Don The Beachcomber web site and calendar of events is up and running

I hadn't seen anybody mention this, so I thought I would.
it still needs updating on and merch etc.
but it looks really nice so far.

http://www.donthebeachcomber.com/

the Calendar for events at Don's seems to be up and running.

http://www.donthebeachcomber.com/calendar.html

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2009-11-09 12:31 ]

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2009-11-09 12:31 ]

you can also enter your e-mail address to receive updates from them.

Jeff(btd)

I've seen it and it does look good. I think I like Don's more than Vic's or Tiki Ti...please go spend money here!

On 2009-09-17 10:59, Coco Joe wrote:
I've seen it and it does look good. I think I like Don's more than Vic's or Tiki Ti...please go spend money here!

I should mention Tonga Hut now since the drinks are FINALLY good..Don's is still spanking them all

F I N A L L Y !!!

It's in Huntington Beach?
I always thought it was in Sunset Beach.

Sunset Beach is a part of Huntington Beach.

Like Balboa where the wedge (surfing spot) is part of Newport beach.

Jeff(btd)

New website looks great! Can hardly wait until the "coming soon" stuff is all filled in. Good job guys.

Don's Rules!!! I am still super stoked that Sam's is Don's!! I am so happy that Marie is the Bar Manager. It is great to see that everything they are doing to the place is just making it better!! Oh Yeah, I like the website too!!! Can't wait to see what surprises are in store for us.

On 2009-09-18 11:35, The Sperm Whale wrote:
Don's Rules!!! I am still super stoked that Sam's is Don's!! I am so happy that Marie is the Bar Manager. It is great to see that everything they are doing to the place is just making it better!! Oh Yeah, I like the website too!!! Can't wait to see what surprises are in store for us.

Marie is an amazing bar manager!

Hey I was going to check this place out until I saw my cousin's Yelp review..

http://www.yelp.com/biz/don-the-beachcomber-huntington-beach-2?rpp=40&sort_by=rating_asc

I trust his good judgment.

WTF ?? !!

It is amazing how people can have such wildly different experiences at the same place.

All I can say is that the last time I was at Don's I was blown away by how good it was and how much it had improved in just a couple of months. Food, drinks and service were all excellent and were comparable to my experience at the Luau in Beverly Hills. The cost was fortunately not comparable to the Luau, more to Trader Vic's. Not cheap, but worth it.

On 2009-09-18 12:13, JOHN-O wrote:
Hey I was going to check this place out until I saw my cousin's Yelp review..

http://www.yelp.com/biz/don-the-beachcomber-huntington-beach-2?rpp=40&sort_by=rating_asc

I trust his good judgment.

WTF ?? !!

Which one is your cousin? Notice the ratings get better as time goes on, there were some rough spots between Kona's demise and the ascent of Don. And I'll echo everyone's sentiments about Marie...it makes a huge difference having a bartender that actually cares about Tiki and that understands the importance of getting these drinks right!

John-O I think you need to reconsider. If I listened to my brother all the time I'd never have any fun. HEHEHE

They really don't pass a bucket around for band tips, do they?
I'm guessing it was the drummer's girl friend.

On 2009-09-18 13:35, Jason Wickedly wrote:

Which one is your cousin? Notice the ratings get better as time goes on, there were some rough spots between Kona's demise and the ascent of Don.

It was the first review (8/22/2009) in the list. The link I provided sorts by rating, not by date. It might have been an anomaly but I'm steering clear for now. Blood is thicker than rum.

I usually visit far away (from my place) tiki places on Sundays so that the long drive is not a problem. I have been to Don's a few times this summer. The restaurant was busy, but the Bar was pretty empty but that didn't matter to me I just like being in a dark, tiki bar that has good music and good tropical drinks. I enjoy going there, the food is good, I usually get appetizers and the price is just right, the drinks are ok and the service is good. These old tiki establishments need our support, and I don't mean the once in a year events everyone rushes to go to thinking they are helping the place stay open. I have never seen another TC member there. John-O, I hope you will give this place a chance and try it, you might like it.

On 2009-09-18 14:13, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2009-09-18 13:35, Jason Wickedly wrote:

Which one is your cousin? Notice the ratings get better as time goes on, there were some rough spots between Kona's demise and the ascent of Don.

