Trader Vic's web site updated

The web site for Trader Vic's has been improved and looks great. There are links for each restaurant with interior shots. There are more detailed stories on their history and on the Mai Tai.

The Vic's in Bahrain looks amazing from the pictures and the description. On the other end of the spectrum, the Osaka Vic's looks bland and boring. Even worse than the Palo Alto location. Unfortunately, there are no pictures inside the new Berlin Vic's.

http://www.tradervics.com

Oh no, they got rid of their Polynesian BBQ glaze!

The BBQ sauce is okay, but their smokey BBQ glaze was one of my favorites.

Damn!

Has anyone tried their Navy Grog and Scorpion mixes?

-Mike

*On 2003-04-30 13:25, TheMuggler wrote:*Has anyone tried their Navy Grog and Scorpion mixes?

I have but I can't say they're as good as making the drinks from scratch. They'll do in a pinch.

You Chicagoan's have it made! I saw the Chicago Trader Vic's happy hours on the web site:

Monday: Menehune Juice $4 all night
Tuesday: Tonga Punch $4 all night
Wednesday: Zombie $4 all night
Thursday: Mai Tai $4 all night and free complimentary Pu Pu's from 4:30PM to 6:30PM
Friday: Tiki Time "free complimentary Pu Pu's" from 4:30PM to 6:30PM

At Emeryville they did away with free pu pus a long time ago and the drink specials ($5 Mai Tais) only run 5-7PM.

Their "brief History" section seems to have left out a few restaurant closings.

On 2003-04-30 14:53, thejab wrote:
You Chicagoan's have it made! I saw the Chicago Trader Vic's happy hours on the web site:

Monday: Menehune Juice $4 all night
Tuesday: Tonga Punch $4 all night
Wednesday: Zombie $4 all night
Thursday: Mai Tai $4 all night and free complimentary Pu Pu's from 4:30PM to 6:30PM
Friday: Tiki Time "free complimentary Pu Pu's" from 4:30PM to 6:30PM

Unfortunatley, these are "lite" versions of the drinks.
The bartenders swear up and down that the drinks are identical to the 'real' versions, but I'd like to think I've had enough of these over the years to be able to tell the difference! They're smaller, weaker, and come in differnet glasses/mugs than the 'real ones'.

The pupus are just seasoned rice and little ribs.

And worst of all, as has always been the case: the Chicago TVic's just isn't Emeryville. They are cold to the Tiki crowd, and it seems that they'd prefer if we didn't come in at all. :(
I wish Sven (the cool GM at Emeryville, not Kirsten) would give the managers of Chicago TVics's a kick in the pants, and a much needed lesson in customer service.

The happy hour Mai Tais at Emeryville are pretty strong but they are made with the Trader Vic's rums, the mix, and no float of dark rum. The "original style" have the float but cost the regular price.

I didn't mean to imply that I don't LOVE Emeryville Vic's. But things weren't always as friendly there either. The service has improved a lot in the last 2 years. Some of the waiters are still snotty but most of the staff is very nice. It may have something to do with repeat business. When they see someone frequenting the place they are friendlier. I noticed one of the grumpiest cocktail watresses I ever encountered there actually smiled at me last Friday because she recognized me.

I heard stories about Beverly Hills Vic's snotty attitudes in the past which actually led me to avoid going there for a while. When I did finally go I got dressed up and recieved excellent service and thought the staff were most friendly and helpful.

It should be interesting seeing what happens when scores of tikiphiles invade the Chicago Trader Vic's in August.

Yeah Jab, I think you are right about getting dressed up to go to Vics. When we all went to the Beverly Hill's Trader Vic's, I don't think that they were too into our huge group, or the ukuleles, or us badgering them for a better drink special. I could see how if I was there in a smaller group, they could be more polite and attentive to me without being stressed about the size of our group. It's kinda like the way Billy's is in Newport. Usually I get pretty good service there, but when we came in with a bus-load of fifty drunk people all asking for Navy Grogs during the OC crawl, it's another story altogether.

*On 2003-05-01 18:22, Luckydesigns wrote:*It's kinda like the way Billy's is in Newport. Usually I get pretty good service there, but when we came in with a bus-load of fifty drunk people all asking for Navy Grogs during the OC crawl, it's another story altogether.

Even so, what I heard the bartenders did and said at Billy's was inexcusable (like refusing to serve drinks), especially since much of their clientele is normally pretty boistrous (from what I've heard here).

In a perfect world it wouldn't matter what you wore or how much money you appear to have, but in reality first impression makes a big difference in a place like Trader Vic's, especially in Beverly Hills. They expect a certain clientele that is well-dressed and acts refined and sophisticated.

