I can't say I missed having a convenient Trader Vic's when I moved to San Francisco, even though, if you poked around in the back of my china closet, you'd find a few ceramic coconuts and grog mugs (from the days when the comically high price of certain of its tropical drinks included the container). These were souvenirs of the evenings when, every couple of years or so, it would seem like a good idea for a bunch of us to visit the Trader Vic's in the Beverly Hilton, for drinks and nibbles, thereby getting a double dose of kitsch, as somebody would inevitably bring up the fact that the hotel was owned by Merv Griffin. We weren't there for the food or the drinks, really, but for the décor: a... More >>>