CENTRAL AVENUE MEETS THE SOUTH PACIFIC
The Dish,What's Cooking?
Funny thing about the Tiki bar thing, it started in Hollywood at a Polynesian-themed spot called Don the Beachcomber and went on to even more cultural irony with Trader Vic’s who’s first location was in Oakland. Hardly the stuff of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Well leave it to brothers Chris & Craig Delaney and local boy Dana Mule, to bring their cool new entry, Hula’s Modern Tiki, to an already cool strip center with tenants like Lola Coffee and HAUS furniture — great coffee and coffee tables, the perfect blend (had to do it.)
Hula’s Modern Tiki inhabits the building that Cyclo was hoping to snag, but never got. Local preservationists have had a cow over the owners “tampering” of the space originally built in 1965, but honestly, at least the space is still living and breathing unlike the recently imploded Beadle Qwest building.
The Sunday night preview dinner found the “King of everything local”, Craig DeMarco and his wife Kris dining with another couple, and LGO alumn Doug Robson stopping by after his shift at his Gallo Blanco with chef Patrick Fagen (no offense to Hula’s, but I wish Robson and Fagen smuggled in their Naco Torta. Man oh man, that thing is killer.)
So how about the food? Although it was a preview menu, they did offer a few signature items for all to try. We chose the Ahi Island Poke and Crispy Coconut Shrimp Rolls for apps and went with the Macadamia Nut Encrusted Mahi with Mango-Papaya sauce, and Duke’s Luau Pork Plate, slow roasted pulled pork with soy glaze, and pineapple chunks.
Poke was good, huge chunks of fresh Ahi with a nice marinade, dusted with Macadamia nuts and filled with diced avocado. The Shrimp Rolls were standard fare. Deep fried beyond any recognizable flavor. The Mahi itself was actually quite nice, but the mango-papaya sauce was its savior. The pulled pork had a deeply braised flavor to it, more like a pot roast than a pulled pork. But we at EATERAZ are BBQ fanatics, so if it ain’t smoked, it ain’t pulled pork. We asked neighboring diners about their meals and they all seemed satisfied but no giant grins (maybe they needed more mai tais.)
At the end of the day, it was a PREVIEW dinner, and surely they will get their groove on and crank out the same successful fare that they have become known for.
For now, Hula’s will be dinner-only — lunch in November.
Hula’s Modern Tiki
4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
602-265-8454
Hours: 4pm-10pm Sunday through Thursday; 4pm to close, Friday and Saturday.
Click here for menu – Hula’s Modern Tiki Full Menu
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