Trader Vic's Emeryville News

some of us are going tonight/saturday

I hope to make it out again next week as Vic's is running specials all week Apr 25 - 29

Good times last night! I'll be making it in there a couple more times before they start renovations.

Oh, and the drink that went in the Pig's mug was called the "Pig's Me Up" - one of, if not the last drink ever invented by Vic Bergeron. I've been waiting to get the recipe from Kier for quite a while now. :wink: Every once in a while you'll see a mini pig that matches the pig mug as well, and they had the mini pigs at the warehouse sale as well, at least on display in the office.

Hey Mai Tai, it was nice meeting you guys at Don's, Look forward to seeing all of you in your neck of the woods sometime.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2010-04-25 02:19 ]

We did a video walk through with Otto last night.

On 2010-04-24 17:57, Const Tiki wrote:
Just a thought, but maybe someone could take some pictures for a pre- and post-renovation comparison. There are a lot a good close up pictures posted here and on Critiki, but fewer of the dining area in general.

Can someone please take some panorama photos for me before it's too late??!!!

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=36266&forum=1&2

I'll do all the processing work if you just take the snapshots. T.V. was going to be one of my next places to visit to do a session. If you want the best way to have a lasting experience, panoramas of T.V could be better than snapshots or videos both as a unique experience and as an important 'you are there' recording of history. Pleeeese - -

[ Edited by: Okolehao 2010-04-25 20:20 ]

OK, so how many of us are going to brave the 'Pinky Poo'? The drink so poorly recieved that it died with Vic?

I know that I'd sure be trying the Pinky-Poo if I could be there!!!!!!!!

Let all of us out here in the hinterlands know how it is - I'd love to be able to make one to go into my Trader Vic's piggy mug that happily sits on my home bar :D

I'll be braving it with my wife and son tomorrow. I'll try and remember to bring my wide-field digital camera and take some pano shots.

We're naturally shy, so if any of the TC locals are there, look for (1) guy with a goatee and fedora, (2) woman with a Doctor Who scarf, (3) boy with long blonde hair, and stop by and say "Hi!"

Can anyone post the email Trader Vic's sent out about the events this week before closing?

Here ya go!

"I know that I'd sure be trying the Pinky-Poo if I could be there!!!!!!!!"

Sure, from a thousand miles away it's pretty easy making such proclamations. Well, I can tell you, I was there, and I drank (counting on fingers) one, two, carry the two...accounting for gravity, three...Jesus, Pigs!...way too many Pinky Pooh's.

It's not a bad drink, no. It's just not, well, a good drink.

In my 1972 Trader Vic's bartender guide the Pinky Pooh is not listed, but it is mentioned as a drink served in the Tahitian Cup (see Honi Honi). It should have stayed there, should have let sleeping porcine lie. But nooooo, I had to go have one, two...I see a herd of swines. Jesus, pigs!

Any who, it was still a great night at Emeryville. Kudos and thanks to the whole Vic's crew, especially John. And, of course, everybody's favorite, Judy. Be there Friday, to hear one last time, "Happy Hour...OVER!"

Serpentine, Shel...Serpentine!
midnite

Thanks Coco Loco, Otto, and Coco Joe for taking some photos and videos before the renovation.

Oops! Double post!
I'll just take this moment to say once again:

We'll miss you guys!
:(

~Zero

"The guy in the jacket"

Visit Zerotiki!

[ Edited by: ZeroTiki 2010-04-29 23:20 ]

John was kind enough to divulge the ingredients of the Pinky Poo:
1.5 oz. Apple Juice
1.5 oz. Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz. Lemon Juice
.75 oz. Mai Tai Concentrate
2 oz. Bourbon

Flash blend with crushed ice.

~~Once again, John delivers the goods. I can't wait to book my September 15th dinner reservation!

~Zero

I had a great time tonight - I couldn't quite close out the place, but I'm sure the crew will give the proper send-off...

check out my drink order: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19cTfTslzik
...props to Vincent for whipping these up for me - heheh

Trad'r Bill

Update: per PM I just got, apparently my joke didn't come across correctly to all readers - to be clear, I didn't actually order all these - Vincent was just prepping for the happy hour rush... ok, I think that clears it up :)

[ Edited by: Trad'r Bill 2010-05-01 12:38 ]

Cool video Bill.

Is that a double shot of dark?

Is that a double shot of dark?

It's Trader Vic's Amber... which I hear we can't get in the stores.

LONG LIVE TVics Emeryville!

Judy, is it still Happy Hour?

