"A sliver of island life in Shirlington, Hula Girl served its last order of root beer sticky ribs this fall after nearly four years of business. 'All I really wanted to do was to bring Hawaiian food to this area. And I did, for close to 10 years, from the food truck to restaurant,' chef-owner Mikala Brennan said in a sad closing statement. Her colorful eatery can be credited with bringing Spam musubi and poke bowls to the area before they were cool. Bottomless Saturday brunch with $4 guava and passion fruit mimosas was also a hit. The expansive 3,600-square-foot restaurant space will get a new life as Indian restaurant Aroma." - Tierney Plumb