It's pretty much like it was in the 50s when you had to dress nice to go out as a social contract. The racist and sexist attitudes of the 50s we can all agree were terrible and are thankfully less common these days, but I personally feel that it's still a good thing to get dressed up, have good manners, and in general be a class act in certain establishments. I think if more people still did that than going out on the town would be more pleasant for all.

I certainly don't mind getting gussied up for a visit to Trader Vic's. In fact I really enjoy it.

On 2003-05-01 14:20, thejab wrote:
The happy hour Mai Tais at Emeryville are pretty strong but they are made with the Trader Vic's rums, the mix, and no float of dark rum. The "original style" have the float but cost the regular price.

Jab- you're right about looking sharp. Vic's has always thought of itself as upscale.

Quick question about the float thing: This keeps coming up. I've never read anywhere about a float being on the traditional Mai Tai recipe. There's no mention of one on any of the variants on the tradervics website. Where is there a published recipe with a float?

Just curious,

Martin

On 2003-05-01 14:20, thejab wrote:
It should be interesting seeing what happens when scores of tikiphiles invade the Chicago Trader Vic's in August.

indeed!

*On 2003-05-01 23:51, martiki6 wrote:*Quick question about the float thing: This keeps coming up. I've never read anywhere about a float being on the traditional Mai Tai recipe. There's no mention of one on any of the variants on the tradervics website. Where is there a published recipe with a float?

Good question. I don't have any recipies that call for a float either, but at Emeryville they do the float when you ask for "original style". I don't know when they started doing that. They also serve a "San Francisco style" mai tai at Emeryville if you ask for it but I always forget what is in that one or if it's any different from the "original style".

I have seen a lot of variation in mai tais at Emeryville. For a while they were making the regular ones with Whalers and the mix with the juice of 1/2 a lime (not so good). Last Friday they were making them with gold and dark Trader Vic's rums and the mix and a little lime juice (better but they were a bit sweet so I had to ask for more lime in my second one). The only consistency I have seen is that they add the float when you ask for "original style" which wasn't even on the original. Go figure. They usually taste good.

If anyone knows exactly what the difference between "original" and "San Francisco" mai tais please tell me!

Speaking of drinks with a float, last night I made the Demarara Dry Float from Intoxica and it was very nice. That float of Lemon Hart 151 gave it such a nice aroma and kick! The drink calls for a whopping 2.5 oz. of lime juice which I reduced a bit to taste.

London Trader Vic's is very much an upscale establishment, based at a 'dark blue' address on the monoploy board. (Park Lane)
As a result, you have to make a little effort to get in, though Aloha shirts are not only condoned, they are appreciated. Being in the basement of the Hilton, the clientele tend to have more money than sense, and the majority of patrons just fill in their room number when faced with the bill.

As Bigbro has pointed out, it also serves as a prime meeting point for high class prostitutes!

Trader Woody

*On 2003-05-02 12:57, Trader Woody wrote:*As Bigbro has pointed out, it also serves as a prime meeting point for high class prostitutes!

How would he know that? :wink:

*If anyone knows exactly what the difference between "original" and "San Francisco" mai tais please tell me! *

Original as in all hand made, none of the pre-mix? The San Francisco version always had that extra float, that much I know. I am getting more confused, plus, I did not know Emeryville had $5 Mai-Tais during weekday happy hour. Is that corect?

I like Menehune Juices and Zombies better anyway. Someday I will be grown-up enough to drink Navy Grogs, but not yet.

midnite's tiki craptacular

*On 2003-05-02 13:22, midnite_tiki wrote:*Someday I will be grown-up enough to drink Navy Grogs, but not yet.

It's nice to hear someone drinking responsibly on Tiki Central for a change. And a truly professional bar-keep should only serve the Navy Grog to sailors showing the first signs of scurvy.

Trader Woody

There hasn't been a discounted ($5) Mai-Tai at Trader Vics happy hour in Emeryville for a long time that I can remember. Sometimes for special occasions (like Vic's 100th B'day or James' book signing ) it rears its beautiful head.

On 2003-05-02 18:39, mrsmiley wrote:
There hasn't been a discounted ($5) Mai-Tai at Trader Vics happy hour in Emeryville for a long time that I can remember.

The last time I was there for happy hour they had a special drink and appetizer menu with lower prices on selected drinks including the Mai Tai. It was probably 6 months ago.

Where is there a published recipe with a float?

The first "Original Trader Vic's Mai Tai" recipe I ever used (before there was a grog log or intoxica) I downloaded off the internet four or five years ago. It called for a float, and I've made 'em that way ever since...

The first "Original Trader Vic's Mai Tai" recipe I ever used (before there was a grog log or intoxica) I downloaded off the internet four or five years ago. It called for a float, and I've made 'em that way ever since...

Well, if it came from the Intarweb, you know it's true!

Just kidding, just kidding, don't hit me! :D :D :D