Chinese Ovens at Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, photo by Coco Joe, via Critiki

Know your way around a Chinese Oven? Want to be part of the tiki action in the most traditional way possible? This could be your lucky day: Trader Vic’s is hiring for a whole mess o’ positions at the flagship location in Emeryville, which is due to reopen on September 23 after a remodel. When it comes to restaurant positions, you name it, they’re hiring for it: bartenders, servers, dishwashers, prep cooks, all the way up to an event manager, a floor supervisor, the lead hostess and even the restaurant manager.

The full details for these positions are helpfully listed on the Facebook page for Trader Vic’s Emeryville. There aren’t any instructions for applying, and since the restaurant is still closed you can’t drop in—perhaps try emailing tvemeryville@tradervics.com. UPDATE: Trader Vic’s tells me that the best place to send your resumes is hr@tradervics.com.

Pomaika’i!

• Trader Vic’s Emeryville Employment [Facebook]
• Remodel Underway at Trader Vic’s Emeryville [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Trader Vic’s, Emeryville [Critiki]

A felled tiki (temporarily, one hopes) at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

The remodel of Trader Vic’s flagship location in Emeryville has begun, with the in-progress pictures posted to the Trader Vic’s Facebook page. I’ve heard the full spectrum of rumblings on this one, from dire to ecstatic, but the fact that they’re willing to show pictures of the process I think bodes well. (Also: some spectacular pieces were saved from the recently-shuttered vintage Dallas Trader Vic’s that we can probably expect to appear in Emeryville.)

Trader Vic’s Emeryville closed at the end of April for this planned renovation, and the restaurant is scheduled to re-open in late September. Top of my personal wishlist: please make the ceiling in the bar dark again!

• Trader Vic’s Emeryville Remodel photos [Facebook]
• Trader Vic’s Emeryville [Critiki]
• Trader Vic’s Dallas [Critiki]

This tiki carved by Jungle Trader from a design by Doug Horne will be auctioned at the NorCal benefit for Marie King

Marie King, much-beloved bar manager at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, and a very dear friend to many in the tiki community, was injured badly in an automobile accident recently. She’s likely to make a complete recovery, but it’s not going to be easy–she’s a bit more battered and broken than we like to see our friends, and she’s dealing with incredible pain.

In the hopes of easing the financial pains, her friends are rallying behind her in the form of two benefits, in both Southern and Northern California:

Northern California Benefit for Marie King
Thursday, May 13, 7 p.m.
Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, Alameda
Meshugga Beach Party, the TomorrowMen, raffle, silent auction and a special Marie Cocktail.
More details

Southern California Benefit for Marie King
Sunday, May 30, 2 p.m.
Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach
$25 donation gets you a wristband for discounted food & drinks. The Tikiyaki Orchestra, The Eliminators, The Smokin’ Menehunes, The Glasgow Tiki Shakers, OuterWave, The Boardwalkers, Exotiki, The Slacktones, raffle and a silent auction.
More details

Tiki Central’s Tiki Crawl 8

Save the date! The eighth annual San Francisco Tiki Crawl is happening October 9-12, 2008. Full details haven’t been announced, but the website has been launched with a basic outline (South Bay on Thursday, San Francisco on Friday, East Bay on Saturday, Forbidden Island revisit on Sunday).

San Francisco is unique in its density of great tiki locations, and this annual event is also unique in that it’s the only official event for Tiki Central. If you haven’t seen all the great tiki San Francisco has to offer (or if you have, but you’re due for a refresher), this is a very fun way to pack it all in.

The official event hotel is the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco — it’s a very fun hotel, and I encourage you to get reservations sooner rather than later.

• Tiki Central’s Tiki Crawl 8
• The Eighth Annual Tiki Central Tiki Crawl — October 9-12, 2008 [Tiki Central]

Forbidden Island

The best thing to happen in the world of tiki during the last year is Forbidden Island. It’s shown how tiki should, and can be done. It has set the standard for new tiki bars. Where most new tiki bars out there have struggled to survive (as all bars do — starting a new business is never easy), Forbidden Island has found tremendous success, for one straightforward but often overlooked reason: attention to quality. From the interiors to the drinks to the music to the service, nothing has been overlooked, and it has paid off with national reknown, glowing write-ups and a lot of customer loyalty.

This Sunday, Forbidden Island will have been open for one year. It feels like it’s always been there, and we should be celebrating its fifth, fifteenth, twenty-fifth anniversary, but it’s only been a year. May there be many, many more. Congratulations!

The party this Sunday is going to be a real humdinger — a passel of tikiphiles are coming up from southern California, which is always a treat. There will be live performances by:

• The Maikai Gents
• Meshugga Beach Party
• The Atomic Lounge Show
• Cari Lee & the Saddle-ites
• Apocalypso Now

… plus The Jab will be DJing.