It was the first review (8/22/2009) in the list. The link I provided sorts by rating, not by date. It might have been an anomaly but I'm steering clear for now. Blood is thicker than rum.

John-O, as a registered Tikiphile (TC member) "steering clear" is exactly what you SHOULDN'T do. It kinda defeats the purpose of being on Tiki Central entirely.

How many 15,000 sq ft ORIGINAL (pre-1960's) Tiki Restaurants do you think there are left in the United States ?

Answer...only one that I can think of...The Mai Kai in Ft Lauderdale, and I'm not even sure the Mai Kai is a big as Don's.

Since the transition from KONA to Don's, the drinks have been consistently great, thanx to Marie being in charge of the bar...no more brotards who only know Vodka Redbulls and Rum and Cokes behind the bar. Gone are the bad classic rock bands and BAD Karaoke in the bar (who the HELL can listen to frikken Karaoke all night anyway ?)

The decor goes up a notch every time I'm there. Torches and a giant Bosko Moai out front. The "Don's OHAHA" Mug cabinet for regulars to leave their tiki mugs so they can drink out of them whenever they're there. The food is still a work in progress, but everything I've had there is great....

2 Big Ass waterfalls, tons of tikis, thatch and bamboo everywhere, float and fishing trap lamps everywhere, giant outriggers hanging from the ceiling....need I go on ?
Yes...I'll go on....Exotica and Hawaiian music on the sound system (Tikiyaki Orchestra too!) and excellent happy hour prices, and the place's history....

Steer Clear if you must...but you're not going to find ANYTHING like this anywhere in SoCal...period. If you consider yourself a fan of all things tiki, you should support this place, while we're lucky enough to have it.

BOOM!

(that was me falling off my soapbox)

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2009-09-18 14:53 ]

On 2009-09-18 14:13, JOHN-O wrote:

It was the first review (8/22/2009) in the list. The link I provided sorts by rating, not by date. It might have been an anomaly but I'm steering clear for now. Blood is thicker than rum.

Your loss.

On 2009-09-18 14:46, tikiyaki wrote:

How many 15,000 sq ft ORIGINAL (pre-1960's) Tiki Restaurants do you think there are left in the United States ?

Steer Clear if you must...but you're not going to find ANYTHING like this anywhere in SoCal...period. If you consider yourself a fan of all things tiki, you should support this place, while we're lucky enough to have it.

BOOM!

(that was me falling off my soapbox)

Great argument Tikiyaki.

Historic significance overcomes any perceived shortcomings for me (and the reason why I keep eating at Musso's, the Pantry and Clifton's). I forgot about that and stand corrected. I just added it to my OC "to do" list.

Thanks.

If it ain't 714 area code, it aint O.C.
562 is still considered L.B. area. But since we are not having a pissing contest, Don's site looks great, and can't wait to go back and check out the drinks a little more irresponsibly! (not that I'd be driving, but in the sense that I'd overindulge a little more!) :lol: :P

I'm also glad the site was not done in flash...

On 2009-09-18 16:21, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2009-09-18 14:46, tikiyaki wrote:

How many 15,000 sq ft ORIGINAL (pre-1960's) Tiki Restaurants do you think there are left in the United States ?

Steer Clear if you must...but you're not going to find ANYTHING like this anywhere in SoCal...period. If you consider yourself a fan of all things tiki, you should support this place, while we're lucky enough to have it.

BOOM!

(that was me falling off my soapbox)

Great argument Tikiyaki.

Historic significance overcomes any perceived shortcomings for me (and the reason why I keep eating at Musso's, the Pantry and Clifton's). I forgot about that and stand corrected. I just added it to my OC "to do" list.

Thanks.

Cool ! Yes, historic significance overcomes other shortcomings for me too. There are plenty of places with great food and service, just no tiki. ie: Outback....great service almost every time....plenty of warm bread , good appetizers, good food....no tiki. Their Mai Tai is GODAWFUL tho'.

Glad I was able to sway your opinion a bit. My good deed for the day :)

Support your local Tiki establishment.

