Welcome back!! As I have been writing this series, I’ve realized that I have missed certain aspects of actually going out. I can count on two hands and one penis the number of restaurants that I’ve eaten at since before COVID!

I do eat out, though. I just order pickup or delivery. The few times I’ve gone out has been for lunch with friends. I haven’t eaten dinner at a restaurant in ages!

This is episode number Fo of the new weekly post series that will delve into the various aspects of Tiki ranging from bars to drinks to décor to history. Ready? Let’s begin!

History Minute

In the first few weeks, I introduced the founders of the Trader Vic’s and Don’s Beachcomber restaurants. There was a third guy that was very influential in spreading Tiki worldwide. His name was Joseph Stephen Crane.

Joseph Crane was born in Indiana in 1917. By the end of 1939, he knew he didn’t want to live in Indiana and decided to move to Hollywood to make his fortune. He had some family money and used that to build his reputation around town as Steve Crane.

In 1942, he met 22-year old actress Lana Turner and his life changed. Within 3 weeks, they married in Vegas. Within months, they were miserable. Oh, and did I mention that he already had a wife in Indiana he had left behind?

As you may have figured out by now, the world of Tiki was born from a group of guys that were very good talkers.

Steve opened The Luau restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1953. He went all out on the decor. It became very popular and THE place for the Hollywood crowd. It became so popular that he was able to finagle a deal with the Sheraton hotel chain for Tiki bars very similar to Trader Vic’s with Hilton. Thus were born the Kon-Tiki restaurants/bars, which spread worldwide.

There is a TON of history on this guy and what he accomplished. I will get into it in future posts. For now, I recommend you do some Googling and fall down the Steve Crane rabbit hole. It’s fascinating!

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Tiki Bar O’ Da Week

Today’s featured bar is The Luau. Doing the research for the History snippet above, I came across some gorgeous pictures of what the place looked like and I can see how influential it was.

It was at The Luau where the design elements from Trader Vic’s and Don’s Beachcomber were taken to another level. Hollywood set designers were brought in to deliver a more immersive experience that featured live plants, live macaws, real waterfalls, and live alligators.

The Luau was the first place to fully embody the look that today we most clearly identify with “Polynesian Pop” design. It became the template for not just the Kon-Tiki bars, but most other Tiki bars and restaurants that followed.

Of course, nothing lasts forever. The Luau was sold in 1978. There was a weird clause in the Sheraton contract that granted ownership of the Kon-Tiki chain to Sheraton as soon as The Luau failed to exist. Slowly but surely, Sheraton closed all the Kon-Tiki locations.

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Tiki Drink O’ Da Week

This week, I want to give you the recipe for one of the drinks made famous at The Luau: The Jet Pilot. This is as written in the Sippin’ Safari book:

Ingredients:

• 1 oz dark Jamaican rum
• 3/4 oz gold Puerto Rican rum
• 3/4 oz 151-proof Demerara rum
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup*
• 1/2 oz falernum
• 6 drops Pernod
• 1 Dash Angostura bitters
• crushed ice (about 4 oz)

* The cinnamon syrup is best made instead of bought. Crush 3 cinnamon sticks and place in a saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Lower heat, cover saucepan, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, keeping it covered, and let it sit for 2 hours before straining and bottling. It should keep a month in the fridge.

Directions: Pour everything in a blender, saving the crushed ice for last. Blend at high speed for no more than 5 second. Pour into an old-fashioned glass/mug/shoe, drink, and repeat.

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Tiki Purchase O’ Da Week

In this space, I’ll highlight one thing I recommend that you purchase if you are at all interested in what you have read so far. This could range from books to furniture to decorations to barware to costumes. Today’s item is:

A collection of plastic Tiki-themed cups for your next Tiki party! Cheap at twice the price!

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Ballsy’s Tiki Corner

Each week, I will upload a picture of one of my personal Tiki items. Today’s item is:

A pair of Bamboo Club shorts! I saw them on the Bamboo Club website when I was doing research for last week’s post. They were on sale for $10! SOLD!

Keen-eyed readers will note the words “Go See Cal, Pussy Cow, Go See Cal”. This is a nod to the famous Cal Worthington TV ads that used to run in local LA stations. His dog, Spot, is there too. His dealership was in Long Beach.

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New Feature: Tiki Event O’ Da Week!

If any of you have any doubt that you are constantly monitored on the Internet, let me eliminate all doubt: Since I’ve started this feature and browsed the Internet for info, Tiki-related stuff keeps popping up in my inbox and feeds.

I received an email from the Tam O’Shanter, site of previous DFO meetups. It’s one of LA’s classic restaurants with a lot of Hollywood and Disney history. I’m on their email list. Here is what I got:

Considering what you get for the price, that doesn’t seem that bad. That assumes, of course, that the “All Day Grazing” menu means all you can eat. Anyone in LA interested in going?

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That’s all for now. If you are into any aspects of Tiki, I would love to hear your stories in the comments. I’m off to Bali with Lady Balls and her grass skirt…