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Thursday, February 19, 2009
Restaurant Preview: Hula Bay Club and Duke's Retired Surfers' Island Bar
Posted by Fork You on Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 11:30 AM
She’s baaa-aaaaaack, at least longitudinally and latitudinally if not nominally. The old Rattlefish site is back up and running as the Hula Bay Club and Duke’s Retired Surfers’ Island Bar but now she wears a sarong and tank top (the guys wear Tommy Bahama-esque club shirts and khakis). The space has gotten a major makeover from the old days. It was initially going to be the clubhouse for all the dock-a-minium owners but now the guys from Green Iguana are running it. A pool has been added along with cabanas, with bottle service being the de rigueur method of service (maybe even with your own bartender, plans are still being discussed). A portion of the upper deck is gone but all of the lower deck is still there. The inside bar has been reconfigured, still with access via sliding windows to the upper deck outside. There are some high-tops in the bar area and past that a lounge area separated by palms and bamboo. The lounge area is very cool with low-slung tufted leather couches and tables all the better for sipping and supping and possibly flirting with that sexy guy/gal two couches down. Bathrooms are clean and well appointed including a shower and sauna, remnants of the clubhouse days. The sauna door was locked and I hadn’t had enough cocktails to try the shower. Dukes wasn’t set up yet, it’s on the lowest level, but I can see it being a great after-beach place to come to on the weekends (or any other day for that matter). The food was good, a lot of it fried, but done correctly; hot and crispy, not cold and soggy. They also offer sushi, the sushi chef having done time at Buddha Lounge and Samurai Blue. I believe the sushi is more Hula Bay and the fried/cooked items more Dukes but all food is available anywhere on site.
Comments (3)
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My friend took photos there when they opened up during the Super Bowl. She said it was awesome... and packed. Check out Shem's pics here: http://tampabay.metromix.com/events/venue/hula-bay-club-tampa/917361/content
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The only thing ive been to is their sunday pool party which i thought was going to be classy. Very far from anything classy actually, its techno music with the typical crabby bills crowd. Sad they turned Hula Bay into this.
Girlfriends and I went on a Friday night. Very busy, even the valet was backed up by 10 cars. Parking was always bad there when it was Rattlefish. Food was good. Prices reasonable. BUT...the waitress, Melissa, made a mistake on our order of sushi. We had ordered 3 rolls and not 4. The sushi is served on one big platter. When we told her of the mistake, which she denied, she took a paper plate and dragged the sushi across the plate to trash it, instead of just leaving the $5 roll as complimentary. Very classless.
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