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Mikala Brennan is the owner of Hula Girl Bar & Grill in Arlington, Virginia. She was born and raised in Hawaii and developed her love and passion for Hawaiian cuisine from a young age while cooking with her family. After other careers, she started a successful Hawaiian food truck in DC, which led her to open Hula Girl restaurant in Arlington. The restaurant serves authentic Hawaiian dishes like kalua pork and spam musubi.
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- 1. 8 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ May 4-10, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com By Alexandra Greeley The Connection W hen you think of the tropics and of Hawaii, your visions probably include palm trees, sandy beaches with crashing waves, and a whole lot of sunshine. But you probably don’t even know about Hawaiian food, which is both tropical and somewhat Mainlandish. To learn about the real deal, head to Arlington’s Hula Girl res- taurant, owned and cooked for by a Hawai- ian native, Mikala Brennan. As she said about her Hawaiian back- ground, “It is a magical place. I was truly blessed to have been born and raised there.” But now that she is firmly planted in the Washington area, Brennan has turned her love for Hawaiian food into a thriving business. She at- tributes her culinary passion to spending her entire childhood in the kitchen with her Ital- ian great-grandmother, her grandmother, and her mom, who was a graduate of the Cordon Bleu. “I’ve always loved cooking,” she said. “it’s where I feel the most com- fortable and passionate.” Besides her knowledge of Hawaiian cook- ing, Brennan also traveled throughout Asia with her parents, visiting Singapore, Indo- nesia, and Hong Kong. “I think being ex- posed to so many cultures at an early age, especially Hong Kong that really inspired me,” she said. “Hong Kong made something just click and I had an intense experience — cream of crab soup.” Although Brennan has had no formal kitchen training, she was mentored early in her career. “I convinced a chef to let me work the salad station,” she said. “And I guess she figured that I wouldn’t mess up things too much … I got moved up really fast and was able to keep learning different positions in the kitchen during the day while working in the front of the house at night.” While that was good training, cooking was not her first career choice. Instead, she had a consulting business that took a down- turn in 2010, so Brennan started a food truck in D.C., featuring, of course, Hawai- ian food. “The truck just took off, and that was something that was a surprise to me,” she said. “I didn’t know if Hawaiian food would work out here, so I tried to keep the menu really simple, focusing on what I call the ‘gateway’ item, teriyaki.” But once cus- tomers got hooked on her cooking, Brennan found that on average she would be serv- ing 200-plus people a variety of Hawaiian dishes for lunch. Recognizing that the food truck business had a shelf life, particularly with the new D.C. food truck regulations detailing park- ing-place restrictions, she decided to start a restaurant. That was back in 2013-2014, during which time she searched for the per- fect location. That turned out to be Arling- ton/Shirlington. “It is somewhat residential with that feeling of being in a community,” she said. “The Shirlington thing happened quickly and the location came open on a second go-round. I think this where I am supposed to be. It gives me lots of flexibil- ity.” But lucky are the nearby patrons who regularly get to dig into her honest Hawai- ian fare: chicken katsu, Kalua pork and cab- bage, Spam (yes, Spam) Musubi, and poke, which is raw tuna. Oh, and the rather unique entrée, Waialua root beer sticky ribs plus the Hula Girl mai tai. A Taste of Hawaii Profile: Mikala Brennan of Hula Girl Hula Girl Bar & Grill, 4044 Campbell Ave., Arling- ton, VA 703-998-4853. Hours: Lunch and dinner daily. Hula Girl Kalua Pork Mikala Brennan explains that the word “kalua” is derived from two Hawaiian words, “ka” or the, and “lua” or hole. The latter refers to using an underground oven, or imu. The all-natural liquid smoke is sold at natural food stores. Banana leaves are sold at Asian markets. Serve with some sticky rice and veggies for a great meal. The pork can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Note that you can cook the pork in a crockpot or in the oven over- night. Serves 6 to 8 1 cup canola oil .5 cup Hawaiian salt, or kosher salt 2 tablespoons all-natural liquid smoke 10 pounds pork butt 2 banana leaves Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Take the 1 cup oil and mix with the salt and liquid smoke to make a paste. Set aside. Lay a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about 18 inches long and 18 inches wide, onto a work sur- face. Place one of the banana leaves onto he foil, and spread half the paste onto the banana leaf. Place pork onto the top of this, and use the remaining paste and rub the pork really well on the top. Place the other banana leaf on the top of the pork. Place another piece of foil over the ba- nana leaf. Then pull the bottom and top together to create a tight seal. Place foil package into a large roasting pan, fill with 2-inches of water and cover the pan with foil to seal in the steam. Cook for 8 to 10 hours — don’t peak! Let cool slightly, then unwrap the