Plus as stated before,
things have changed at Don's a lot in the past few months, and they keep getting better.
and.
if its usually slow, and they don't have a huge staff,
then get slammed with a lot of people.
service might be a little slow.
be patient, and understanding.

and key is.
don't go at rush times if at all possible.

Jeff(btd)

The fact that Ran's "Reverb Crash" is on the official Don The Beachcomber drink menu is reason enough to visit!

Congrats Ran!

true dat

I see that they have the "Reverb Crash" on the drink menu.
Wasn't that a TC original from the drink contest a few years ago? Is there a connection or am I just confused?
Aloha,
:tiki:

On 2009-09-22 14:30, Tiki Royale wrote:
I see that they have the "Reverb Crash" on the drink menu.
Wasn't that a TC original from the drink contest a few years ago? Is there a connection or am I just confused?
Aloha,
:tiki:

Yes, Kick the Reverb's "Reverb Crash" took first place in the TC drink contest.
Follow the link two posts above your post for the details.

DTB on the west coast and Mai Kai on the east. Simply the best.

PiPhiRho, Jason Wickedly, Sperm Whale, Hiltiki, and especially Tikiyaki,

You guys were 100% right about DTBC and I was 100% wrong.

I had business in HB today so I swung by DTBC afterward.

I was floored. I had no idea it was so expansive. I'm embarrassed to say I never visited when it was Sam's Seafood. I pride myself on knowing all of the old-school places in LA and I admit to having had a knee-jerk bias against anything in the OC. That was a big mistake.

I met Beth Gates and her husband Greg while I was enjoying a cocktail at the bar. Beth is the events coordinator there. Greg took me to the outside entrance and showed me the original 1960 Sam's Seafood metal insignia they retained. He also explained that even though Sam's dated back to the 1930's, it completely burned down in a fire and was rebuilt in 1960. He did mention there were underground rooms from the original building that still existed. These rooms were used for illicit activities like prostitution and I assume as a speakeasy during during prohibition.

Later Beth took me around and showed me the parts of the restaurant which were original from Sam's (which was a lot). She pointed out some of the new stuff that was done by Bamboo Ben. Very cool. I liked the fact the place was fixed up but I could still sense the Tiki ghosts of almost half a century.

My bartender for the evening was Rachel who mixed what was probably the best Navy Grog I've ever had. I also had a Mai Tai which was pretty good but that Navy Grog was sublime. I wanted to try a Zombie but she advised against it since I still had a 35+ mile drive back to Samo. (Are they really that strong or is it just hype? The Zombies at Tiki-Ti are no stronger than any of their other drinks.)

It's funny, I mentioned that I had an initial bias since my cousin wrote a scathing review on Yelp. She said "You mean that guy, Scott and his girlfriend? I was the bartender mentioned in the review". She explained she was super busy that night and her inability to explain the exact ingredients in some drinks was because she didn't know. Apparently some of the ingredients were pre-mixed and thus were a "secret" to her. Anyway she was a real sweetheart and I'll probably post a follow-up Yelp to counteract the bad review.

Getting back to Beth, she said she would be happy to help host a TC event in one of the back rooms. I thought that was kind of funny since the only other TC person I've met in person was Ojaitimo (and that was at Frankie's). If any TC regulars want to take the initiative please PM me and I'll give you her contact details.

Even though the new Trader Vic's is only 15 miles from where I live, I'll probably drive double that to get the authentic (meaning historic) Tiki palace experience at DTBC. Actually though, I kind of wish they didn't change the name from Sam's Seafood. What was good for almost 50 years should still be good now. What do you guys think?

I probably still refer to it as Sam's. :)

Thanks again to everyone for their helpful input.

JOHN-O

John O,
Good to see that you have changed your mind.
especially since you hadn't actually been there.

as for it being Don's now, and not Sam's
having gone to Sam's about 20 times before it changed to Kona.
believe me, Sam's was nothing to wrote home about food or drink wise.
The new Owner owns the Don's name, and knew Don, he wants to bring the place up to the standards of a old Don the Beachcomber.

It is sad to see some old stuff go away.
but considering that the building is there, with most of its decor,
and that the decor and food and drink are being improved upon by leaps and bounds, its a good thing this time.

