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Ports o Call, San Pedro, CA (restaurant) |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2010-03-14 09:22 am Permalink
Name:Ports o Call
Type:restaurant
Street:Berth 76
City:San Pedro
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational
Description:
The Ports o Call restaurant is located at Berth 76 in the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro. I have several old postcards showing the restaurant building and grounds.
Here is the great A-frame building and the Sampan in the lagoon that surrounded the front of the restaurant.
Here is another postcard of the restaurant and lagoon
Looks like the used rick-shaws to transport guests like the Islander
The entrance to the restaurant, more great boat and lagoon scenes.
This postcard gives you an idea on the size of the restaurant and the surrounding lagoon and gardens.
A close up.
Here is a close up of the Ports o Call sign
The sign font was used on the matchbook
which also had a cool map and a Chinese Junk
The Ports o Call was owned by a restaurant chain that also operated The Reef in Long Beach, the Pieces of Eight in Marina Del Rey, and The Castaway in Burbank. Polynesiac posted this clip from a Ports o Call menu that listed the other sister locations.
Bigbro posted these Paul Page albums that were dedicated to each of the restaurants
as well as this menu cover.
Here are a few photos of the current restaurant.
I have never seen a photo of the inside of the restaurant, sure would be nice to find one for this thread.
DC
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-03-14 11:04 pm Permalink
The glory of the Ports O'Call is gone. The interior now looks pretty much like a Marie Calendars. The only remnant of the old restaurant are these vintage beachcomber lamps in one room:
I took these pictures back in 2004, but the lamps were still there last year when I checked.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-03-14 11:22 pm Permalink
Amazing to see the size of the tropical landscaping that was there once! It's still nice to sit on the deck and see the big ships go by, but ever since "The Sea" store is gone, I don't come down there that often.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-03-15 6:51 pm Permalink
Sabu,
Thanks for the pictures of the lamps, at least something is left. Be nice to see what the original restaurant looked like (or any of the other ones in the chain for that matter).
Bigbro,
Is the Sea Store closing you are referring to the Tally Ho ship's salvage that you posted these pics for??
I have wanted to go there ever since I saw these .... is it too late?
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-03-16 12:04 am Permalink
No, that's still there. "The Sea" was a giant warehouse store full of nautical items, beachcomber decor and every type of sea shell under the sky. They had a full sized whale hanging from the rafters. They were sort of the nautical version of Oceanic Arts. They took over some of Danny Balsz's Tikis when he began selling them off (like the famed skull-holder Tiki). They closed not too long ago, like 5 years? I would post pics if I could but I ain't home. There is some more info on TC, but I can't find it via Search. Maybe Sabu can elaborate.
Hey, I dug up two in my lap top  :
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-03-16 00:11 ]
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Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2020
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2010-03-17 2:40 pm Permalink
The sea closed back in the '90's
Here's a link to a posting by Bigbro with a few pics of the sea:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=23887&forum=1&vpost=304091&hilite=The%20Sea%20San%20pedro
PS - when they closed they donated the whale skeleton to the Cabrillo Aquarium and we have pieces out for touch
Last I heard, Tally-Ho is closing (Alan said he wanted to close by Dec. 2009) but he's still open for now. Before he decided to close (retire) he would pretty much only rent stuff. Now he'll sell his antiques and nautical flotsam, but not at bargain prices yet.
I'll post my pics of Port o call later tonight after work.
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Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
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Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2020
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2010-03-17 8:41 pm Permalink
This is a picture of Ports O' Call sometime in 1961. It's a great shot that really shows how the restaurant was completed before the surrounding whalers village and was a tropical oasis surrounded by industrialization and the powerhouse that is the Port of Los Angeles:
A little off topic, but this is an artist interpretation of the expansion of the Port's O' Call restaurant into Port's O' Call Village (a replica of an east coast whaling village) from the parent corporation that owned the restaurant in 1961. It shows how the restaurant will fit into the village:
The construction of Ports O' Call Village in the early '60's:
Port's O' Call restaurant view from the water:
The Blue Cover Menu:
Inside (With map of location and location of other restaurant-the reef- owned by the parent company):
Back Page:
"Orange" Menu cover:
Related to "The Reef" which has it's own thread by Sabu over here:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=32146&forum=2&hilite=the%20reef
And Info about the parent company and other restaurants by bigbro here:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=17991&forum=11&vpost=305460
I still haven't come across any interior pictures of the restaurant. I've been interviewing our volunteers at the aquarium, but haven't struck gold yet. They've all been there, but haven't produced any pictures of the interior...yet.
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Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
**edited to change date of first photo**
[ This Message was edited by: polynesiac 2012-02-23 19:53 ]
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7197
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2010-03-17 8:50 pm Permalink
awesome.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-03-22 02:32 am Permalink
Thanks much, Polynesiac! Great material and link tracking. Love that "Tropical Island" air shot, I had no idea it originally sat there all by itself like that.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-07-30 8:51 pm Permalink
Polynesiac,
Some great stuff, thanks for posting all of that.
I picked up another postcard showing the entrance sign and a better view of the large ship's mast in the background.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-09-08 9:12 pm Permalink
Just got another postcard showing the lush grounds of the Ports o Call
and a better view of the signature sign.
The back of the card - sounds nice.
DC
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-11-03 11:32 am Permalink
I scored one of the Blue menus from the Port's o Call.
The drink list includes a drink named after each of the four restaurants in the chain.
Reef Bowl
Castaway
Pieces o Eight
and Port's o Call.
I am assuming that each of the restaurants offered these reciprocal drinks.
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-11-03 12:47 pm Permalink
...of which one of them was recently served at the Tonga Hut, while the Paul Page song of the same name was being played:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=36432&forum=17&vpost=529446
I didn't know that ALL FOUR restaurants had not only their own songs, but also their own drinks! Someone should throw a Paul Page listening and drinking party!
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-11-03 5:06 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-11-03 12:47, bigbrotiki wrote:
I didn't know that ALL FOUR restaurants had not only their own songs, but also their own drinks! Someone should throw a Paul Page listening and drinking party!
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BigBro,
I like the way your thinking here, four songs with four drinks. So, who's going to set this party up? I'm in!
DC
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Coco Joe
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2008
Posts: 721
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2010-11-27 8:10 pm Permalink
has anyone been to their brunch? I guess you get a free boat cruise with purchase
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