We wish to thank the staff at Emeryville for all the great times they helped make happen over the years. Trader Vic's is a special place for us and I hope they all know that their kind, warm, and professional service has been appreciated. Special thanks to John Allan, who always treated us quite well.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone.

What Mrsmiley said,
team midnite

this man is sad

A special thank you to Joshua Bell for the photos to make a composite panorama of the dining room and bar just before it closed.

Full panorama link:
http://www.you3dview.com/video/585/Traider-Vics--Emoryville

Great job on the 360, I really enjoyed it!

I agree - nice work! Thanks...

Is that Rum Runner and Tikitastic I see?

A direct quote from the administrator of the "Trader Vic's - Emeryville" Facebook page:

Thanks for your comment, and mark your calendar as we plan to reopen come Monday, September 13th! Hope to see you there!

I got received that response today. That's a couple days earlier than they originally stated back on Page 2 of this thread.

So the Official Tiki Central Crawl 2010 will morn likley be Sept. 16, 17, 18, 19. That's my bet.

Trader Vics opens in 11 more days!

They have a count down clock.
(We'll see)

Website

On 2010-09-16 13:52, Unga Bunga wrote:
Trader Vics opens in 11 more days!

They have a count down clock.
(We'll see)

Website

Any word on the modifications?

On 2010-09-20 21:19, christiki295 wrote:

On 2010-09-16 13:52, Unga Bunga wrote:
Trader Vics opens in 11 more days!

They have a count down clock.
(We'll see)

Website

Any word on the modifications?

Humu got a sneak peek last week. (hey, that rhymes!)
http://blog.humuhumu.com/

Tiki Mecca!

just got this e-mail.

THIS IS IT! Mark your calendars, we're re-opening our doors Tuesday, September 28th @5:00 pm! We can't wait to see you all again! Any reservations inquiries may be directed to [email protected]

For the first month of our re-opening, we will be offering the
Trader Vic’s Mai Tai for $5

post pics and reviews.

I'm hoping its good.
I have been there 2 times in the past.
1 time was great.
1 time was a bit disappointing.

Jeff(btd)

Did somebody say bar crawl?

On 2010-09-21 10:36, bigtikidude wrote:
just got this e-mail.

THIS IS IT! Mark your calendars, we're re-opening our doors Tuesday, September 28th @5:00 pm! We can't wait to see you all again! Any reservations inquiries may be directed to [email protected]

For the first month of our re-opening, we will be offering the
Trader Vic’s Mai Tai for $5

Nice price and excellent interior!

Just got back from a pre-opening party - thanks guys for the invite, you know who you are!

Overall opinion on the remodel = stoked! even more tiki than before... best part is the bar. Much more open - this will work well

My pics don't capture everything, and they are still building, so come check out the tiki-goodness!

This is the entrance where the hostess stand used to be

Much more open bar area - much better!

To the left of the bar - loungey area:

Way more glass fishing float everywhere

I dig the new tiki wall:

Midnite pontificating:

Trad'r Bill

Nice photos!

thanks for the pics

Jeff(btd)

We were there last night, they did a FANTASTIC job, love the colors and LOTS MORE TIKIS~
Photo album here
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=230790&id=761807960&l=faf7244796

Trader Vic's opens today!
Though I was not there tonight I was able to preview it a few days ago and I have excellent news for Tiki fans - the food menu is better, the bar decor is better, the layout of the bar area is better.

Trader Vic's management did exactly what they said they were going to do and if you haven't experienced it yet this coming weekend offers a great opportunity with the Tiki Oasis 10 afterparty
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37948&forum=17&hilite=emeryville

As you know, Trader Vic's Emeryville closed abruptly about 5 months ago. Rumors of it closing and getting remodeled were denied by management so of course we feared the worse when suddenly they announced their closure for remodeling and giving walking papers to all their employees.

But sometimes change is good...

Upon entering the newly refurbished TV you will get a feeling of a larger space, more homey, more inviting, slightly less formal (imposing hostess station is gone and, unfortunately, Claudette, an institution, is also gone. though we were happy to see the return of manager John)
The bar has been totally Tikified! Some historic artifacts have been added to the walls. The ceiling is now perfectly filled with assorted lamps and fish traps. The walls are matted from floor to ceiling. The new wall coverings add a dark warmth to the room without sacrificing the brightness of the sunsets on the harbor or the liveliness of the room at night. The bar has a new monkeypod style countertop that is far more interesting than the previous. The private room that was adjacent to the bar has been opened up to the bar to allow for more bar seating, creating a very large semi-private party area in the bar as seen in the photo below!

