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No pooh-poohing this Pu-Pu platter in San Fran

For those of you who still think “tiki” to be synonymous with “tacky” (read: Trader Vic’s) and brush it off as an icon of kitsch from years past, the E&O Trading Co. is stepping up to refute your claim. Located steps away from the Campton Place Taj Hotel and Hotel Triton, this San Francisco establishment has reinvented the long-belittled pu-pu platter into something hip, fresh and budget-friendly.

Photo courtesy of E&O Trading Co.

The platter is enough to serve four to six hungry diners, and features some of the restaurant's signature favorites, including Chinese five-spice chicken rolls, short rib sliders, Hoisin-coffee ribs, chicken satay, Indonesian corn fritters, and taro chips -- all for just $18. You can enjoy this new take on the pu-pu during Happy Hour, Monday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., through the end of January.

While noshing on those nibbles, quaff your thirst with the new E&O San Francisco custom-blended wine for $24 a bottle.

E&O Executive Chef Arnold Wong collaborated on the vino with General Manager Jim Angelus and the team at the custom wine facility, Crushpad, to create the Rhone-style white wine. A blend of 50 percent Roussanne, 30 percent Viognier, 15 percent Marsanne and 5 percent Chardonnay, the wine's tropical fruit flavors and hint of spice go especially well with Wong's Pan-Asian cuisine.

- Carolyn Jung of FoodGal.com