TRADER VIC'S

Victor Bergeron, a descendant of the Burgundians who had settled in Quebec in the 17th century, opened a bar in 1936 that he named Trader Vic's, in a nod to his penchant for bartering. From the outset, he offered customers such bizarre items as Cantonese plates and wood-roasted dishes. This daring prophet of world food was a runaway success. Victor soon invented the Mai Tai, a rum-curaçao-orange-lemon cocktail that has remained a classic to this day. Then came Tokyo, Beverly Hills, Barbados, Abu Dhabi, Al Aïn and Dubai.