[jason taylor]

La Mariana:

A chain of restaurants, bars, and cafes operated by the Seastar house, which name is an obscure etymological interpretation of Queen Mary (itself named after a famous Terran luxury oceanic vessel), the Empress Marava which was the foundation of the house's wealth once upon a time. As a pun La Mariana takes it's name from it's operators but also evokes a famous establishment on Hawaii of old Terra.

The specialty is reproductions of old Hawaiian Cuisine of various kinds, prepared by highly trained staff. There are also a line of drinks and the establishment prides itself in it's mastery of beverage making as well as foodmaking. Their Blue Hawaii is a cult classic among some circles of drink lovers. Curiously on the menu is an Irish coffee, from an obscure legend that the drink was invented to tide passengers over in the flying boat era of the early twentieth century (Gregorian system), an era with aspects impinging on Hawaiian history.

The decor is as might be expected Hawaiian in nature. Live singing performances are regular and on Karaoke night, patrons can sing themselves. A giftshop and bookstore is maintained, (or a simple rack or table carrying such things in a smaller branch) again based on Hawaiian themed topics including history, fiction, music, whatnot, including several versions of a classic serial drama set in Hawaii*, one version of which features the original bar. The decor is changed seasonally to provide variety, and includes still shots, paintings and moving art as well as stored artifacts and of course architectural style.

An offshoot of this is the catering business done by the establishment. It's best chefs, bartenders, and baristas have sometimes prepared food for high noble feasts, and worked with genuine product shipped expensively from Terra.

*This drama is a curious combination of the words for "type of chemically propelled projectile", and "hired personal intelligence officer" denoting the protagonist's name and profession.