Bad NJ Tiki experience

After getting very depressed early this year with the burning down of Lee's Hawaiian Islander in Clifton, NJ, my pals and I decided to venture to the other Lee's in Lyndhurst, NJ.

After walking through the front door of this warehouse looking building, our jaws dropped. The place was two floors of pure tiki excitement. Lots of masks, poles, blowfish and bamboo everywhere. There were waterfalls with water coming out of the tiki masks and flowing down tiers before hitting a small stream that ran through the perimeter of the building. The bar was awesome, and the drinks were served in real tiki mugs. It was perfect and only 8 miles from home.

Things started to deteriorate after dinner was served. The food was poor. I had chicken Mauna Loa (sp?) and my friends had some traditional meals, and all were rather mediocre. My food was so drenched in pinapple sauce that I couldn't even taste the chicken.

After dinner, my girlfriend made the funniest comment ever. She looked at me and said, "Hey, look George. there's a cricket walking behind your head."

It wasn't a cricket.

When we asked the waiter to remove it. He told us to leave it alone, and proceeded to tell us a parable of how he was scared to death of the giant roaches in his home country, and how the little ones here are just cute in comparison.

We paid and ran.

-g-

I've had nightmares that end like that. The roach, however, usually looks more like a '51 Ford instead of a cricket.

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2003-12-22 12:57 ]

Talk about your tropical authenticity! Complete with native fauna and everything - wow!

Sounds like a somewhat diminutive specimen though; the one's down here in South Florida are TREMENDOUS ... and the one's in Guatemala are even bigger - but my brother claims that these are smaller by far than the Korean varieties which must be beaten with the can of bugspray after you've emptied the contents on them.

Still, you may be jumping to conclusions on the Restaurant, after all, you've only eaten there once, and the cockroach probably lives there. His opinion of the food may differ considerably from your own!

I would have no problem giving it another shot if it was just the food, but the waiter's story made it pretty clear that the roach problem is normal at Lee's, and while Floridian roaches might be nice and clean, Lyndhurst roaches are pretty nasty.

-g-

if it's any consolation, the lee's in clifton wasn't any cleaner (& the food was about the same).

though rough around the edges, chan's in ridgefield is much cleaner & the food is not too horrible.

Chan's is my favorite. We try to get over there any time we're in that area of NJ. Usually when stopping by The Orbit Gallery in Edgewater (NJ only major Shag dealer)

-g-

Thanks for the scoop on Orbit gallery!
I'm glad to know there's a shag dealer near NYC.
M C

It's a great little gallery that carries limited/framed prints from Shag/Biskup/Baseman/Camille Rose Garcia and old favorites like Warhol.

Here's the Website:
http://orbitgalleryspace.com/featured.html

I don't understand. This sounds to me like you had a GOOD Tiki experience:

"The place was two floors of pure tiki excitement. Lots of masks, poles, blowfish and bamboo everywhere. There were waterfalls with water coming out of the tiki masks and flowing down tiers before hitting a small stream that ran through the perimeter of the building. The bar was awesome, and the drinks were served in real tiki mugs.."

The other stuff, well, that is part of the authenticity of the last REAL Tiki haunts, as I pointed out in my foreword in Tiki Road Trip:

"The criteria for the search of a Tiki establishment are quite different than those for any other restaurant.
Humility in the face of the rarity of the few remaining Tiki temples is a good attitude. Do not expect epicurean sensations, and if you want friendly family service, go to IHOP. This is urban archeology, and if the carpet is stained and the blowfish lamps are mummified from forty years of nicotine, appreciate the place as if it was King Tut’s tomb, it is not supposed to be Starbucks."

yeah thanks indeed for the orbit gallery scoop. & when in edgewater, i recommend eating (inexpensive) & shopping (expensive - so maybe just look around) at that massive japanese supermarket. my wife loves that place: she can actually reach the tops of the shelves! you can't beat their view of upper manhattan either!

On 2003-12-24 10:27, bigbrotiki wrote:

Do not expect epicurean sensations
That is until you have been to the Mai Kai. One of the top ten culinarian establishments in the United States.

On 2003-12-22 10:32, Sam Gambino wrote:
I've had nightmares that end like that. The roach, however, usually looks more like a '51 Ford instead of a cricket.

As the owner of a 1951 Ford Custom I find your remark about their resemblance to cockroaches offensive and I demand an apology! :wink: Just kidding!

As the owner of a 1951 Ford Custom I find your remark about their resemblance to cockroaches offensive and I demand an apology! :wink: Just kidding!

That really is a classic car. It makes a great custom, too- especially when it's chopped. No offense about the roach! (ha)

http://www.samgambino.com