1974 'Guide to Polynesian Restaurants in Dallas'

"Right On, King Kamehameha!"
'A Guide to Polynesian Restaurants in Dallas', by Ann Worley
A review, published in the Sunday magazine of the Dallas Times Herald (a now defunct daily), on June 30, 1974 (Doncha love the vintage 70's title!). After an introduction, the reviewer covers Ports O'Call, Trader Vic's, and Don the Beachcomber (new, that year).
Sorry for the image quality - camera shots from library archives, and a bit of cut/paste to get it all in 2 column format.

Dallas Ports O'Call :down:

Dallas Trader Vic's :down:

and last, Dallas Don the Beachcomber :down:

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-08-14 11:21 ]

Oh, and here's the ad that ran on the page with the TV review :

In 1974, our favorite spirit was called "fun-rum"?

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-08-13 19:58 ]

Great reading! Thanks for posting this Limbo.

Polynesian Steak House? Anyone have details on this???

GK

Thanks for scanning and posting, LL!
I look forward to reading all the info :)
F

On 2009-08-13 20:03, Grand Kahu wrote:
...Polynesian Steak House? Anyone have details on this???

Mentioned it to Kenike, and he'd never heard of it. It didn't turn up in a search of assumed names of Dallas businesses. "Polynesian Steak House" might not have been the official name (e.g., Larry's Polynesian Steak House). I need to get back down to the main library and check Yellow Pages, 1973 and earlier, and see if that's the full name. Hopefully, they had a big ad, with lot's of info.

AWESOME JOB LL!!!

..uh, I mean, Right On!

[ Edited by: Unkle John 2009-08-15 08:18 ]

On 2009-08-14 06:46, Limbo Lizard wrote:

On 2009-08-13 20:03, Grand Kahu wrote:
...Polynesian Steak House? Anyone have details on this???

Mentioned it to Kenike, and he'd never heard of it. It didn't turn up in a search of assumed names of Dallas businesses. "Polynesian Steak House" might not have been the official name (e.g., Larry's Polynesian Steak House). I need to get back down to the main library and check Yellow Pages, 1973 and earlier, and see if that's the full name. Hopefully, they had a big ad, with lot's of info.

OK, its official name was Polynesian Steaks (Polynesian Steaks, Inc.). It was on West Northwest Hwy., near Bachman Lake/Love Field. It apparently was a spin-off from the House of Gong. It opened sometime after March, in 1973, and was gone by mid-'74.
:down: Here's a 7-11-1973 Dallas Morning News article (with the irrelevant part removed) about the place.

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2010-09-01 10:45 ]

1 more place I was not aware of. I took the images from flikr. It's now the site of a doggy daycare. The intersection is Northwest Highway and Easton.

REALLY enjoyed reading those reviews! Thanks for finding & sharing them. It's so amusing to read articles of people trying to seriously critique "Polynesian food." Of course no American would really PAY to actually eat what the Polynesians ate (with the exception of roast pork, perhaps)and I love how one restaurant serves "Polynesian food"...and then preceeds to name various Chinese dishes...:)
I mean, it's just a thing of beauty.
My favorite phrase: Javanese sate (Polynesian shish kabob)
I think that just about somes up everything that's so wrong, yet so right, about all these tiki restaurants. Reading these has made me hungry for some of that Polynesian food. I'm heading out to the near by Chinese buffet for lunch! :)