Haute Blog

HOLY HAUTE BURGER!

2010-03-01T17:07:00.000-10:00

And Hank said, "TUESDAY IS BURGER DAY". So continuing with our new additions of daily specials we bring... Hank's Char-Cheddar Burger. I like mine big and juicy so we take a half pound of beef, season it with double secret spices, grilled it to medium and top it with extra sharp white cheddar cheese, mustard, catsup, mayo, tomato, onion and lettuce with a dill pickle on the side. Of course you can alter this motherlode to your liking but either way you won't be disappointed as the juices run down your chin! Yeehaw, come and get it!

TSUNAMI DOG WARNING!!!

2010-02-27T11:52:00.000-10:00

OK, since the island is closed today so will we. it does have me thinking of a special dog to do next time around, how about a TSUNAMI FOOT LONG DOG! It's big bad and get you all excited but the problem is that it measures only 3 inches. Have a nice day off folks.

INSIDER'S SECRET- MONDAY HAPPY HAUTE HOUR!

2010-02-07T15:30:00.000-10:00

Ok, not only did we start offering our amazing Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches every week but we also decided to add another deal to our Monday Mania. Happy Haute Hour from 2:30pm to 3:30pm every Monday with...

BUY ONE DAWG GET ONE FREE!
(excluding specials of course, Coral St. location only). What are you wanting for, it's a deal you can't refuse, so get your butt down to hank's for some late afternoon delight and save a bundle!

ITALIAN BEEF GONE WILD!

2010-01-29T18:03:00.000-10:00

So for all those diehard fans of our Italian Beef we got some good some good news for you... Starting this month it goes to being a special EVERY MONDAY! That's right, it's gotten so popular that now we'll be having every week. That juicy thin sliced delicioso roast beef dripping in the Italian seasoned au jus draped with peppers, oh, oh, oh my gosh is that good or what! I got to have it and a waiting whole month for the next one is just too long. So come and feed your hankerings... every Monday at hank's!

HOT HOT HOTTTTTTTT DOG!!!

2010-01-23T18:57:00.000-10:00

Ok so we like pushing limits in our endless quest to make you all happy. So this one is for our spicy hot lovers who never get enough heat. I present to you a Portuguese on Fire. Starring not Denzel but our own sausage best buddy, Kukui Spicy Portuguese Sausage. Of course that just isn't quite enough for you eh? How about a fiery 3-Alarm Ketchup on it? Oh yah, Heinz blended with Sriracha, loads of fresh Hawaiian chilies aaand just because we were on a roll, some chili pepper water, that should slap your tongue around! Throw on some grille onions for a little sanity and hot sport peppers for a little more insanity and we're looking at some serious heat! Monday folks, get it while it HOT!

OEY VA, WHERE'S DA CORN BEEF?

2010-01-15T17:38:00.000-10:00

Do you go to New York to get a good hot corned beef sandwich these days? Well no sir, there's hank's to the rescue to all those deprived palates. Monday will serve up some of this hot pickled beef brisket sliced thin on a big Kaiser roll (cuz I can't find Jewish rye here). You gotta have it boychick!

AIN'T NOTH'N BUT A SLAW DAWG

2010-01-09T21:10:00.000-10:00

Down South (not shore, mainland man) you can get coleslaw slathered on your dog. Well on Monday at hank's you can too! Take a grilled skinless style wiener, split it down the middle, dressed with brown mustard and onion then slap on a mound of creamy slaw. Now yo talk'n flaaavah man, ya all come on down to hank's now ya hear!

AS IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW!

2010-01-03T20:16:00.000-10:00

It's the first Monday of the month and yup that means Italian Beef at hank's... get in line buddy.

SINGING THE HOT DOGS BLEUS

2009-12-27T19:16:00.000-10:00

So Musab are faithful leader on the grill was dying to quell his craving for Bleu Cheese so we let him run with it and he came up with this doggie style Cobb Salad man! Take a beautiful all-beef Polish Sausage wrapped in bacon, deep fried then topped with lettuce, tomato and Blue Cheese dressing. Dang that's good, see ya Monday folks!

OBAMA IN THE HOUSE!

2009-12-18T21:40:00.000-10:00

Well having the President return to the Hawaiian homeland for a visit is indeed always a privelage. Having him eat local grinds while he and the family are here is something to be respected! But as with most of us, this man, this regular guy, has multifaceted roots, one of them being in Chicago where this psuedo-local boy also has deep roots. So as a brother of taste (which thankfully leaves politics out of the picture), I honor him with our OBAMA DOG! Our supurb local Kukui brand Portuguese Sausage perfectly grilled then graced with Chicago Style condiments: mustard, relish, onion, pickle, tomato, hot sport peppers and celery salt. Oh Ya, I proudly vote(d) for that! A blend of two homelands. We'll feature it for Monday's special and run it until he comes in or until we get tired of waiting (but really, it's always been available if you ask). Be well fans, Happy Holidays, Mele Kalikimaka and remember, always vote in good taste.

DID U REALLY MISS US?

