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Trader Vic's ~ Bellevue Washington |
dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
|  Posted: 2006-10-14 1:08 pm Permalink
Trader Vic's Newsletter wow, i didnt sign up for this sooner.. and its been a little while since we've been over for happy hour ~ looks like they revamped the pricing for some new appitizers ($2-4)and added a Bellevue Beach Bum beverage. Happy Hour is daily from 4-6 and after 10 pm. much better than the few bux off the pupu platter!
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defaultet
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 28, 2006
Posts: 23
From: California
| Posted: 2006-12-01 11:59 pm Permalink
So, how is this location? Haven't been to any others but am intrigued. Don't care about food, just interested in drinks particularly ZOMBIE!!!
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defaultet
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 28, 2006
Posts: 23
From: California
| Posted: 2006-12-09 2:34 pm Permalink
Went to this location yesterday. Here's my review (also posted on Yelp!)
I showed up with my wife at around 5:15 pm for the 4-6 Happy Hour. The place was jam packed. There was a bit of confusion, and the hostesses were being completely unhelpful. They basically said "if you find a seat, grab it, you're lucky." Thankfully, a more seasoned employee offered to look after us and advised that tables would open up in a few minutes.
We were seated around 5:40 pm, which really isn't that bad considering it was a Friday night. We quickly started ordering Happy Hour items, such as pommes frites, crab rangoon, calamari, pork ribs and spring rolls. The men in the group ordered a Zombie and a Mai Tai. The women ordered a beer (one was driving) and a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri (the other is pregnant).
The food was very tasty and entirely reasonable for a Happy Hour. It's not going to win any prizes, but for Happy Hour it was entirely decent. We ordered a variety of dishes and they all met the taste test for Happy Hour food items. The Happy Hour drinks, a Zombie and a Mai Tai, were well worth the discounted prices.
And then Happy Hour ended. My first drink was a Somoan Fog Cutter at $10. It was tasty but a little too much crushed ice for my taste. My favorite was the Suffering Bastard at $9, which got the job done with less crushed ice and a surprise cucumber in my drink. I finished off with a Tiki Bowl, which is basically a rum punch type drink in a large bowl that you sip from. All the drinks were delicious but could be a little stronger in my book. The drink presentation was flawless, with garnishes and specialty serving vessels.
I would give 5 stars, but there were several problems. First, they need a better system on how to seat people during Happy Hour. They probably lost at least ten customers, because people didn't have any confidence that a table would open up in a reasonable amount of time.
The next problem came when I inquired about a drink they serve called Pimm's Cup. All the waitress could tell me was that it is "an English liquer." She asked a manager and he told her that it is "an English liquor." I waited for a further explanation, but that's all the waitress said. Okay, not going to order that drink.
Finally, and this is the most significant problem, they serve a drink called Raffles Bar Gin Sling, which features ginger beer as one of its ingredients. The waitress said they don't have ginger beer and therefore cannot serve the drink. I appreciate her candor, a lot of waitresses would probably put the drink order through and just tell the bartender to use a substitute. Nonetheless, Trader Vic's reputation is entirely built on quality, mostly rum-based cocktails. The staff needs to be knowledgeable, and EVERY drink on the menu should be available.
Good times and great drinks, but a little hefty on the pocketbook. Hopefully the few problem areas can be corrected over time.
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PremEx
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 271
From: Houston, Texas
| Posted: 2006-12-09 5:29 pm Permalink
Quote:
| The next problem came when I inquired about a drink they serve called Pimm's Cup. All the waitress could tell me was that it is "an English liquer." She asked a manager and he told her that it is "an English liquor." I waited for a further explanation, but that's all the waitress said. Okay, not going to order that drink. |
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I let out a laugh when I read that because I can actually relate to their lack-of-answer! 
The traditional Pimms #1 Cup is one of my favorite hot weather drinks (I like to think of it as sort of a British Mai Tai)...and in all honesty, I never have a clue how to describe Pimms either! It's really...well...it's really its own thing. Hard to compare it with any other existing liqueur. So I can very much sympathize with the waitress and manager's answer.
Usually I just tell my friends..."I can't describe it. Try it...you'll like it!" 
http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pimms-no-1-cup_index.html
While most official recipes mention lemonade as the main suggested mixer...most bars in the UK I've ordered them at use Ginger Ale...and I actually prefer that method myself. Very refreshing!
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woofmutt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 26, 2002
Posts: 2584
From: Seattilite Telstar
| Posted: 2006-12-10 10:47 am Permalink
Same here on The Pimm's #1. It's a drink I've known about for years but only ever tried when Seattle's West 5 featured it on their Happy Hour menu this past summer.
I finally made it to the Bellevue Trader Vic's last week. We (couple of locals and an old OSI buddy who was in town and crashing on my couch) went for drinks on a Sunday mid-afternoon. It was the ideal time as there were only two other people in the bar.
The bar in particular is super swell, looking very much like a high end Tiki joint from the Golden Age. We were all surprised and happy to see the drinks menu done up just like the original Vic's menus, with full descriptions and illustrations. The drinks were not as outrageously priced as we'd heard. I had a Samoan Fog Cutter and found the flavor lacking (like punch with a lot of ice melt in it) but it turned out to be full strength despite the weak flavor. Other drinks were one of the bowls (forgot which one, but a less than enthusiastic review from the drinker) and the Navy Grog which was the big hit of the group. Staff was great, presentation of the drinks was like a dream (a real gardenia in the bowl, rock candy swizzles in the Grog), atmosphere was great (oldies Xmas mix on the sound system was tolerable).
We all agreed we'll be back, especially on a wintry Sunday afternoon. Well worth the trip if you're in the Seattle area.
_________________
Attribution is the sincerest form of flattery.
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tekoteko
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 299
From: The Abyss.
| Posted: 2006-12-10 12:12 pm Permalink
Having been to the Trader Vic's Bellevue location myself recently...I gotta agree on the quality of the offerings and reasonability of price with the Woofmutt™. I found the Navy Grog to be the best beverage I have ever sipped...ever...hands down. I found the staff to be very friendly and personable, the atmosphere to be tres cool...and the drinks to be tasty and strong. In fact, I've been trying to replicate some of their goodies here at home, to no avail...and think it might be best to quit and just fly back for more.
TT
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candycanemartini
Member
Joined: Dec 11, 2006
Posts: 8
From: Cool-as-ice-Canada
| Posted: 2006-12-11 12:55 pm Permalink
I went in the summer as well and although it was packed the service was great and the drinks were yummy! We were quite surprised to walk right out of our hotel (the Westin) and find a Trader Vics!! How fortuitous
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dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2007-03-17 11:14 pm Permalink
there is such a thing as A Free Lunch.
Celebrating their First Anniversary, the TV in Bellevue is offering a printable a coupon ~ buy one lunch, get one free ~ till April 30th.
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dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2008-01-20 6:47 pm Permalink
we went for happy hour ~ the prices are downright low! $3 for a Mai Tai, Vodka Mai Tai, Zombie, Bellevue Beach Bum , selected glasses of wine, draft beers and Well Drinks! they've expanded the bar menu nothing is over $5. the BBQ Sliders with Slaw were delish!
happy hours are 3-6 and 9-close
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