Jeff(btd)

JOHN-O,

Glad to hear that you've seen the light :wink:

Regarding Sam's Seafood.....I feel the same way about it sometimes, but in the last 10 years or more of Sam's Seafood , the place had such a horrible reputation with the local community that, it seems, it couldn't shake it, even with the "new" Sam's in 2006. So when Chuck Purrington took it over in 2008, he decided to give the place a new name...Kona. Unfortunatley, with the economy going into the toilet, and a huge overhead, he struggled to keep it afloat. I personally did what I could to rally the Tiki community to bring the place business, and we had some killer, packed out events there......

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30544&forum=17&hilite=Tikiyaki%20Kona
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29416&forum=17&hilite=Tikiyaki%20Kona
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28693&forum=17&hilite=Tikiyaki%20Kona
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=31719&forum=17&hilite=Tikiyaki%20Kona

We put out a call for help last year, and our prayers were answered (not because of US necessarily, but answered nonetheless)
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=31205&forum=1&hilite=Tikiyaki%20Kona
Art Snyder, who owned the Don The Beachcomber name came in and saved the day. To me, it will always be Sam's, but I think that Art is really doing everything he can to bring back the legacy of Don The Beachcomber, and doing a great job, where I think Kona, was just a name change, Don's is really taking it up several notches, and, at the same time, back 50 years making it really classic in every way.

The fact that it has been a Tiki Restaurant for that long only makes it that much more authentic and cool.

That being said, I brought my Sam's Seafood mug to put in the "Don's Ohana" Mug case, so I can drink out of it every time I'm there. Full circle !

So, all I can say is, keep going there, buy drinks and dinner...bring your friends, your family, your co-workers etc. It's been faced with extinction far too many times, and must be cherished while it's still here.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2009-09-24 09:51 ]

On 2009-09-24 09:50, tikiyaki wrote:

That being said, I brought my Sam's Seafood mug to put in the "Don's Ohana" Mug case, so I can drink out of it every time I'm there. Full circle !

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2009-09-24 09:51 ]

Damnit Jim, I had planned to do the same thing tonight :) Which one did you leave, the blue or the brown one?

On 2009-09-24 09:53, Jason Wickedly wrote:

On 2009-09-24 09:50, tikiyaki wrote:

That being said, I brought my Sam's Seafood mug to put in the "Don's Ohana" Mug case, so I can drink out of it every time I'm there. Full circle !

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2009-09-24 09:51 ]

Damnit Jim, I had planned to do the same thing tonight :) Which one did you leave, the blue or the brown one?

Brown one....I say there should be as many Sam's Mugs there as possible...why not ? Sam's deserves the reverence. Speaking of which....does anyone have any VINTAGE Sam's Mugs ? ARE THERE any vintage Sam's mugs from back in the day ?

On 2009-09-24 10:15, tikiyaki wrote:
ARE THERE any vintage Sam's mugs from back in the day ?

According to Ooga Mooga, the 2007 Tiki Farm mugs are the only ones. Oceanic Arts had a bunch of them over the weekend when I went, if they don't have any more at Don's (they were out last I checked).

On 2009-09-24 09:50, tikiyaki wrote:

Regarding Sam's Seafood.....I feel the same way about it sometimes, but in the last 10 years or more of Sam's Seafood , the place had such a horrible reputation with the local community that, it seems, it couldn't shake it, even with the "new" Sam's in 2006. So when Chuck Purrington took it over in 2008, he decided to give the place a new name...

How about splitting the difference? TC can informally refer to it as "Sam's the Beachcomber". It's like a secret society password.

It seems a shame not to acknowledge the original history. Go to the DTBC website and original Sam's isn't even mentioned.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-09-24 13:33 ]

On 2009-09-24 10:36, Jason Wickedly wrote:

On 2009-09-24 10:15, tikiyaki wrote:
ARE THERE any vintage Sam's mugs from back in the day ?

According to Ooga Mooga, the 2007 Tiki Farm mugs are the only ones. Oceanic Arts had a bunch of them over the weekend when I went, if they don't have any more at Don's (they were out last I checked).

