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Trader Vic's, Dallas, TX (restaurant) |
Formikahini
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 1491
From: Houston, Texotica
|  Posted: 2007-04-09 11:01 am Permalink
Rumbuddy, I'm jealous that you got to taste the coffee creme brulee! They had run out of it on the test-run night that I was there. Our little group was quite disappointed.
....which probably explains why they had some for *you,* who didn't get to dessert 'til 11:30-ish maybe? Ha! Thanks to us that night, they now KNOW to keep a helluva lot on hand; I bet it is delicious!! Remind me to reserve some for myself at the beginning of our meal on May 5th!!
Looking forward to meeting you then,
F
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icebaer69
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 03, 2007
Posts: 191 | Posted: 2007-04-09 3:13 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-04-05 09:02, ikitnrev wrote:
...http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/dining/stories/DN-nf_trader_0404liv.ART.State.Edition1.1687ee.html
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amazing:
"...Sealed like a tomb for nearly 20 years after its closing in 1987, the lounge has been restored to its old Polynesian-pop glory..."
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10566
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2007-04-13 12:53 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-04-09 15:13, icebaer69 quoted the Dallas News:
"...Sealed like a tomb for nearly 20 years after its closing in 1987, the lounge has been restored to its old Polynesian-pop glory..."
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Correct me if I am wrong, but was this place not part of some Yogi/cult organization, and operated by them for some time? If I am right, it is typical that that part of its history is omitted, because it does not fit in with today's clean yuppie view of things (err, sorry...what would be the contemporary term for "yuppie"?).
But to me, it is such a telling symptom of the time: That is what the CHILDREN of the Trader Vic generation did in the 70s and 80s, they abandoned their parents' ways and found their own form of paradise, some in exotic cult religions! That generation gap is why these places closed, so it is a supreme irony that one of them was taken over by such a cult (but left unchanged!), just as it is a sign of the times that the Yogi has left the building now, and the Trader reigns again.
This is not a value judgement, I am an archeologist and simply like to observe and marvel at the follies of mankind.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-04-13 12:56 ]
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2007-04-13 1:01 pm Permalink
Mahareshi Yogi's people did indeed own the hotel property for a while.
It is unclear whether their religion sanctioned use of the bar.
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Kenike
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2003
Posts: 1201
From: McKinney, TX
| Posted: 2007-04-13 2:52 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-04-13 12:53, bigbrotiki wrote:
Quote:
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On 2007-04-09 15:13, icebaer69 quoted the Dallas News:
"...Sealed like a tomb for nearly 20 years after its closing in 1987, the lounge has been restored to its old Polynesian-pop glory..."
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Correct me if I am wrong, but was this place not part of some Yogi/cult organization, and operated by them for some time? If I am right, it is typical that that part of its history is omitted, because it does not fit in with today's clean yuppie view of things (err, sorry...what would be the contemporary term for "yuppie"?).
But to me, it is such a telling symptom of the time: That is what the CHILDREN of the Trader Vic generation did in the 70s and 80s, they abandoned their parents' ways and found their own form of paradise, some in exotic cult religions! That generation gap is why these places closed, so it is a supreme irony that one of them was taken over by such a cult (but left unchanged!), just as it is a sign of the times that the Yogi has left the building now, and the Trader reigns again.
This is not a value judgement, I am an archeologist and simply like to observe and marvel at the follies of mankind.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-04-13 12:56 ]
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Irony indeed!
Here's some info from the Dallas Morning News:
The colorful, up-and-down history of this property is almost legendary. Built in 1967, the Hilton was one of the best-located hotels in the city. It offered the very popular Trader Vic’s restaurant and Harper’s Corner bar. But as it aged, the hotel slid into decline, first as a Hilton, then during an ignominious period when Hilton withdrew its franchise and a plastic letter “p” was taped over the “n,” transforming it into the “Hiltop.”
In mid-1999, the owner, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, renamed the hotel the Santa Fe, but problems persisted at the property.
Not clear on when the Maharishi officially made the purchase, but I can just picture an old man in a white robe climbing up there with a giant P and some tape...
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Formikahini
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 1491
From: Houston, Texotica
| Posted: 2007-04-13 8:53 pm Permalink
Was TV's not closed the whole time the Maharishi owned the hotel? I thought that was about when it was sealed up, but I may be way off.