Vendors include:

• Tiki Diablo
• Jungle Trader
• Retro Diva
• Tiki Hunter

Forbidden Island Skull Mug,
by Munktiki

… plus, a brand new Forbidden Island mug, from Munktiki — a special two-tone skull. It goes on sale at 2 p.m., for details on how the mug sale works, check out this thread on Tiki Central.

It’s all happening this Sunday, rain or shine (there will be tents & heaters, if neccessary, and delicious rum makes it all just fine anyhow). There will be a taco truck, too, from Alameda’s beloved La Pinata restaurant. It starts at 2pm. I’ll be helping out serving Mai Tais at the beginning of the day, be sure to come by and say hi!

Forbidden Island One Year Anniversary
2pm ’til close, Sunday April 22
1304 Lincoln Ave
Alameda, CA

• Forbidden Island One Year Anniversary Party April 22nd, 2007! *Details Pg 1* [Tiki Central]
• Forbidden Island Summer of Mug Phase One: Munktiki FI Anniversary Mug 4/22/07 REVEALED! [Tiki Central]
• Forbidden Island

On Saturday, April 14, Judd’s Hill winery in Napa will be holding their First Annual Judd’s Hill Musical Bonanza. The lineup is pretty impressive: APE (quite possibly my favorite tiki band), King Kukulele, and the Maikai Gents featuring the Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa (that’s the Judd’s Hill house band, of sorts, with Judd himself on vocals). If that isn’t enough, there’s food — barbecue prepared by National Champion Barbecuer Pat Burke. And of course, there will be wine — the debut of Judd’s Hill’s 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel. Yum!

The event is a benefit for Arts Council Napa Valley, a non-profit organization that supports arts education and development. Ticket price is $70 for Judd’s Hill Wine Club members (join the Wine Club at the Judd’s Hill website), or $85 for non-members. To make a reservation, talk to Pat at Judd’s Hill: (707) 255-2332.

It’s happening at Judd’s Hill’s new winery; they moved last year from St. Helene into a beautiful new winery, and we got to see it a few months ago. It’s so beautiful — they’ve got a few tikis onsite, too. It’s a great event in a great setting, and we’re hoping to be there ourselves.

Judd’s Hill Musical Bonanza
Noon – 4pm
2332 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA

• Judd’s Hill
• Musical Bonanza! April 14, Napa Valley: APE, King Kukulele, Maikai Gents, Wine & BBQ [Tiki Central]

Papua New Guinea tiki at Xanadu Gallery

This past weekend, we stumbled across a little gallery that has a wonderful collection of Papua New Guinea art. It’s called Xanadu Gallery, and it’s in Menlo Park, just north of Stanford University. It’s owned by the same fellow who is part owner of the Palo Alto Trader Vic’s, and he was responsible for the Papua New Guinea art on display there. That makes three different spots full of Papua New Guinea art, all within just a couple of miles: the Trader Vic’s, the sculpture garden at Stanford, and Xanadu Gallery. The Stanford sculpture garden is unrelated to the other two.

Most of the art was from Papua New Guinea, but there were also examples of Tahitian and Marquesan art, including a gorgeous outrigger canoe. There were tikis, masks, war clubs, drums, canoes… just an overwhelming array of gorgeous tiki art. About 1/2 – 1/3 of it was for sale, the rest is part of the owner’s private collection. I’ve posted a bunch of pictures in a thread on Tiki Central, and also at Humuhumu’s Life in Photos. There is another Xanadu Gallery location in San Francisco with even more art, hopefully I’ll get a chance to check it out soon.

• Xanadu Gallery
• Trader Vic’s, Palo Alto [Critiki]
• Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden, Palo Alto [Critiki]
• Xanadu Gallery, Menlo Park [Critiki]
• Xanadu Gallery — more PNG art on the San Francisco Peninsula [Tiki Central]
• Papua New Guinea Art in Menlo Park [Humuhumu's Life in Photos]
• Papua New Guinea Tikis at Stanford University [Humu Kon Tiki]

Coco Joe’s letter opener

Greetings from not-so-wintry Monolux, where we’ve been trying to squeeze in some long winter’s naps and the occasional sugarplum into our otherwise packed schedule of holiday hecticness and server coddling. Yeah, our beloved server has been under the weather, thanks to the insidious workings of spam fiends. I came thisclose to having to shut down comments on this blog. I really, really didn’t want to have to do that, and so many hours were spent troubleshooting, monitoring, and researching, until I finally taught my server some really kick-ass ninja moves, and bought it some titanium underwear. It was not easy, it was not quick, and dammit, you better make it worth my while by commenting now & again.

While that was a major PITA, it was really the only bit of stress this season in the Lemoore household, and considering that so many folks brace themselves this time of year for hassles & grief, we really have it pretty easy. We had a wonderful time celebrating and spending time with our family. My brother gave me the very cool letter opener pictured here; it belonged to our grandmother Doris, who probably picked it up in Hawaii in either ’77 or ’80. The detail on it is nice & crisp, and the blade is wickedly sharp (Grandma must have had someone sharpen it for her). I’m very happy to have it.