2009-12-18T21:09:00.000-10:00

Sorry fans, we were having a little server issues over that last few weeks but we're back up and running. Sorry if you missed catching some of the amazing Monday specials but they're bound to be back sometime soon. It's holiday season however so you got enough to do besides lament about past food. Right....

HEY PAISANO!

2009-12-12T15:33:00.004-10:00

The Italian Beef n Sausage Combo flew out of hank's this last Monday. So here's more Italian Sausage for this week's special. Grilled mild links with brown mustard, grilled onion, bell pepper, tomato, sprinkle of basil and if you like a little heat, some of our hot giardiniera pepper mix. Southside Johnnie would go.

HO HO HOE!

2009-12-07T18:37:00.004-10:00

They're back! On the heels of Beefy Monday comes the herd of Reindeer Hot Dogs. Our holiday tradition starts tomorrow as we're grill'n these caribou/beef dogs out of Anchorage, Alaska. They're dressed up with seasonal colors too, red ketchup, golden brown mustard, snowy white onions and festive green relish. Oh that's too cute eh?

Come and woof one down while they last.

(Seem to be having issues with photos and Monday's special posting, sorry, oh well, eat with your imagination.)

ITALIANO COMBO PER FAVORE!

2009-12-05T19:39:00.005-10:00

Now that ain't no musical group but it is music to our Italian Beef fans.
So stop ur whining and come get ur Beef and Sausage Combo this Monday.
Wet of course. No sausage? No problemo.

BUENOS DIAZ!

2009-11-28T16:13:00.012-10:00

Hola!

So after a dog fried with fries on a stick where do you go? South, way south of da border that is! OK, this ain't Kansas, from here it's more like east of da ocean. Anyway, Topher came up with this Taco Dog and I'm here to spout off the glories of it.

Our ono grilled chorizo sausage (hank's killer underdog) with salsa, crisp lettuce, cheddar cheese and a hit of sour cream... It speaks to me cabron!

Catch it this Lunes (Monday, gringo) at hank's.

SEOUL FOOD

2009-11-21T18:19:00.002-10:00

Well we saw it on the internet and said "craaazy, let's do it!". So straight from the streets of Seoul, we bring you the Korean Kombo, a french fry coated hot dog on a stick. Huh? Ok, we batter a hot dog, coat it with fries and yes, you guessed it, deep fry the sucker! Skewer the whole shebang and serve it with our very own Not So Secret Sauce. No need to order a side with this one, its got it all together man. Have fun with this coming Monday's Special, 잘 먹겠습니다!

RESTAURANT WEEK HAWAII!

2009-11-14T16:19:00.002-10:00

OK, beginning this Monday we are one of over sixty restaurants participating in promoting the our largest industry here in Hawaii along with raising funds for the new Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head. Running through Sunday November 22, you can get more info at http://www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/. Check it out and eat out often!

Now as for hank's as we will feature a special dish for the entire week....

ISLAND CASSOULET!

(as seen on Dining Out with Chai on 11.8.09)

So I happen to be a big fan of this dish and as you guessed it, once I get the hanker'n then I've gotta make it! A Southern French classic, it is really a white bean stew made with pork and sausage, duck or goose and sometimes lamb depending on the version. So I says, hell, we is a pork luv'n kind of island, making it local style is a piece of cake or... is that duck?

Take Chinese roast duck, pork belly and Portuguese sausage cook it for hours with white beans in duck fat and voila, we got some mouth magic going on! Ten bucks for the cause, it's served with two scoops rice and medium drink. So get in line and catch this Monday Special everyday of the next week.

HOT HOT HOT DOG!

2009-11-08T16:59:00.002-10:00

Burn it up with a blaz'n hot special dog this Monday. Manager Topher's hot tooth gave birth to this firery concoction, an already spicy hot link, habanero BBQ sauce (ouch), grilled onions annnnd cream cheese. Wild! Inspiration compliments of crazy folks in Seattle. Get ur bootie all fired up at hank's!

MONDAY IS ITALIAN BEEF DAY!

2009-10-31T15:49:00.003-10:00

Of course you 've been waiting for the first Monday of the month to feed that craving you got. Just reminding you it's time to head on down to hank's for one of the best sandwich in town!

LANAKILA- The Good Table Benefit

2009-10-26T11:49:00.003-10:00

So the day after we finishing the exhaustive shooting with Diners, Drive-In and Dives, we were committed to do an ambitious nine-course dinner for four at hank's. As part of the Meals on Wheels program for the elderly here, about fifty restaurants were doing special dinners at 6pm on Thursday October 22 in support of Lanakila, the mothership of this program. No not a hot dog dinner! We offered to do a repast of Trio, my former restaurant, selecting dishes that represent the styles of the great chefs that worked for me.

