Trader Vic's to open in VEGAS!! (Closed) - General Tiki

T TorchGuy Member Renton, WA Joined: Apr 24, 2008 Posts: 242	T TorchGuy Posted posted on Wed, May 28, 2008 6:33 AM I just got back from Las Vegas, and I had to post here... but I made certain to read the entire thread first, make sure I know what's already been said. Anyway... My guy'n I had been to the TVs in California (San Jose area?) earlier this year. That place had minimal tiki but a nice mix of tropical and modern, the food (we had dinner) was excellent, and the drinks, such as his Black Stripe, were great too. I had a Fogcutter, and loved it. This was one of my very first tiki bar-type experiences, and despite few actual tikis, I walked away happy. I hit the TV's in Bellevue, WA, near me. More tikis, more tropical decor. Bellevue, like Las Vegas, does upscale in a big way. By 'upscale' I mean brushed steel, glass, modern decor. And yet TVs added a healthy helping of tropical feel, including a massive tiki beside the entrance. The bar food I had was very good, the tender and I chatted about drinks, he suggested a few things, told me what did and did not go in this and that (for example, educating greenhorn me that Herbsaint is not used, despite Dr. Funk's blurb mentioning it) and I walked away happy. In all honestly, I don't know what a Samoan Fogcutter or a Zombie SHOULD be like, but the ones I had managed to combine both potency and great flavors... and the Fogcutter I had in Bellevue was like the Fogcutter I had in CA. So we were in Las Vegas, staying at Bellagio, and decided that one night we were going to cross the street to TVs, get hammered on tasty concoctions, then head back on foot. I WAS impressed by the color-changing facade on Planet Hollywood - I go to Vegas at least once a year, expected their retheming of the Aladdin to be awful, and yet the facade looks nifty with its changing colors. TV's facade, though, is way too minimal. WAY too minimal for an institution like Trader Vic's - while the one in CA looked great on the outside, the Bellevue location is tucked away on a very modern steel-and-glass building, and yet the entrance gives you no question that you're entering a very different theme. We asked to sit on the patio, so I cannot say a word about the interior. The hostess stand was a large tiki carving, but the rest of the patio had no decor whatsoever. Concrete, steel, and silver-colored tables and chairs. The bar was flanked by large illuminated frosted panels, which contained tricolor LED banks which swept through bright colors. While I like the color-phasing LED thing, it didn't fit. The table did have ceramic S&P, though I don't remember what they were. I ordered Crab Rangoon, a favorite of mine at local Thai places, and I got me a Navy Grog. I'd heard it was a seriously great drink, so I had to try it. My guy asked for a London Sour, since he likes Scotch. The Navy Grog was very potent, but had a sharp flavor and not much complexity at all. Grapefruit juice? Yeah, had a bit of that taste. Rum? Not really, unless it was a fiery 151. Syrup? It certainly had not the slightest hint of sweetness. I didn't expect it to be sweet... but I also didn't expect it to be ONLY sharp. His London Sour, however, was quite tasty - I'll be getting this again. tasted good. Crab Rangoon was tasty, but a very small portion for the price. And here is where service slowed to a crawl. Yes, the patio was packed, but still... Background was a singer with a guitar and backup on CD, who butchered a number of rock classics. He was followed by a different singer/guitarist, and a very drunk woman kept alternating between dancing behind the 2nd mic stand he had, and stopping to make direct eye contact with me (ten feet away), glare, and wag her finger, indicating "Naughty, naughty!". Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Then... the bartender apparently realized his gaggle of male patrons were from Detroit. Why, so was he! (Insert name of Detroit sports team here) go! WHOOO!!! Aren't they awesome?! WHOOO!!! He began inciting them to whoop it up... I was getting POed, and quickly. We ordered more drinks. Service turned from molasses to snail speed. I got a Fogcutter, he got his Black Stripe. Took about a half hour to get them... Is the Fogcutter's vase supposed to have an impossibly long straw, such as the bowl drinks use? It did - this thing extended about 15" over the vase! And another poster here was right - this one tasted like iced-down OJ. No alcohol taste at all. My guy's Black Stripe had no cherries and no cinnamon stick. And not that this is against TV's if it really is out of their hands, but the drink wasn't flaming, which our waiter said (after going away for 10 minutes to ask someone) that it was against fire code. Despite this, it tasted good. Last, I had heard of Licor 43 on here, but it had been spoken about as though one should know what it is - I collect unusual liqueurs, have a fair collection, and I don't know it. So I ordered a measure. And I must say, I'm in love. I want to mix it with Barenjager or Mount Gay rum ASAP. Anyone have a good mix for it? We also asked about buying mugs. After going away again, this time for over 15 minutes, our waiter told us the Black Stripe skull was $23. We passed... I wouldn't have tried to buy the Fogcutter vase, the painting in the glaze was very cheaply/quickly done, it was... dare I say, downright ugly! I ended up tipping low (I don't stiff on tips unless the service is outright rude and, in those cases, I report such to management; it was not rude here, just terribly, terribly slow and inattentive) and I drew a snail on the receipt. The menu is indeed very pared down. It contains: Bowl drinks- Rum Keg, Kava Bowl, Tiki Bowl, Scorpion Bowl Mai Tai, of course Small- Trader Vic's Passion Cocktail, La Florida, Siboney Strong- Trader Vic's Sling, Bahia, Chi Chi, Rangoon Ruby, Trader Vic's Grog, Vodka Mai Tai, Navy Grog, Tonga Punch, Zombie, London Sour, Samoan Fogcutter, Suffering Bastard, Pogo Stick, Rhum Cosmo, Tiki Puka Puka, Scorpion, Passion Punch, Honi Honi, Potted Parrot, Shingle Stain, Menehune Juice, Trader Vic's Stinker, Planter's Punch. Non-Alcoholic- No Tai Mai Tai, Kona Cooler, Soft Bahia, Coral Reef Classics- Martini, Mojito, Coasmopolitain, Caipirinha, Lemon Drop, Banana Daiquiri Toddies- TV's Hot Buttered Rum, Coffee Diablo, Black Stripe, Coffee Grog, Cafe-Late After-Dinner Drinks- Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper, White Cloud, Nuts And Berries, Tahitian Mudslide Why do I remember all this when, upon leaving, I was toasted? I politely asked the hostess at her stand, and she gave me two menus. The best part of the visit! Bill was around $65. I think I'll be hitting other locations for high-budget nights out, but I'll probably go here next time I'm in Vegas just to see if they've improved. Can anyone tell me how the Navy Grog is supposed to taste, is it really very special? And... I like very potent drinks that still taste good - I've liked the Zombie and Fogcutter. Should I retry a Navy Grog at my local TVs where the drinks I had tasted great? And should a Suffering Bastard or a Dr. Funk (or Dr. Funk's Son) be next on my list? People, remember, both in commemnts on this and in reading the above review, I am not a seasoned tiki-phile. I'm a newbie who's excitedly getting started. I just put my honest opinions on what I've had.