foil carefully as there will be steam wanting to escape. Discard the banana leaves. Pull the pork out of the roasting pan — but, reserve the juices! Shred the pork with 2 forks or with tongs. Add in some of the reserved juices. Stir in the cabbage — cover until ready to use. Culinary Passion Chef Mikala Brennan and Hula Girl Bar & Grill Email announcements to arlington@ connectionnewspapers.com. Include date, time, location, description and contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Pho- tos and artwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least two weeks be- fore event. ONGOING The Mystery of Love and Sex.” Through May 8, various times at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave. Playwright Bathsheba Doran returns to Signature with a play exploring intimacy and identity. Tickets start at $40. Visit www.sigtheatre.org for more. Exhibit: “Singing in the Rain.” Through May 15, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery, 105 N. Union St. Fiber art inspired by songs from movies. Whether for self or gifts, jewelry, sculpture, clothing, and wall pieces are some of the items that will be exhibited. Free. Visit www.potomacfiberartsgallery.com. Zumba. Wednesdays through May 25, 6-7 p.m. at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway. Sessions will be led by a professional instructor with a studio in Arlington. The registration fee is $20 for all five classes. Visit www.rosslynva.org for more. Gallery Underground: “Road Trip.” Through May 28, gallery hours at 2100 Crystal Drive. During May, Gallery Underground features a national juried competition, “Road Trip.” The theme of this all-media show personalizes many aspects of taking a road trip: scenes from the road, people met along the way, all modes of transportation, and journeys both real and imagined. Free. Visit www.galleryunderground.org. Spring SOLOS 2016. Through June 12, gallery hours at Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. Arlington Arts Center announces its Spring SOLOS 2016 artists. Following a call in early 2015, jurors Melissa Ho, Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and Chicago-based artist, Jefferson Pinder, recommended 14 artists for inclusion in center’s 2015-16 cohort of SOLOS artists. Free. Visit www.arlingtonartscenter.org. Exhibit: “As You Spread, I am Erased.” Through June 12, gallery hours at Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi explores the notion of “duality,” to comprehend her cultural identity as an Iranian-American immigrant and the complexities that emanate from such cultural experiences. Her paintings reflect an interest in the fusion of Western abstraction and Persian Art, with an emphasis on the ornamentations of “Tazhib,” or the art of illumination. Free. Visit www.arlingtonartscenter.org. Exhibit: “Emerging Artists of Vacation Lane.” Through June 12, gallery hours at Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. This exhibition features works by a group of six high school seniors: Agnes Cheng, Nathan Dobbins, Nana Gongadze, Salome Gongadze, Marie Johnson and Evan McLean, students in the AP art class at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program. Free. Visit www.arlingtonartscenter.org. Exhibit: “Jeweled Traditions.” Through June 12, gallery hours at Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. Paper-cut scenes depict rituals of local families as remembered and enacted by Melanie Kehoss’ summer campers at Arlington Arts Center during the summer of 2015. Free. Visit www.arlingtonartscenter.org. WEDNESDAY/MAY 4 Film Screening: “Healing Voices.” 7 p.m. at First Christian Church of Falls Church 6165 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Screening of a new documentary, “Healing Voices” that explores real-life stories of individuals working to overcome the extreme effects of their illness and integrate their experiences into their lives in meaningful ways. Free. Call 703-324-7006. WEDNESDAYS/MAY 4-AUG. 3 Twilight Tattoo. 7 p.m. at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Summerall Field, Sheridan Ave., Fort Myer. Twilight Tattoo is an hour-long, live- action military performance that blends the precision and discipline of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) with the orchestral sounds and pop music from The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” Free. Visit www.twilight.mdw.army.mil for more. THURSDAY/MAY 5 Cinco de Mayo Beer Garden. 4-8 p.m. at Plaza on 19th. Seasonal brews and wine will be available for purchase at the Mobile Event Bar (cash, credit and debit cards). The El Chilango food truck will be serving tacos. Free to attend. Visit www.rosslynva.org for more. Rockland’s 8th Annual Pig & Oyster Roast. 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling Company, 3471 Washington Blvd. Find barbequed pork, grilled oysters, sides, beer and a raffle benefitting Doorways for Women & Families. Tickets are $25, raffle tickets are $5, $20 for 6. Visit www.doorwaysva.org. Consignment Shopping Fundraising Event. 6-8 p.m. at Finders Keepers, 5906 Washington Blvd. Attend the “Sip and Shop” Mother’s Day fundraiser hosted by Finders Keepers consignment store. My Friend Mayvis is a nonprofit that provides peer support and resource navigation for women and children who are oppressed by psychological and financial abuse. $10 suggested donation. Call 703-241-9227. Entertainment Calendar