With the East Valley baking in week after week of triple-digit temperatures, who wouldn’t want to take a South Pacific vacation, spending their days sipping mai tais and noshing on pu pu platters while listening to island beats?

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the time or money to indulge in such a getaway. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a taste of the South Seas, at least for a few hours.

After a particularly brutal morning in the office, a couple of co-workers and I book lunchtime passage and set sail for Drift, a Polynesian restaurant and tiki lounge in downtown Scottsdale.

Entering the thatch-roofed Drift is like walking into a ’60s-era tropical hideaway. Rope-wrapped columns support a bamboo roof and tiki masks decorate the walls. A large fish tank runs along the back of the bar.

Retro-looking seating includes cream-and-black, semicircular booths and dark, wood tables with egg-shaped chairs. Songs by Jack Johnson and Bebel Gilberto play over the sound system.

We sip nonalcoholic drinks from tall, narrow glasses and decide to start our leisurely lunch with a couple of island-inspired appetizers.

A plate of five Polynesian pork pot stickers ($5) is accompanied by a small dish of ponzu sauce for dipping. The citrus flavor of the tart sauce nicely complements the pork.

Even tastier is the shaved coconut chicken ($7), three coconut-battered pieces of boneless chicken on skewers artfully stuck into a slab of pineapple. They come with a savory sweet-and-sour sauce.

Appetites whetted, we move on to entrees. First up is a bowl of sesame-encrusted steak, fresh veggies and soy sauce with Ramen noodles ($10). The deeper we get into the bowl, the stronger the flavor.

The Hawaiian Punch chicken sandwich ($9) is a grilled chicken breast topped with ham, cheese, pineapple and sriracha butter. It tastes like slightly spicy, inside-out chicken cordon bleu.

Top prize for the day, however, goes to the luau slow-roasted pork sandwich ($9). Sweetened by mango chutney with Asian demi glaze, the warm, succulent meat is delicious.

We finish the meal by sharing a piece of piña colada cheesecake ($6), the closest we will get to a tropical cocktail on this workday.

Before leaving, we notice Drift offers happy hour specials from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Beers are $2; mojitos and mai tais are $4. Appetizers are nearly half-price ($3 pot stickers, $5 coconut chicken).

There’s even a pu pu platter ($15), an assortment of fruit pieces and Smores to dip in warm, gooey Kahlua chocolate.

As we head back to the office, we’re saddened that our mini-vacation is over. But, thanks to Drift, we know our next escape is just a short drive away.

Drift
Where: 4341 N. 75th St., Scottsdale (75th Street and Stetson Drive)
Open: Food served 11:30 a.m. to midnight daily.
Prices: Appetizers $5-$9, salads $10-$13, sandwiches $7-$10, bowls $8-$11, signature plates $12-$20, desserts $5.
Info: (480) 949-8454 or driftlounge.com