I just got back from Las Vegas, and I had to post here... but I made certain to read the entire thread first, make sure I know what's already been said. Anyway... My guy'n I had been to the TVs in California (San Jose area?) earlier this year. That place had minimal tiki but a nice mix of tropical and modern, the food (we had dinner) was excellent, and the drinks, such as his Black Stripe, were great too. I had a Fogcutter, and loved it. This was one of my very first tiki bar-type experiences, and despite few actual tikis, I walked away happy.

I hit the TV's in Bellevue, WA, near me. More tikis, more tropical decor. Bellevue, like Las Vegas, does upscale in a big way. By 'upscale' I mean brushed steel, glass, modern decor. And yet TVs added a healthy helping of tropical feel, including a massive tiki beside the entrance. The bar food I had was very good, the tender and I chatted about drinks, he suggested a few things, told me what did and did not go in this and that (for example, educating greenhorn me that Herbsaint is not used, despite Dr. Funk's blurb mentioning it) and I walked away happy. In all honestly, I don't know what a Samoan Fogcutter or a Zombie SHOULD be like, but the ones I had managed to combine both potency and great flavors... and the Fogcutter I had in Bellevue was like the Fogcutter I had in CA.

So we were in Las Vegas, staying at Bellagio, and decided that one night we were going to cross the street to TVs, get hammered on tasty concoctions, then head back on foot. I WAS impressed by the color-changing facade on Planet Hollywood - I go to Vegas at least once a year, expected their retheming of the Aladdin to be awful, and yet the facade looks nifty with its changing colors. TV's facade, though, is way too minimal. WAY too minimal for an institution like Trader Vic's - while the one in CA looked great on the outside, the Bellevue location is tucked away on a very modern steel-and-glass building, and yet the entrance gives you no question that you're entering a very different theme.

We asked to sit on the patio, so I cannot say a word about the interior. The hostess stand was a large tiki carving, but the rest of the patio had no decor whatsoever. Concrete, steel, and silver-colored tables and chairs. The bar was flanked by large illuminated frosted panels, which contained tricolor LED banks which swept through bright colors. While I like the color-phasing LED thing, it didn't fit. The table did have ceramic S&P, though I don't remember what they were. I ordered Crab Rangoon, a favorite of mine at local Thai places, and I got me a Navy Grog. I'd heard it was a seriously great drink, so I had to try it. My guy asked for a London Sour, since he likes Scotch.