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Rumbuddy
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 09, 2007
Posts: 21
From: Dallas Area
| Posted: 2007-04-16 12:29 pm Permalink
Here's a couple more food and drink pics at the Dallas Trader Vic's:
Me with my first Dallas Star in the collectible glass
Ahi Tuna Poke with Taro Chips, shown with my Tiki Puka Puka with Gardenia
The very delicious fillet
The highly recommended halibut with sweet potatoes
and another pic of the Chinese oven.
I am looking forward to doing it all again on May 5. And yes, the coffee creme brulee was really, really good. It was all good. Several times I have wished I lived even closer, I would be cruisin' by for a little cocktail getaway whenever I felt like it! One more note, the joint is dark, very dark. We couldn't read the menu by the candle on the table, so Shawn The Good Waiter brought out a book light to help us see the menu.
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Rumbuddy loves you.
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1766
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2007-04-17 09:53 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 12:29, Rumbuddy wrote:
One more note, the joint is dark, very dark.
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Perfect! That's exactly the way it should be. If you have not yet been to the Mai-Kai in Ft Lauderdale, it is also wonderfully dark. Tiki people are such cave dwellers...
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ikitnrev
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 1298
From: D.C. / Virginia
| Posted: 2007-04-27 07:26 am Permalink
yet another positive review of the Dallas Trader Vics - this is one of the better written reviews I have seen yet, with many phrases that made me smile ....best of all is the opening paragraph.
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Where exactly does the line blur between camp and class? When does time-capsule kitsch segue into appreciable artfulness? How has a retro groovy concept suddenly achieved status as cutting-edge cool? And why, oh why, can't the taste buds detect the obscene amounts of alcohol in those fruity cocktails profuse with rum?
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and I like this phrase too ....
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The new owners crack open the long-sealed crypt of the once-party-hardy Trader Vic's, and what do they find? Polynesian Pompeii.
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The reviewer does not care for the Dallas Star drink, but is positive about most everything else. I wish I lived closer to Dallas - I would love to visit.
The full review can be found here .....
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-tradervics_0427gui.ART.State.Edition1.43e9c91.html
Vern
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Kenike
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2003
Posts: 1201
From: McKinney, TX
| Posted: 2007-04-27 07:31 am Permalink
We grab seats next to a tiki geek, who points out details that survive from the restaurant's first go-round.
"Look," he says, "at the small tears in those light shades? They're originals. And so is the lacquered Chinese newspaper that lines the canopy over the bar. And these tiki columns were made by Oceanic Arts, one of the biggest producers of tiki art in the world ..."
The tiki geek they refer to was me...I had no idea that guy was a reviewer. I heard him mention he'd been to the Atlanta TV and struck up a conversation
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Rumbuddy
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 09, 2007
Posts: 21
From: Dallas Area
| Posted: 2007-04-27 09:37 am Permalink
I loved the article - I emailed him about our get together, maybe he would like to join us for drinks and who knows, maybe there is one more article to be written out there for Trader Vic's, the story of a place bringing tikiphiles together from all over Texas!
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Rumbuddy loves you.
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Kenike
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 24, 2003
Posts: 1201
From: McKinney, TX
| Posted: 2007-04-27 11:20 am Permalink
Good idea..I had a long conversation with Tina Danze about Tiki Central (she wrote the article a few weeks ago) and told her about our little party.
Going by tonight to finalize our plans for the 5th!
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PremEx
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 271
From: Houston, Texas
| Posted: 2007-04-27 12:22 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-04-27 09:37, Rumbuddy wrote:...the story of a place bringing tikiphiles together from all over Texas! |
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Hey...I'm comin in all the way from California. 
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T1K1 LEE
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Apr 22, 2007
Posts: 37 | Posted: 2007-04-28 10:00 am Permalink
Nice pics. Thank you
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PremEx
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 271
From: Houston, Texas
| Posted: 2007-05-05 2:06 pm Permalink
Wow!
I just finished a tour of the Trader Vic's Dallas while the place was still empty and they were getting ready for dinner.
Fantastic.
The pictures in this thread are great, but they can't do it justice. It's just incredible. One of the great Trader Vic's out there.
Funny...as I came out of the "private room" I overheard someone talking to the hostess. He was an old customer of this Trader Vic's decades ago before they sealed it up. He was absolutely amazed at the place. He was saying how he just assumed it had been gutted long ago. He was just floored at what he was seeing. He just couldn't believe it. He went on and on about it.
I wonder how many others have had that same experience here?
What fun. Can't wait for drinks and dinner in a couple of hours.
[ This Message was edited by: PremEx 2007-05-05 14:07 ]
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