Pages: 1 6 replies
|
T
TikiTomD
Posted
posted
on
Sun, Sep 11, 2011 8:18 AM
Name:Islander Beef and Grog Description: Here’s an excellent background article from the archives... Florida Today February 8, 1980 The Islander Beef and Grog offered live entertainment. Here’s an article on one of the singers who periodically performed there (remember, it was the 1970s)... Florida Today February 28, 1975 The Islander Beef and Grog’s chef was a professional... Florida Today August 7, 1976 And his wife was a Polynesian dancer... Florida Today September 10, 1976 Sports celebrities visit the Islander Beef and Grog... Florida Today September 3, 1976 Highs and lows in succession at the Islander Beef and Grog... Florida Today February 2, 1978 Florida Today March 30, 1978 At least they left the rum! A tornado that damaged quite a few Cocoa Beach businesses in 1979 did not entirely spare the Islander Beef and Grog... Florida Today July 10, 1979 Some representative ads over the years from Florida Today... April 6, 1975 October 31, 1975 December 18, 1975 May 3, 1977 This one's got a Kona Kai style Tiki in it... August 19, 1977 Wayne Coombs was certainly a busy guy in those days... Florida Today June 4, 1976 Sabu, this place was made for you! Come back in time and savor your favorite Polynesian cocktail amidst exotic surroundings on the beach, while you broil your own steak and chat with like-minded souls. Next, what came before and what came after... -Tom |
|
T
TikiTomD
Posted
posted
on
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 12:27 PM
The building that later hosted the Islander Beef and Grog was formerly a restaurant known as the Oceanside Steak House. Steve Hall owned it and was also the manager from February 1970 until he sold it five years later to Richard Archer and Beverly Delaney, who then made it into the Islander Beef and Grog. In Hall’s story, told in an article below, he leased it to someone else prior to coming to Florida from Cleveland in February 1970, who “turned a German smorgasbord into a financial disaster.” I found several Florida Today ads from 1969, just prior to Hall’s arrival... October 12, 1969 October 12, 1969 Here’s Steve Hall’s story... Florida Today April 7, 1971 Here are some representative Florida Today ads (apparently Hall favored rhyme)... December 24, 1972 March 11, 1973 April 22, 1973 Returning to the Islander Beef and Grog, in late February of 1980, Richard Archer and his partner (aka his wife) sold the restaurant to Dee Gunter, an Austrian expatriate who decided to drop the Polynesian menu specialties and replace them with European cuisine. Accordingly, he dropped “Islander” from the restaurant name, so it became just the Beef and Grog. Here’s Gunter’s story... Florida Today April 1, 1980 And here is a Florida Today ad for the new Beef and Grog (the Tikis in the ad presumably reflect the exotic décor and possibly exotic cocktails, but not cuisine)... April 4, 1980 Next, something entirely different arrives... -Tom |
|
T
TikiTomD
Posted
posted
on
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 6:13 AM
In October 1980, seven months after dropping “Islander” from the name and Polynesian from the cuisine, the Beef and Grog was sold for $450,000 by Richard Archer and Beverly Delaney to Peter and Darlene Cunningham. Apparently, the original Islander Beef and Grog owners retained title to the property or else it reverted back to them when the Beef and Grog failed. The Cunninghams extensively remodeled the building, opening as Desperado’s Mexican Restaurant and Saloon in November 1980. Here are several articles that tell their story... Florida Today November 21, 1980 Florida Today November 13, 1981 And here are some representative Florida Today ads over the years... July 3, 1981 October 25, 1981 June 8, 1984 January 18, 1985 February 22, 1985 October 25, 1985 Desperado’s was deservedly a very popular Space Coast beachside eatery for nearly two decades. Pat and I can personally attest to that based on our own dining experiences there. Near the end of the 1990s, it succumbed to a scourge that killed off many a popular establishment along the coastlines of the Florida peninsula and the Keys: condo development. Prime waterfront land was far more valuable as a condominium site than as just about any other kind of business. Very few landowners could resist the riches offered by the developers if they sold. So sell they did. In the case of Desperado’s, it was demolished to make way for the Palmas de Majorca Condominium, constructed in 2000 and still there today...
-Tom |
|
H
howlinowl
Posted
posted
on
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 10:43 AM
Dang Tom..... They need to find you some work out there on the Cape. You seem to have too much free time on your hands diggin' up all this. Crappy condos. They're taking over the waterfront in South Florida also. Too easy to sell the same view only stories above the other to folks interested in living on the water. Couple cool places went down in Riviera/Singer Island during the last real estate boom..... Rutledge Inn on Singer Island and The Crab Pot in Riviera Beach. Both were there forever and are now sitting undeveloped since being torn down and the market went flat. And, of course there was the time capsule in Fort Pierce..Moon Garden. It was cool when I first moved to South Florida in '84. There were still some old motels with lounges on Singer Island, but most have been mowed down. Seems if you want a cocktail now, it's off to Chili's or one of the clones (TGIF, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's) or maybe Red Lobster. And unless there's a "mix", they don't know how to make anything. Off topic: Been enjoying the Pina colada recipe from the Moon Islander thread....never made a Pina Colada with lemon juice before and it's got just enough tartness to keep me interested. Thanks. howlinowl |
|
T
TikiHardBop
Posted
posted
on
Tue, Sep 13, 2011 12:21 PM
The Crab Pot was always a favorite after a day of diving and/or fishing. |
|
STCB
Sabu The Coconut Boy
Posted
posted
on
Wed, Sep 14, 2011 11:54 PM
Tom - Thanks for chronicling the full history of the Islander Beef & Grog! Based on my matchbook and a few others I've seen from other states, I assumed that cook-your-own-steak gimmick was pretty common in the 60s & 70s. But evidently from your news articles, the idea was new to Florida and the Beef & Grog was unique for its time and area.
|
|
C
coldwarspacemonkey
Posted
posted
on
Sun, Mar 15, 2020 7:42 AM
Tom - I found this while sorting through my Dad's estate. (He was on the Voyager launch team in 1977, and spent about 6 months at the Cape preparing for the launch. Mom had sent off to the Chamber of Commerce for information on lodging and restaurants for when we went down to visit and watch the launch.) |
Pages: 1 6 replies