Just because the only Sam's Mugs on Ooga Mooga are from Tiki Farm doesn't mean Sam's Seafood never had one before those. As a matter of fact the Tiki Farm one (the Maori one) is a reproduction of one they used to sell in their gift shop. Sabu knows more about this, maybe we can channel him.

In the meantime, check out this thread:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23813&forum=12

Yea, I figured there HAD to be ones from back in the day, because there is a postcard from Sam's with a picture of the gift shop, loaded with Mugs.

I've just never seen any original ones....Now there's a holy grail find for me.

On 2009-09-24 13:24, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2009-09-24 09:50, tikiyaki wrote:

Regarding Sam's Seafood.....I feel the same way about it sometimes, but in the last 10 years or more of Sam's Seafood , the place had such a horrible reputation with the local community that, it seems, it couldn't shake it, even with the "new" Sam's in 2006. So when Chuck Purrington took it over in 2008, he decided to give the place a new name...

How about splitting the difference? TC can informally refer to it as "Sam's the Beachcomber". It's like a secret society password.

It seems a shame not to acknowledge the original history. Go to the DTBC website and original Sam's isn't even mentioned.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-09-24 13:33 ]

Yea...it was mentioned on the Kona site, but I think the Don The beachcomber name overshadows the Sam's name in the history of Polynesian Pop, so they're trying to promote the historical significance of DTB...which is quite significant.
It's enough for me to know that I know, and that I went to Sam's before it changed over to the new Sam's, Kona and Don's.

pics of the old mugs, from the link posted above.

That gift shop is where the candle room is now....or, as it's not called "The Longboard Bar"

I stand corrected! Hey, is the guy at the counter selling fresh seafood? I see a bunch of what looks like wine bottles behind him...he looks a little bored. And no tiki bar is complete without a couple of alligators hanging from the roof. Wearing flower leis of course.

Yes, That was the fresh seafood counter and gift shop.

Chuck once showed me the what used to be the giant walk-in refrigerator behind the candle room that was used for all the fish.

So, it was the seafood store and gift shop...Odd but true.

Yeah!

I remember going to Sams Seafood as a kid, not only to have dinner (usually with out of town friends of my dad) but also going more than a few times with my dad specifically so he could buy fresh seafood..he'd knock back a few HAMMS before driving back home.

I don't remember the gifts or tiki mugs but I do remember the strong FISH smell of that place.

The other place we'd go for fresh seafood was the Newport peninsula.

Good memories!

1st LA Visit @ Don The Beachcomber's

This was our 1st visit to LA for a mini Tiki crawl. We visited Oceanic Arts, with Leroy Schmaltz and his staff recommending we stop at Don's!

1. Drove to beautiful Huntington Beach @ 4:00 PM, had some great drinks in the Dagger Bar. Marie King the Bar Manager gave us a tour of Don's.

2. We ate in the restaurant (great waitress) food was terrific as they brought in a new chef a month ago.

3. While eating, Art Synder the owner of Don's visited our table for some quality Tiki time telling us about the new direction for Don's. Terrific!

4. After eating back to the bar we met Soccertiki & his Bride to be having a pre-wedding bash @ Don's!

We wish Don The Beachcomber's ALL the success in the world & watch for Don's in the next issue of Tiki Magazine!

Mahalo Thortiki & Wahine Lynn

The coaster and the barrell mugs are in! go and it!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIE!!

P.S. Always good to see my buddy Jeff and nice to meet you Ron.

[ Edited by: Coco Joe 2009-10-05 23:12 ]

Joe,
good to see you too, sorry I couldn't stay longer,
needed to get home and sleep after a full weekend of running around.

glad to hear that you and Rain(sp?) had a great time in Hawaii.

maybe see ya back there next Monday?

I need to get one of those barrel mugs.

Jeff(btd)

There are original Sam's Seafood mugs. Bong has one that the former owner gave to him. I think it was a white moai and the guy got it for him out of a box in the basement. Pretty rad.

That's the one mug that I'm really missing...

Here is the new Barrel mug at "Dons". $25 and comes with your choice of drinks in it. The size of the barrel makes the drink more of a "double size". The bottom is marked Don the Beachcombers.