The dining room has more Tikis and more outriggers than ever and nice new chairs. Captain Cook Room has new artifacts in the diorama but otherwise remains intact as does the back patio.

The staff were super nice and energetic!

But best of all is the revamped food menu! All the most popular TV classics remain on the menu and are highlighted by an icon for those of you who have not memorized the classic menu. We are very happy to see there are a few more vegetarian items. We sampled some of the appetizers and were very happy with the new additions. I forgot the name of the new chef but he is obviously doing a good job and I hope that everyone takes the opportunity to support his efforts

http://www.tradervics.com/locations/location-emeryville.html

[ Edited by: Otto 2010-09-28 01:13 ]

Nice!

I look forward to seeing the updated Trader Vic's when I'm next in the Bay Area. (Which will be soon I hope!)

I'm happy to hear such happy reports from the locals. Sigh of relief there! However, I am sorry the beautiful Claudette is gone. She was classy, elegant and an inspiration.

ZAZZ!

how are the drinks?

Jeff(btd)

Please take the time to admire the panels on the sliding door. They're from Dallas and I miss them dearly.

:cry:

More great photos: (scroll down)

Had the honor of watching the SF Giants seal their World Series bid at Trader Vic's on Saturday. The remodel is a great update while keeping enough of the classic decor to make you feel the history of the place. It's much more open and the bar area, especially, is much more "group friendly" with lots of much needed seating. The drinks ARE still great. The "1944 Mai Tai" is basically what used to be the off-menu "San Francisco Mai Tai". I noticed a couple of drinks from the "old days" were sadly no longer on the menu while there were quite a few new ones. I stayed away from the Mai Tai Flight which is a cool surfboard holding 3 mini Mai Tais, unfortunately the 3 Mai Tais are their fruity twists take on the classic...so they are probably too fruity for my taste. The food was still very good (at least the bar food was...haven't done dinner yet). I was very sad to see that the hostess who has faithfully greeted us for years was no longer there. I wasn't sure if she simply had the night off or was a casualty of the update. She was a great ambassador of Trader Vic's and it would be a bad move to let her go. The one HUUUUUUUUUUUGE gripe is the music. Now I have nothing against Salsa or Cubano music....but this is a Polynesian themed place and the constant Samba music was a big distraction. We even asked our waitress to mention it to the manager because it was a big turn off. Oh, there's a Saturday Happy Hour from 5-6 where all the Mai Tais are $5 (but the 1944 Mai Tai is $6). A handful of other drinks were also $5 and about half of the bar menu is half off. A great deal! Oh yeah, did I mention the Giants are going to the Series? Here's a clip of the final pitch......not great quality but you can feel the vibe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcywiF4EB-k

I had the pleasure of visiting this fine establishment last night and will second those comments about the Latino music. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but Trader Vic's is not the place for it. Later on, they were even playing reggae music! Again, I love reggae, but where's the Pacific music for the love of Tiki!

Anyway, apart from that minor blemish, I was very impressed with Trader Vic's. Ms. Nouméa and I arrived at 9pm and sat in the bar area, which was quieter than the restaurant. Admiring the nice view of the marina while we drank and dined, we also took advantage of the post 9 pm half-price offers. For drinks, I had the 1944 Mai Tai and a Suffering Bastard. Both tasted just fine. Just a week before I had the same model of Mai Tai at the Matterhorn Bar in Wellington, which was recently voted the 15th best bar in the world, and there was no doubt about which was the superior drink (and no, it wasn't the Wellington version, which was too watery). For our meal, we had the fish and chips and the chicken fried rice, both of which were superb. Fish and chips is my toughest test of any US restaurant because, sadly, most of them don't know how to do 'em properly. Trader Vic's passed with flying colours. I also chose chicken fried rice, because I have had it in Asian restaurants all over the world, and although it is bog standard fare, it' s a sort of yardstick showing whether or not a restaurant really cares about its customers. Trader Vic's put most of the Chinese restaurants I have ever been in to shame. The chicken was just right, and nicely spicy, and the rice was delicately flavoured, with not a lump in sight.

Naturally, I took the opportunity to scout out the premises. The decor was wonderful. The Captain Cook room was both dignified and exotic at the same time, and I liked the little private function area with all the photos showing the restaurant's history on the walls. The wall with the PNG (and a few imposter) masks was also really cool.

To round the evening off, the waitress was even kind enough to wrap up a salt and pepper shaker set for me when I asked if I could buy it.

You tiki people who live in the Bay Area really are very lucky to have this place.

CN

Anyone know if those Leetegs in the bar are prints or the real deal? They look great.

I've been told by a manager there that they are the real deal.