I fortunately had plenty of help enlisted to accomplish this. Estelle Kaya, former Dining Room Manager at Oahu County Club, lead the way in acquiring all the things needed to transform our space into a fine dining environment, I wanted an surrealistic oasis in middle of hank's . Willie Kaya, former chef at Pacific Club and biggest fan of Trio, prepared the fish course. Gerald Kuboyama, having worked service under Estelle, donated his skills. Our head cook Musab and manager Topher all put in countless hours to make this happen as well as collaborate on amuse and petit fours. Michael took the lead of service, having worked there for several years and Ashley did Dale's dish having been mentored by him. I am forever grateful to all of them in making this tribute dinner a reality.

John, Sky, Brent and Marcel were the perfect diners for this, all were avid wine aficionados, they brought around a total of 24 bottles of wine, WOW! They of course didn't drink them all, but did put a good dent in the collection selecting the best to be paired with the food and sharing freely with the staff. And boy these were some amazing wines, I wish I could remember them all!

Here's a look of the menu:

Presently Amused (hank’s)

A trio of haute dog canapes: lobster, rabbit and foie gras by our head cook, Musab

Caviar Palatte (Chef Rick Tramonto)

Black, wasabi, whitefish and salmon roe with accoutrements, egg whites, yolk, caper, onion, crème fraiche and toast points

(Magnum of 88 Dom Perignon Champagne)

Explosion (Chef GrantAchatz)

Liquid filled ravioli wonton, truffle scented mushroom broth, broccoli puree, parmesan shard

(06 Pouilly Fuisse)

French baguette, Plugra butter

Salmon wrapped in Potato

(Chef Shawn McClain)

pinot noir sauce, edamame,

(Richioli Pinot Noir)

Caprese Intermezzo

Shot of tomato water, smoked mozzarella, olive oil, SnP, basil

Braised Veal Cheeks (Chef Dale Levitski),

Red wine braised served with rosemary aromatics

and

Robuchon potato puree

(wine recall failing, was tasting a lot)

Root Beer Float- (Pastry Chef Gale Gand)

maple and cinnamon infused root beer granita, vanilla bean

ice cream and root beer(Hank)

(Tokai)

Fromage

Vermont Weston Wheel sheep’s milk, quince paste

Petit Fours

Tobacco infused chocolate truffles by Musab and manager Topher

Café Filtre

John Smiley and his guests got this for a steal even on the buy-now option, $225 total! Knowing this, they were very generous with gratuity that we all in turn donated back to Lanakila. Needless to say, they were all glowing after four hours of dining with us.

And we made the 9 o'clock news to boot!!

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/22200/40/

More shots from Lanakila

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegoodtable/sets/72157622519044783/show/with/4037099474/

DINERS, DRIVE-IN AND DIVES!

2009-10-26T10:17:00.003-10:00

Well it was a hell of a week for us with DDD here shooting hank's for their show that will probably air late winter. Now that's a joke for us here in Hawaii, winter! Anyway we were ecstatic to have been selected, what luck, so many deserving places that could of got in! It did take a lot of work however, two 15 hour days of early mornings, hot lights and retakes, all the while trying to keep up with our regular biz. The filming crew made it fun though, Kari, Matt, David and Neil were all so cool, keeping us upbeat and into the whole process. They'll make us look good.

Guy was an amazing fireball of energy and humor, nonstop with the one liners! He loved the Chicago Dog, the Fat Boy and was gaga over the duck fat fries with Curry Ketchup. Even though he was initially skeptical, he was also surprised to find that the Lobster Dog was really a unique treat.

And what a Guy! He was a charmer with little Audrey.

The show will also feature Rainbow Drive-In, Poke Stop, Highway Inn and Nico's. Guy was really digging the food in Hawaii, Spam, Kahlua Pig, luau food and Pipikaula. The boy knows how to eat! What a life eh, tasting all the great joints across the country, my own personal fantasy.

D.. .D. .. DAWG?

2009-10-25T15:48:00.003-10:00

OK, after having filmed for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, we have to do something to honor the man's taste. He likes Kahlua Pork, loved our fat boy (bacon) and was gaga over the Curry Ketchup. There you go, we'll put them all together for him! We roll it out on Monday as a big MAHALO to Guy and DDD for having us on their show.

HOT O DOGGU

2009-10-18T22:49:00.003-10:00

After a shoot day with (DDD0 this weekend perhaps I can squeeze in monday's special at the eleventh hour. I've been hard pressed to come up with a Japanese inspired dog and finally

come up with one that I feel good about. Simply done it is a marriage of flavors

familiar in Japanese cuisine, we dress an all-beef dog dressed with miso-ginger mayo and top it with takuan, scallion and furikake.

Can you say oishi!?

TERI-LICIOUS

2009-10-09T15:40:00.002-10:00

About time eh, don't know why we didn't think of it earlier, but of course a... Teri Dog! A most excellent all-beef dog topped with hank's teriaki glaze, loads of mayo, lettuce and tomato. Oh man, is that good and only $4.45. Come on local boy, you know you want one!

UH... UH ... DA BEEF!

2009-10-03T15:28:00.001-10:00

Like I have to remind you it's the first Monday of the month? Nah, you know...

COME AND GET YOUR ITALIAN BEEF!!!