text: Just because the server will take back a poorly mixed drink or charred beans does not make it a good place to eat and drink The food at Hulas needs to be good and consistent not just returnablennOn a Saturday night four of us hit Hulas at pm What is so striking when you enter is how open the bar and dining room are to the patio which needs a few more tables and chairs I would say Central Phoenix enthusiasts love a good adaptive reuse project and the one at Hulas especially because of the preservation of the impressive and large hexagonal window puts it in the same category as Postino Central and St Francis as far as an amateurs view of architectural renovationsnnWe started by sharing the sweet potato fries which are onpar with Maizies and even those at Delux They were crisp evenly cut and intensely creamy and sweetnnAfter this though it was downhill Though my companions enjoyed their drinks my Zombie served in a tall opaque glass with a mustachioed character who looked a lot like me was poorly mixed lacking lime juice and faintly soaptasting The server gave me a couple minutes to weigh the drinks future and after agreeing to suffer through it I changed my mind and sent it back The Zombie would later still appear on the bill The Dark Stormy I ordered in its place with dark rum and ginger beer was drinkable but inferior to the drink of the same name at St Francis which for more tastes better I think it is in the quality of the ginger beernnMy friends fishcakes were mostly overcooked and had to be cut with a knife like chicken The ceviche though palatable my other friend said appeared dry and haphazardly plated with some giant tortilla chipsnnAs the lone veggie in the bunch I ordered the Spicy Tofu Tacos which come with a spicy chili sauce and a side of rice and black beans Though the food came out of the kitchen quickly minutes or so I wish it had not The tofu a recently unpackaged watery brick no doubt was merely sliced warmed not grilled or fried or marinated over night and dusted with chili powder therefore the tofu was tasteless The tacos were doublewrapped in flour tortillas which created a thick awkward mouthfeel so I just used one of the tortillas on each of my two tacos But the most disappointing part of the meal was the rice and beans which are hard to screw up The black beans were so badly burned in the pot that even their juices saturated the scoop of rice with their charred charcoal bad smoke flavor I mentioned this to the server and she later would deduct half of the plates price though the extra Zombie remained on the ticketnnWe passed on dessert and went to St Francis and later Fez for drinksnnHulas would be a great happy hour spot on the patio if it offers consistent drinks and some happy hour food specials Two stars for potential and I will try once more As it stands now though an accommodating server cannot compensate for an inconsistent bartender burned beans and uninventive vegetarian optionsnnnote I am totally aware that restaurants do not have to cater to my or other peoples various dietary preferences ie vegetarians and vegans and that I choose to go to these restaurants I just want some rice and beans to rely on