27 ]

Sven,

Good to hear that you are on the job and that the TV administration is entertaining your input.

DC

Very Cool Sven,

now if we can advise John to get some of the Older Asain Guys.
Alfee for sure from the old Beverly Hills TV's over there, that would be great.
I have talked to a few people that got drinks at The Vegas Vics, and I have had a few at the TV's Lounge in BH that were not up to par.
for me the drinks is just as important as the decor.
I don't mind paying 15 bucks for a Navy Grog , if after 2 I can't feel my feet, and my head is tingling.

so here's to a New start for Vics' in LA.
and where and when do we sign up for Reservations?
Jeff(bigtikidude)

This just in: Mea culpa, I was just going by the name, but Cal-Asia is actually and American owned company. Shows what I know. Not that that matters anyway.
I just want to say that no one here can imagine the behind the scenes work it takes to put such a business up these days. It's not like it used to be, where gas torches and raffia awnings and waterfalls and all that stuff was just plopped in there no questions asked, and smog regulations for Chinese ovens did not exist. The hoops to jump through and compromises to be made are a real challenge, and I commend John for fighting to get everything as close as possible to the way we, and he, would want the place to be. I can say that much, it will NOT just feel like another "franchise".

As for the veteran Beverly Hills bartenders, according to my info, they are still employed by the Hilton, with all its benefits, but John is trying to get them for guest appearances. Yet I see no reason to worry about the level of cocktail quality, there will be a well trained cadre of international mixologists manning the bar.

On 2009-01-14 10:23, bigbrotiki wrote:
It's not like it used to be, where gas torches and raffia awnings and waterfalls and all that stuff was just plopped in there no questions asked,

Cheers!

I think "we" hit this point in here somewhere....

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=27025&forum=1&259

I wish TVLA all the best luck and hopefully they

can change things (laws) up a bit!

Trader John,

I've heard that older vic's have had a some sort of a secret drink menu sort of like In 'n' Out behind the bar. Not sure what sort of bartender staff you have lined up but any chance of being able to get some classic T.V. drinks not listed on the menu?

Regards,
Joe

I will look into it, Thanks for the info.

http://www.myspace.com/tradervicslosangeles

Enjoy!!!

hurry the hell up and open!

Are you still ON for March 15th??

that location looks familiar...was there a restuarant in that space previously?? what was it called?

Short post on the LA Times food blog:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/02/trader-vics-la.html

re. Tipsy's "that location looks familiar...was there a restaurant in that space previously?? what was it called?"

It's part of the new LA Live complex, just north of the Staples Center. That view is the north side of the complex, on the south side of Olympic Blvd., just east of Figueroa St.

One fear about this location, I visited the new Lucky Strike bowling alley at LA Live a few months back. Luckily I was a guest for the grand opening, otherwise I would have had to drop $25 to park in the LA Live parking. This may get people out of their cars and into public transpo.

My other problem with the location is along the lines of Tipsy's query, which is that it looks like this could have been a Koo Koo Roo location a few months ago and will be a Subway sandwich joint next. It's just a crappy looking store front.

My two cents.

Regarding the parking, there will be cheaper (even validated?) parking right across the street. To charge that amount of money, In this economy, is ridiculous, I hope the LA Life owner is not digging his own grave.

And that front will certainly not remain looking that bare, that looks like a Blockbuster Video store. Trader John was merely proudly displaying the new sign, which is nice. There will be an awning, plants, some bamboo, and most importantly, an entrance flanked by two Tiki Diablo Tikis.

On 2009-02-14 22:37, RevBambooBen wrote:
Are you still ON for March 15th??

April 15th...I'm told.

On 2009-01-14 01:02, bigtikidude wrote:
so here's to a New start for Vics' in LA.
and where and when do we sign up for Reservations?
Jeff(bigtikidude)

Yeah, where do we sign up?!?

Is there anything in the works for a grand opening event? (or a close-to-the-grand-opening-event-that-regular-shlubs-like-me... or I... can attend) I wanna be a part of the celebration as soon as possible!!!

http://ericoctober.com

[ Edited by: tobunga 2009-02-16 22:09 ]

On 2009-02-15 06:57, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

that location looks familiar...was there a restuarant in that space previously?? what was it called?

It's the subtle details that will set them apart...

Buzzy Out!

On 2009-02-16 10:20, bigbrotiki wrote:

And that front will certainly not remain looking that bare, that looks like a Blockbuster Video store. Trader John was merely proudly displaying the new sign, which is nice. There will be an awning, plants, some bamboo, and most importantly, an entrance flanked by two Tiki Diablo Tikis.

I have to say, that is one truly ugly building. Looks like a government building built in the 1960s/1970s.

I like Government building built in the 60's.

At least it's not "Taco Bell Tuscanny" - Puke yellow stucco with a spanish tile roof.

Damn! Missed my opportunity for a peek....on the way to a King's game, I noticed the door slightly ajar, but idiot me, didn't take it....I'm so mad at myself!

So far, I saw a few framed drywalls up...not much else.

They have a long way to go. When I took this pic a little while back, there was nothing but the studs and some of the mechanical systems.

So, how far past the due/opening date of March 15th are they gonna go?

The web site says April 15th, not March. I'd be surprised if they are able to open any earlier that June. I hope I'm wrong.

Have faith that we are working as hard as possible to make this Trader Vic’s the best!, and to open as soon as possible. But there are certain elements that we cannot control, but we still are hoping to open in April. (Not June)

I look forward to seeing everyone there with a Mai Tai in your hands soon.

For updates join http://twitter.com/Tradervics

Great to hear you're still on track. We'll all be there either way!

Can't wait John. Building Codes are probably killin' ya !

Good Luck, and hope to see it open soon.

Trader John,
any updates on gettin some of the old bartenders from the BH TV's
Especialy Alfi, who is up in the lobby of the Hilton now(Crime)
hes the guy that really knows his stuff.
and sorry, but I gotta go with a Navy Grog as my drink of Choice at TV's
:wink:

Can't wait.
Jeff(bigtikidude)

What Jeff said and Alfie knows how to make them just perfect.

As a downtown resident, I will be there with mugs on.

Whatever the first day is that I can get in there. (Hint hint.)

How about a special "preview" day for TC members????

It's on my "hitlist" for August when I am out west for Oasis. For now I will content myself with drinking from the new mug I aquired!

Is TV LA really opening on 4/15? I just requested that day off!

I'm so excited! Finally, a Trader Vic's within reasonable distance! I missed the BH location by a month! It looks very promising!