Clematis Street rides a new wave with the opening of Longboards ...

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Related: Surf?s up: The story behind Longboards

Longboards was hopping during its grand opening party.

Even on-and-off rains throughout the night couldn?t douse the good times permeating the 500 block of Clematis Street on Saturday night during the grand opening party for the surf-themed Longboards restaurant and raw bar.

Longboards was packed to the gills all night as the free food and drinks flowed from this cool raw bar and restaurant that took over the dormant space formerly occupied by Ray?s Downtown. The surf theme was carried through with great effect, from the dozens of surfboards gracing the walls and ceilings, to the surf videos on TVs and a big screen, to the ?beach? area on the back patio shared with the neighboring Lounge (we can?t wait to see what?s to become of the ?VIP? trailer).

The Surfaris headlined the main stage to cap the evening. (Photo by Mike Jones)

Needless to say, the place was pretty jammed and we?ll wait until a later date for a full food and drink review, but the menus definitely look promising (we?ve posted the drink menus in the gallery below). The excellent retro theming, gastropub quality food and drinks, and laid-back atmosphere are exactly what west Clematis Street needs right now to keep the hordes from gravitating east.

The block party was a well-designed, multi-generational affair with fun skateboard demonstations on a huge half pipe for the kids (or kids at heart) and a classic car show for the older folks. Live entertainment on the main stage also ran the gamut, with young Miami garage band Jacuzzi Boys drawing a big mid-evening crowd. Legendary surf band The Surfaris (featuring original guitarist Bob Berryhill, his wife and two sons) were hampered by a late deluge of rain but finally went on around midnight and cranked out the classics to an appreciative crowed who stuck around.

Longboards grand opening block party
(Photos by Jim Hayward unless noted)

(Click on thumbnails to see larger images or to view as slideshow)

Inspired equally by historic Polynesian Pop and the modern Tiki renaissance, Jim "Hurricane" Hayward aims to use his acumen from 20-plus years of independent concert promotion to bring a greater awareness and appreciation to the vast ocean of Tiki culture and its many tributaries. Since the early '90s, his Slammie Productions has presented live shows featuring hundreds of indie artists: Agent Orange, Dick Dale, The Nekromantix, Exene Cervenka, The HorrorPops, The Phenomenauts and many more. Now, he's launching The Atomic Grog as a vehicle to promote Tiki culture and its music, art and cocktail scenes. A lifelong student of mid-century pop culture, Jim solidified his appreciation for the Atomic Era in his childhood in the 1960s. His father promoted custom car shows featuring George Barris classics such as the Batmobile and "Munsters" cars and his earliest memories of Tiki come from visits to some of the era's vintage restaurants. In the mid '70s, his family settled in the Sunshine State, where he graduated from the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. He has spent more than 30 years toiling at several of the state's major daily newspapers as a writer, editor and for the past 15 years as a Web producer.

Source: http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/07/04/clematis-street-rides-a-new-wave-with-the-opening-of-longboards/

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