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Smuggler's Cove - "It's Beyond Tiki" |
JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2488
From: Dogtown, USA
|  Posted: 2010-02-05 08:48 am Permalink
Thanks Trader Bob,
Leave it to a Tiki newcomer to put it all in the right perspective. I suggest we end the discussion here with your comments:
"Smugglers Cove looks like a wonderful place, we should be thankful it exists and congratulate Martin for creating it. and for those lucky enough to get there and sample its atmosphere, I envy."
"What ever it is Nautical, Tiki, whatever. I like it!"
(Hey, this was my 400th post !!)
[ This Message was edited by: JOHN-O 2010-02-05 08:51 ]
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tikiyaki
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: May 18, 2004
Posts: 2677
From: The Exotic Port of REDONDO BEACH, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-05 09:21 am Permalink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXRGTv-L780
Nuff said !
_________________
http://www.tikiyakiorchestra.com
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10600
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-02-05 09:44 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-05 00:06, Trader Bob wrote:
Well I thought it was a good question. Being new to the whole Tiki culture I want to learn as much as I can and this thread has been useful to me. Who actually invented Tiki? who invented the Mai Tai, dose anyone know 100% without a doubt? is there someone who is qualified to say? I love this fourm, I love peoples effort and imagination with their Bars and crafts. Smugglers Cove looks like a wonderful place, we should be thankful it exists and congratulate Martin for creating it. and for those lucky enough to get there and sample its atmosphere, I envy. What ever it is Nautical, Tiki, whatever. I like it!
Trader Bob
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Before the internet, there were things called "books", and one of them was called "The Book of Tiki", which by its title speaks of and answers many of the questions you have. You can find it and other "books" on a site called "Amazon.com". But this might be getting too intellectual about the subject, and not enough "fun".
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Johnny Dollar
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 01, 2003
Posts: 2920
From: Baltimore, Maryland, PNG
| Posted: 2010-02-05 09:51 am Permalink
hm... who was the author of this book? 
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Trader Bob
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 29, 2009
Posts: 75
From: Gold Coast, tropical paradise
| Posted: 2010-02-05 12:06 pm Permalink
Yes Bigbro I know about your book, and Its on my want list!
I don't have a lot of money at this stage, I am plowing all my efforts and spare cash into creating my south seas island sanctuary. Sepik masks, south seas artifacts and building materials cost a lot of money. Being in Australia I have to make a lot of stuff, we don't have an OA, Benson's, franks rush & cane, Bamboo Ben or any supplier of Tiki stuff!
Trader Bob
PS..Smugglers Cove ROCKS
[ This Message was edited by: Trader Bob 2010-02-05 12:12 ]
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Beach Bum Scott
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 28, 2008
Posts: 305
From: The Ranch in CO
| Posted: 2010-02-05 12:14 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-05 12:06, Trader Bob wrote:
Being in Australia I have to make a lot of stuff, we don't have an OA, Benson's, franks rush & cane, Bamboo Ben or any supplier of Tiki stuff! |
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and be glad of that or like an another thread about a new Mai Tai spot you might be labeled as having a UPS delivered bar!!!
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2149
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2010-02-06 11:49 am Permalink
The place is just amazing in every way. It is what the name says it is - a Smuggler's Cove. Much like the Molokai with the nautical elements and all very well done with an authentic look and an element of danger. I say "tiki."
Outstanding in every way. A great experience when our crew took over the main corner of the ground floor bar. Trader Vic's grandson was there with the midnites, Shaka, Diggler, JenTiki and of course, one H. Lemoore. martiki and booloo and notch and Hanford did a great thing there. Even had King Kukulele playing in the background.
I love SF.
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7217
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2010-02-09 7:01 pm Permalink
what about a Rum Runner? (or Rhum)
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JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2488
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2010-02-21 10:28 pm Permalink
OK, before we get to my trip to Smuggler’s Cove, let’s start with my visit to Forbidden Island, a place I haven’t been for almost 3 years. Now let’s face it, most of the recent Tiki Central Bay Area spotlight has shone on SC with FI being relegated to “the place that Martin Cate left”. Conventional wisdom would dictate that the quality would fall much in the same way when a celebrity chef leaves a famous restaurant.
This feeling was reinforced when I had a chat with someone I meet at LA’s Varnish bar earlier last year. This self-described San Francisco “New Cocktailian” insisted he was a former FI regular and that the place had gone downhill when Martin left.
Since I was staying with friends in the East Bay, I decided to check it out for myself. Upon entering FI, it felt as if I was just there the previous week. That “never changes, frozen in time” Tiki atmosphere was still in place. The mood was still that of a low-key neighborhood bar, FI hadn’t turned into a beer swilling sports bar.
Now did you ever have a cocktail that after the first sip, made an impression that just stayed with you? That was the impact I got when I first sipped on a Martiki-mixed traditional Mai Tai in 2007. Now I’m more of a Navy Grog guy, but I’ve never had a Mai Tai quite like that since. That was my first cocktail choice of the evening. I took my first sip, and then had that same feeling of sublime recognition I remembered from years before. Nothing had changed. Another key drink of the evening was the Jet Pilot which I would say was one of the best Tropical cocktails I’ve tasted (I’m jumping ahead here, but I also tried the Jet Pilot at SC. Very very good, but I think I preferred the FI one just a tad more.)
