Jade Island, Staten Island NY

My husband and I went to the Jade Island chinese restaurant on Staten Island NY yesterday. I am pleased to report that it is really cool! From the outside it doesnt look like much. It's in a strip mall. It has those old 1950s hexegon windows. There are alot of tikis and the place is filled with bamboo. The bar is small and kinda dingy, even though it has tapa cloth and bamboo. The bar had more of an off track betting parlor vibe than a tiki bar vibe. The dining room is where the action is, however. Its a huge room with booths lining the walls, tables in the center. The booths are inside large thatched huts. Each booth has either a puffer fish lamp or a snarling tiki face lamp. Starfish lamps are hanging outside of the booths, and there is a huge seahorse lamp in the middle of the room. One wall has a mural of Tahiti that looks like it is printed on glass that is lit from behind. There are some coconuts hanging near some booths. The book Tiki Road Trip does not have a TIPSY (tikis per square yard) rating for the place, so I will supply my own TIPSY rating of three out of five! That's pretty good. They serve drinks in tiki mugs, which are not for sale. Drinks come with cocktail umbrellas and pineapple garnish with cherries. Pina coladas and mai tais were very tasty. They offer a number of classic tiki bar drinks. Appetizer portions were generous. Typical chinese menu. There are some larger size tikis behind the waiters' station in the back and there are 2 little fountains in the rear also. Waiters are in aloha shirts. All in all it was a fun tiki experience! The place was packed, they do quite a business, so its good to see the tiki establishment thriving.

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Childhood Flashback!!!

The exotic food, the dimly lit booths, the silly "pu-pu" jokes... I was beginning to think I'd dreamt this place. I haven't been there since Nineteen-Seventy-mumble! Someone should put it into Locating Tiki. I'd love to if I was going back to Staten Island anytime before next summer...

AAAHHH!!!

Now I'm seeing the windows & door from the outside! And the nearest street corner (probably cleaner in memory than in fact)! I can smell the bus exhaust, I can remember the cracks in the curb...

I'm literally getting light-headed here! I'm probably going to send my baby sister over to eat there & take pictures.