The Navy Grog was very potent, but had a sharp flavor and not much complexity at all. Grapefruit juice? Yeah, had a bit of that taste. Rum? Not really, unless it was a fiery 151. Syrup? It certainly had not the slightest hint of sweetness. I didn't expect it to be sweet... but I also didn't expect it to be ONLY sharp. His London Sour, however, was quite tasty - I'll be getting this again. tasted good. Crab Rangoon was tasty, but a very small portion for the price. And here is where service slowed to a crawl. Yes, the patio was packed, but still...

Background was a singer with a guitar and backup on CD, who butchered a number of rock classics. He was followed by a different singer/guitarist, and a very drunk woman kept alternating between dancing behind the 2nd mic stand he had, and stopping to make direct eye contact with me (ten feet away), glare, and wag her finger, indicating "Naughty, naughty!". Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Then... the bartender apparently realized his gaggle of male patrons were from Detroit. Why, so was he! (Insert name of Detroit sports team here) go! WHOOO!!! Aren't they awesome?! WHOOO!!! He began inciting them to whoop it up... I was getting POed, and quickly. We ordered more drinks.

Service turned from molasses to snail speed. I got a Fogcutter, he got his Black Stripe. Took about a half hour to get them... Is the Fogcutter's vase supposed to have an impossibly long straw, such as the bowl drinks use? It did - this thing extended about 15" over the vase! And another poster here was right - this one tasted like iced-down OJ. No alcohol taste at all. My guy's Black Stripe had no cherries and no cinnamon stick. And not that this is against TV's if it really is out of their hands, but the drink wasn't flaming, which our waiter said (after going away for 10 minutes to ask someone) that it was against fire code. Despite this, it tasted good. Last, I had heard of Licor 43 on here, but it had been spoken about as though one should know what it is - I collect unusual liqueurs, have a fair collection, and I don't know it. So I ordered a measure. And I must say, I'm in love. I want to mix it with Barenjager or Mount Gay rum ASAP. Anyone have a good mix for it?

We also asked about buying mugs. After going away again, this time for over 15 minutes, our waiter told us the Black Stripe skull was $23. We passed... I wouldn't have tried to buy the Fogcutter vase, the painting in the glaze was very cheaply/quickly done, it was... dare I say, downright ugly! I ended up tipping low (I don't stiff on tips unless the service is outright rude and, in those cases, I report such to management; it was not rude here, just terribly, terribly slow and inattentive) and I drew a snail on the receipt.

The menu is indeed very pared down. It contains:
Bowl drinks-
Rum Keg, Kava Bowl, Tiki Bowl, Scorpion Bowl
Mai Tai, of course
Small-
Trader Vic's Passion Cocktail, La Florida, Siboney
Strong-
Trader Vic's Sling, Bahia, Chi Chi, Rangoon Ruby, Trader Vic's Grog, Vodka Mai Tai, Navy Grog, Tonga Punch, Zombie, London Sour, Samoan Fogcutter, Suffering Bastard, Pogo Stick, Rhum Cosmo, Tiki Puka Puka, Scorpion, Passion Punch, Honi Honi, Potted Parrot, Shingle Stain, Menehune Juice, Trader Vic's Stinker, Planter's Punch.
Non-Alcoholic-
No Tai Mai Tai, Kona Cooler, Soft Bahia, Coral Reef
Classics-
Martini, Mojito, Coasmopolitain, Caipirinha, Lemon Drop, Banana Daiquiri
Toddies-
TV's Hot Buttered Rum, Coffee Diablo, Black Stripe, Coffee Grog, Cafe-Late
After-Dinner Drinks-
Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper, White Cloud, Nuts And Berries, Tahitian Mudslide

Why do I remember all this when, upon leaving, I was toasted? I politely asked the hostess at her stand, and she gave me two menus. The best part of the visit!

Bill was around $65. I think I'll be hitting other locations for high-budget nights out, but I'll probably go here next time I'm in Vegas just to see if they've improved.

Can anyone tell me how the Navy Grog is supposed to taste, is it really very special? And... I like very potent drinks that still taste good - I've liked the Zombie and Fogcutter. Should I retry a Navy Grog at my local TVs where the drinks I had tasted great? And should a Suffering Bastard or a Dr. Funk (or Dr. Funk's Son) be next on my list? People, remember, both in commemnts on this and in reading the above review, I am not a seasoned tiki-phile. I'm a newbie who's excitedly getting started. I just put my honest opinions on what I've had.

Post #382898 by TorchGuy on Wed, May 28, 2008 6:33 AM