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Coral Reef - Sacramento CA |
abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
|  Posted: 2010-04-12 3:39 pm Permalink
A note about the Sacramento Coral Reef; there is a Stockton Islander connection in that Hop Louie was a Chef there before opening the Islander.
Also notable was that the Coral Reef was open sometime before 1950 based on this November 30th 1950 Lodi News Sentinel article.
I had previously posted this to the Hop Louie (the Lost Chapter) thread.
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Captain EO
Member
Joined: Dec 16, 2008
Posts: 1 | Posted: 2010-05-12 6:10 pm Permalink
Awesome pics everyone! I used to love this place, still sad that it's gone!
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2011-02-16 12:34 pm Permalink
Cross-pollinating this link that Psycho Tiki D posted in another thread:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/16/3405316/coral-reef-reflections.html#
Great article in the Sacramento Bee filled with recollections of the Coral Reef. It also contains the Mai Tai recipe that Tangaroa-Ru asked for at the beginning of this thread, as well as several other food & drink recipes:
Recipe: Coral Reef Mai Tai
George Chew, former bar manager of the Coral Reef, said this was the restaurant's most popular drink. Its price in the mid-1970s was $2.65.
INGREDIENTS
1 ounce light rum
2 ounces sweet and sour mix
1 ounce lemon sour (see note above)
1 ounce orgeat syrup
1 ounce orange curacao
Squeeze of lime
Crushed ice
1 ounce 97 proof Appleton Jamaican dark rum
1 canned pineapple ring
1 maraschino cherry
INSTRUCTIONS
In a double old-fashioned glass, build drink by layering light rum, sweet and sour mix, lemon sour, orgeat syrup, curacao and lime juice. Stir. Pack with crushed ice. Float Appleton dark rum on top. Place pineapple ring on top with cherry in center of ring.
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 unfortunately the key to making the "lemon sour" doesn't seem to be included in the article.
Here are some photos from the article:
 another menu pic
a nice interior shot:
and the famous sign with the tiki mask...
...that eventually made its way to the Bamboo Hut in San Francisco:
_________________
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-02-16 4:54 pm Permalink
Sabu,
Thanks for cross-posting those pictures from PTD's post. Great to finally see a photo of the sign in its original state.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-05-18 6:17 pm Permalink
I got a postcard from the Coral Reef Lodge that was located across the street from the Coral Reef Restaurant. Not much to look at
But, the back of the postcard has a rendering of the logo Tiki that belongs in the Tiki Library when the kids are getting too loud!
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2011-05-18 8:06 pm Permalink
I love that one. These are the uses of primitive art that would only happen in American pop culture and which to me define Tiki style. They also used it on the matchbook, and I bet you they had it on their "Do Not Disturb" doorknob signs.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-05-18 11:22 pm Permalink
Here is another postcard from the Coral Reef Lodge that shows the sign.
Same style as the restaurant.
Makes one wonder if there wern't some Tiki over there at the lodge.
DC
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aquarj
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Apr 02, 2002
Posts: 1040
From: SF bay area, CA
| Posted: 2011-05-19 3:11 pm Permalink
Thanks for sharing those DC. Just like bigbro says about the shushing tiki, that sign shows the funny way that styles are combined in pop culture - in this case, the lettering. There's the "Coral Reef" in the nice casual optimistic script, coupled with "ye olde englyshe" style LODGE.
-Randy
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TikiTomD
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Sep 20, 2009
Posts: 629
From: Flagler Beach, FL
| Posted: 2011-05-19 5:17 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-02-16 12:34, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
Cross-pollinating this link that Psycho Tiki D posted in another thread:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/16/3405316/coral-reef-reflections.html#
Great article in the Sacramento Bee filled with recollections of the Coral Reef. It also contains the Mai Tai recipe that Tangaroa-Ru asked for at the beginning of this thread, as well as several other food & drink recipes:
Recipe: Coral Reef Mai Tai
George Chew, former bar manager of the Coral Reef, said this was the restaurant's most popular drink. Its price in the mid-1970s was $2.65.
INGREDIENTS
1 ounce light rum
2 ounces sweet and sour mix
1 ounce lemon sour (see note above)
1 ounce orgeat syrup
1 ounce orange curacao
Squeeze of lime
Crushed ice
1 ounce 97 proof Appleton Jamaican dark rum
1 canned pineapple ring
1 maraschino cherry
INSTRUCTIONS
In a double old-fashioned glass, build drink by layering light rum, sweet and sour mix, lemon sour, orgeat syrup, curacao and lime juice. Stir. Pack with crushed ice. Float Appleton dark rum on top. Place pineapple ring on top with cherry in center of ring.
======================================================
unfortunately the key to making the "lemon sour" doesn't seem to be included in the article.
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There was a note in a cross-referenced article from The Sacramento Bee regarding the undefined "lemon sour" employed in the Coral Reef's drink recipes... "Note: The recipes for the Mai Tai, Fog Cutter and Blue Hawaii each call for 1 ounce of lemon sour. This ingredient is no longer available. Chew suggests using 1 ounce of regular, unsweetened lemon juice as a substitute. Each recipe makes one cocktail."
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/16/3405198/bar-served-up-potent-sweet-and.html
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WestADad
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 731
From: Tornado Alley
| Posted: 2011-05-19 5:40 pm Permalink
Hope this can be of some help:
Lemon Sour
2 parts freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 part sugar
1 part boiling water
Stir sugar into boiling water until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice.
Mahalo!
Chris
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mrsmiley
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 3153
From: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 2011-05-19 10:49 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-07 18:01, TabooDan wrote:
I am cleaning up some files and I recently saw this nice napkin from the
Coral Reef:
It says "Sacramento" and "Millbrae" on the bottom.
TabooDan
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Does any one have any info on the Millbrae location??
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mrsmiley
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 3153
From: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 2011-05-19 11:25 pm Permalink
Well...an internet search on the Millbrae location turned up a book on Amazon. You can see some images on Page 101-search Coral Reef. I don't know how to capture those images, but here is some of what it said; One of Millbrae's exciting restaurant and nightclub destinations was the tropical Coral Reef seen here in 1946. It was owned by Buddy and Roberta Maleville (see the Lodge sign images in Sacramento)and was located at 900 El Camino Real. No chance of any cool locale left--it is now an Orchard Supply Hardware Store. The name of the book is; Millbrae (Images of America: California)(Paperback) by Millbrae Historical Society.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2012-01-18 07:33 am Permalink
Here is another matchbook featuring the ssshhhhh-ing Tiki!
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2013-01-19 09:51 am Permalink
I found a few Coral Reef menus on the Sacramento Library website.
The cocktail menu.
Some standard drinks and some specialties from the Coral Reef (I like the Reefer!)
 
Great write-up on the history of rum on the back.
Dinner menu.
The back has a nice story on the origins of the restaurant decorations with ties to GIs, airline crews and art collectors.
Pretty cool stuff.
DC
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