Faint Tiki pulse in Columbus, Ohio

Without the Kahiki, Tikiphiles have suffered here in Columbus. I have found a slight flicker of the torch:
Peking Dynasty 1773 W 5th Ave (614) 488-8128.

Inside this unprepossessing facade is a rather nice little Chinese restaurant. They have a dozen or more standard Tiki drinks which sometimes come in Tiki mugs. I think they have about five Tiki mugs total - not five types, but five mugs. Ask nicely and you will receive:

The drinks rate about 3.5 *** or sometimes slighty better. Better Mai-Tai than most. Some of them are quite potent - I could smell the rhum in my friend's drink from across the table.

The food is average Chinese, if you order from the main menu. They also have a second menu which features food more geared to a Chinese clientele - jellyfish salad, crispy intestines, congee, etc. All are pretty good. Two of the best dishes are the squid with black bean sauce and the house spicy chicken.

The staff are very nice and the hours (11am-12am) are great. This has become our standard pre-movie snack and drinking place.
If you want for Tikis here in Columbus, do check it out.

A.

Andrew Hall
[email protected]
"The Templars have something to do with everything."

[ Edited by: templartiki on 2003-12-29 11:52 ]

After they tore down the Kahiki I heard they saved all the decor and were planning on building a new Kahiki. Is this true? Any info?

Do a search on the site for a more comprehensive answer - it has been addressed many times. The short answer : Yes, they saved it. No, they have no plans to do anything in the near future. Anything more would just end up in a rant about the owners.

A.

On 2003-12-28 15:00, FLOUNDERart wrote:
After they tore down the Kahiki I heard they saved all the decor and were planning on building a new Kahiki. Is this true? Any info?

Anything more would just end up in a rant about the owners.

What, you don't like your nice new Walgreens? :o
They put a Walgreens here in the historic Stand Theater on Duval St. It is very nice.......NOT! :evil:

Nothing against Walgreen's really - the owner I was talking about is Michael Tsao. Blaming Walgreen's in this case is not quite fair.

A.

On 2003-12-28 16:16, Rattiki wrote:

Anything more would just end up in a rant about the owners.

What, you don't like your nice new Walgreens? :o
They put a Walgreens here in the historic Stand Theater on Duval St. It is very nice.......NOT! :evil:

OK templartiki. I'm dying to know the meaning behind your nic.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6767&forum=1&start=90&102

Templartiki, I see your real name is Andrew Hall. Are you the same Andy Hall -- my long lost friend-- that graduated from Ohio State with Brian Butenschoen, Jen Bate, Candace Martin and Craig Koon???

Sorry to disappoint - not me. I do remember there was an Andy Hall (I am never called Andy), at OSU the same time I was and there were a couple of people, names long forgotten, who knew us both, but I never met my namesake.

A.

On 2003-12-28 19:10, TikiGoddess wrote:
Templartiki, I see your real name is Andrew Hall. Are you the same Andy Hall -- my long lost friend-- that graduated from Ohio State with Brian Butenschoen, Jen Bate, Candace Martin and Craig Koon???

Not to defend Michael Tsao, because that would defend the destruction of the Kahiki, but just to point out the facts of life, the existence of different realities:
What would you have done if, after laboring for 30 years in the restaurant business (he started at Trader Vic's), you would get the (maybe once in a lifetime) chance to retire and be set up with your family for the rest of your life with the money Walgreens was offering?

It is just a sad fact that most of the time the survival of a Tiki Temple (or other 20th Century gems) comes down to mundane economics. Wallgreens, Wallmart, whatever, are just faceless giants that don't care about the damage they cause.

templartiki~

Nice find! I'd love to see what that neon looks like all lit up at night. Any pictures of the interior?

There are some other aspects of the story - passed on to me via the restaurant grapevine - which put a little different spin on things. I was told that Michael Tsao actively sought a buyer for the location and Walgreen's was who obliged. In addition, it appears Tsao has had some very unreal expectations that the city would essentially donate him some prime real estate to relocate. Finally, I would have ranted about the management of the Kahiki well before it was gone - inadequate pay and benefits drove out the competent kitchen people, for example.

I detest chains as much as anyone, but blaming Walgreen's misses another side of the story.

A.

On 2003-12-29 09:28, bigbrotiki wrote:
Not to defend Michael Tsao, because that would defend the destruction of the Kahiki, but just to point out the facts of life, the existence of different realities:
What would you have done if, after laboring for 30 years in the restaurant business (he started at Trader Vic's), you would get the (maybe once in a lifetime) chance to retire and be set up with your family for the rest of your life with the money Walgreens was offering?

It is just a sad fact that most of the time the survival of a Tiki Temple (or other 20th Century gems) comes down to mundane economics. Wallgreens, Wallmart, whatever, are just faceless giants that don't care about the damage they cause.

Stayed tuned for a nighttime exterior...
They had Xmas lights all around the sign as well.

The inside is very generic and dull. Not worth any images.

A.

On 2003-12-29 09:46, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:
templartiki~

Nice find! I'd love to see what that neon looks like all lit up at night. Any pictures of the interior?