Last weekend we got together with Tiki Central folks at the brand-new Hula’s in Santa Cruz, which was fun. It’s been a while since we’ve had an organized get-together here in the Bay Area; so many of us meet up every Wednesday at Forbidden Island that we forget to do anything more formal, but it’s nice to step out and explore a bit. The food in particular was a hit; we’ll likely be getting together there again in the not-too-distant future.

Today, right this instant, I’m supposed to be zipping down I-5 at Hanford’s side, talking about whatever crazy project we would have cooked up (we’re always cooking up crazy projects during that six hour drive, that’s how Ooga-Mooga was born), on our way to a spectacular evening of delicious drunkeness at Tiki-Ti. It was a beautiful plan. Instead, I’m bundled up in bed, fighting off a cold. Bah. It’s not a particularly nasty cold, but I don’t want it to turn into one, so I’m laying low. Tiki-Ti will have to wait a bit. On the plus side, Hanford is taking really wonderful care of me (but then, he does that when I’m not sick).

Now we’re looking forward to spending New Year’s Eve at Forbidden Island. Providing that my bed rest plan works, it should be a great night.

Hope your holidays have been swell!

• Coco Joe’s Letter Opener [Humuhumu's Life in Photos]
• Tiki Central Get-Together at Hula’s [Humuhumu's Life in Photos]
• Get-together at Hula’s in Santa Cruz – Sat, 12/23 [Tiki Central]

Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Bar in Santa Cruz, photo by Citibeach

I’m absolutely tickled to see pictures of the new location of Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Bar in Santa Cruz on this thread on Tiki Central. My visit last year to the original location, which is still pulling in the local crowds in Monterey, was a revelation. The space was a triple threat of great decor, great drinks, and even more shockingly: great food. Having grown up in the epicure’s heaven that is Seattle, my standards for food are pretty darned high, and Hula’s is the only Tiki-themed joint that has had food I considered truly wonderful.

In my trip report from last August, I passed along the news from Hula’s co-owner Chris that they were hoping to open a second location in a new city, with a stronger focus on creating an elegant tiki environment (the original location started out more generic/surf-themed). I crossed my fingers back then that they would choose a city near mine, and I got my wish — their new location is in Santa Cruz, and the drive there is the same distance as my drive to Forbidden Island, in the opposite direction.

The owners have recruited some assistance from all corners in developing the space’s decor, including help from Bosko, Oceanic Arts, ‘Onatiki, Polynesiac and Tiki Tony. They’ve consulted with Forbidden Island’s Martin Cate in developing the bar. The pictures look extraordinarily inviting, and I envision a visit in my very near future. While I’m there, I’ll get the latest scoop on the related location in the works for Denver — the latest report on Tiki Central is that it’s to be called “The Hut” and work is starting next month on a location on South Broadway.

• Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Room, Santa Cruz, CA (restaurant) [Tiki Central]
• Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Bar, Santa Cruz [Critiki]
• Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Bar, Monterey [Critiki]
• A Tiki Trip to Monterey [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Denver: Hula’s Island Grill & Tiki Bar Opening [Humu Kon Tiki]

Forbidden Island in Alameda

Since opening in April, Forbidden Island has racked up plenty of fantastic reviews. (It’s currently ranked #3 of all tiki places on Critiki, behind only the great Mai-Kai in Ft. Lauderdale, and legendary tiki outfitters Oceanic Arts in Whittier.) The latest review comes from the Contra Costa Times, and it’s notable because the reviewer openly states a distaste for tiki bars, and went in expecting to hate it, but loved Forbidden Island, right from the get-go. It’s a great demonstration of the importance of quality and thoroughness of effort in creating a tiki bar.

Forbidden Island is a hit not because it’s a tiki bar, but because it’s a well executed tiki bar. It chaps my hide when statements are made that tiki bars are only viable if compromises are made — like bringing in modern music, and cutting corners with the drinks to make them quickly and cheaply. Scores of people make the trek to Forbidden Island night after night because of the quality of the tiki theme. The esoteric nature of tiki is irrelevant — everybody can appreciate quality.

Alameda is arguably a terrible place to open a tiki bar: it’s a sleepy bedroom community, tucked away on an island in the middle of an area where there are thousands upon thousands of other bars and restaurants to compete against, and there are nearly a dozen other tiki bars already in the area. But Forbidden Island has succeeded nonetheless, because the owners know what they’re doing, and they’ve taken the time to address every aspect, from minor details to major drivers, of creating a great tiki bar.

Anyway, it’s a great review, especially if you, like the reviewer, are skeptical about tiki bars. Check it out.

• Forbidden Island is strangely welcoming [Contra Costa Times]
• Forbidden Island
• Top 25 Overall Locations [Critiki]