So here’s my point. In my opinion, any rumors that FI has gone downhill are total BS. Talking to Susan (one of the bar managers) and Paddy (my bartender of the evening), FI’s dedication to master mixology and devotion to classic Tiki-style are still very much in place.
On the West Coast, it’s sometimes easy to take FI for granted. Now we have so many great Tropical cocktail places like SC, DTBC, the revamped Tonga Hut, the downtown LA TV, and Frankie’s Tiki Room. We forget that when FI first opened, the only other real game in the West was Tiki-Ti. It’s great to see that one of the first places that set the high Tiki standard still continues to maintain it. Don’t think of FI as the place that Martin Cate left but rather as the place he helped to define.
Next up, my Smuggler’s Cove assessment. It’s very positive but you'll also find some of my comments surprising.
[ This Message was edited by: JOHN-O 2010-02-22 18:53 ]
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 8312
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2010-02-22 10:14 am Permalink
good to hear/read.
now where is the SC review?
Jeff(btd)
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congawa
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 11, 2008
Posts: 340
From: Long Beach, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-22 11:08 am Permalink
I went to Smugglers Cove the weekend before last, and there was nary a pirate theme to be seen. Big Bro's description of the difference between smugglers and pirates should suffice, but in my mind the "smuggler" aspect even seems to be meant more tongue-in-cheek. Really, the overlying theme I experienced was of the industrial area of a port of call (tropical or not) where cargo is loaded and unloaded from ships--specifically, fine rums being exported to destinations where the wares are eagerly-awaited. And since this is a bar which stands out for the seriousness of its rums, and for presenting rum as a distilled beverage worthy of the same respect as fine scotch and bourbon, the decor seems exactly in line with that concept. And I say the smuggler aspect is tongue-in-cheek (which of course is redundant for me to even say, because almost everything related to the polynesian pop concept is intended on some level of tongue-in-cheekness, hence its beauty) because smugglers don't do their business in the open, with visible barrels in netting. Rather they drop anchor off-shore or seek secluded caves (as seen in Big Bro's illustration).
I wouldn't pay too much attention to what is said on Yelp, based on the crowd I experienced on the day I went--which may or may not be characteristic of a typical night. It was a Sunday, but Valentine's Day with a Monday President's Day holiday the next day. And listening to and observing the other people in line (it was about a 25 minute wait to get in that night, at about 10:30pm) and inside the bar, it was definitely a young "club kids" crowd, who were trying to hook up, were discussing other hipster bars they just came from or were going to next, and didn't sound fully clear on the concept of SC. This bodes well for SC's success in an urban mecca such as SF, as long as the kids don't treat it as a "flavor of the month" thing. However, based on the night I was there, the general ambiance of the crowd made it a little harder to get into the theme, whereas my visit to Forbidden Island two nights earlier put me right in the correct mood with its crowd who was obviously at one with the concept. However, I'm sure if I'd gone there earlier in the day, or on a week night (which unfortunately as a weekend tourist I couldn't do), the mood might have been different. I definitely give Smugglers Cove a big thumbs up, though, and look forward to going again on my next trip north.
[ This Message was edited by: congawa 2010-02-22 11:08 ]
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JOHN-O
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: May 16, 2008
Posts: 2488
From: Dogtown, USA
| Posted: 2010-02-22 5:17 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-22 10:14, bigtikidude wrote:
good to hear/read.
now where is the SC review?
Jeff(btd)
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Actually I’ve decided not to post that full review. 
I was informed today that many here on TC believe this type of prolonged discussion (“Is SC Tiki”, “FI vs. SC”) is not good for the scene, especially when these threads show up in the results of non-TC search engines.
It was not my intent to upset people and I apologize to anyone who felt the thread was inappropriate (or went on too long).
FYI, I was NOT asked to remove my posts or change my tone, it was just a polite "heads up” that I’ve decided to respect.
So let me end it with a short version of my original review:
"Smuggler’s Cove is BEYOND Tiki !! The cocktails are amazing."
Go see Reza (aka the “Rear Admiral”). You’ll be seeing a lot more of him.
That’s all folks !!
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leleliz
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Sep 02, 2008
Posts: 1981
From: NorCal
| Posted: 2010-02-22 6:41 pm Permalink
Bummer you don't feel comfortable posting your review.
I always like your take on places John-O (both tiki and non-tiki)and I think being this is a FORUM where people post their OPINIONS they should feel 100% comfortable posting those opinions about whatever they want.
Shame. Seriously.
Hope to see you at either the Cove or Forbidden Island at some point in the future and appreciate the reviews you have brought to TC thus far.
[ This Message was edited by: leleliz 2010-02-22 18:42 ]
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Hakalugi
Site Administrator
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 2816
From: Redondo Beach, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-22 7:00 pm Permalink
John-o,
You should go ahead and post your review of SC in the SC thread:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=34821&forum=2
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bigtikidude
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 10, 2004
Posts: 8312
From: Anaheim,Ca.
| Posted: 2010-02-23 08:55 am Permalink
I agree with Hakalugi,
post it in the thread about SC
Jeff(btd)
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