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Mountain View News Saturday, August 29, 2026 FOOD & DRINK 7 
Mountain View News Saturday, August 29, 2026 FOOD & DRINK 
IT’S MAI TAI ALL WEEKEND 

This Sunday is National Mai Tai Day, and if you’ve been following me 
on social media this week, you’ve probably seen a few of my favorite 
Mai Tais around town. 

For this column, though, I decided to do a little research.
And by research, I mean I grabbed my pen and paper and headed 
over to Islands Restaurant on Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena. 

Regular readers know I usually shy away from chain restaurants. I like the independent places, 
where the owner might be sitting three tables away and the bartender knows who drinks what.
But I’ve always had a soft spot for Islands. The restaurant is run very smoothly by Agatha and 
our afternoon bartender was a true delight. 

It’s comfortable, you can watch a game, meet up with a couple of friends and, most importantly 
for today's story, they make a pretty darn good Mai Tai. 

Happy hour is probably my favorite time to go. It runs every day from 3 to 6:30, and unlike 
some places where you have to squeeze yourself into three seats at the end of the bar, Islands 
offers happy hour throughout the restaurant. 

Prices run from $3 to $10. These days, when I see a cocktail menu starting to look like a car 
payment, that's refreshing. Their Mai Tai has dark rum, pineapple and orange juices, citrus 
sour, orgeat, grenadine and a Myers's Rum float. Is it the original Mai Tai? No, But I like it. 
Which got me thinking: What exactly was the original Mai Tai? 

The story takes us back to Oakland in 1944 and a gentleman named Victor Bergeron, better 
known as Trader Vic. Vic supposedly grabbed a bottle of 17-year-old Jamaican rum and added 
lime, orange curaçao, orgeat and a little rock candy syrup. Notice anything missing? 
No pineapple juice. No orange juice. No grenadine. 

According to Trader Vic — and history is always a little more fun when you leave some room 
for the storyteller — he served the drink to friends visiting from Tahiti. Carrie Guild took a sip 
and said, “Mai Tai — Roa Ae,” basically meaning “out of this world — the best.” And there you 
have it. The Mai Tai was born. At least that's the story. 

The drink eventually made its way to Hawaii in the 1950s, and over the years the Mai Tai 
became fruitier, sweeter and more colorful. Today you can order one at ten different restaurants 
and probably get ten different drinks. I'm okay with that. 

I'm not sitting at Islands judging whether somebody followed a recipe from 1944. I'm sitting 
there because I like the Mai Tai, I like the atmosphere and happy hour still feels like a happy 
hour. That's getting harder to find. 

I've had some very serious Mai Tais over the years. I've also had a few that tasted like somebody 
poured rum into Hawaiian Punch and hoped for the best. 

For me, Islands hits the right spot. It's become one of my go-to places when I want a Mai Tai 
without making a major production out of it. Meet a friend, grab a table, order a drink and 
maybe something to eat. Pretty simple. 

Before I put the pen down, a few honorable mentions: Canoe House in South Pasadena, 
Damon's in Glendale and Clearman's Galley — The Boat — in San Gabriel. The Boat even has 
the Mai Tai printed right there on the menu. When you're eating inside a giant boat, ordering 
a Mai Tai somehow makes sense. 

I'm sure I've missed somebody's favorite. Tell me where it is. I'm always willing to do more 
research. And if you happen to see me at Islands this weekend with a Mai Tai in front of me, 
remember: 

I'm not drinking.

I'm working.

Islands Restaurant 

3533 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena 

Happy Hour: Daily, 3–6:30 p.m. 

Peter Dills can be reached at thechefknows@yahoo.com. (Islands Restaurants) please listen to my 
podcast , listen while you work. 

FISH TACOS 
INGREDIENTS 

AVOCADO CREAM: 
2 cups/500ml plain thick yogurt or sour cream 
4 avocados, pitted, peeled and chopped 
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 
Zest and juice of 1 lime 
A handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 
A few drops green hot sauce, such as Tabasco 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

PICO DE GALLO: 

2 tablespoons/30ml olive oil 
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 onion, finely chopped 
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 
Juice of 1 lime 
A handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

FISH: 
3 cups/750ml all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup/60ml cornstarch 
1 tablespoon/15ml baking powder 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
2 1/2 cups/625ml beer (2 bottles) 
2 eggs, beaten 
Canola or peanut oil, for frying 
1 pound haddock fillets, cut into large cubes (450 grams) 

HOMEMADE TORTILLAS: 

2 cups/500ml very fine corn flour (masa harina) 
1 teaspoon/5ml salt 

SPICY GREEN CHILI SAUCE: 

24 hot green chile peppers, such as jalapeno, poblano, hatch or Cubanelle 
1/4 cup/60ml olive oil 
Salt 
1 onion, finely chopped 
2 tablespoons/30ml distilled white vinegar 

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! 
Call Patricia 626-818-2698
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com