Hank's Haute Dogs

I'm sad to say that it took us over a year to discover the amazingness that is Hank's Haute Dogs. (Although, come to think of it, I didn't really eat meat until recently, so the magic would probably have been lost on me.) Hank's gourmet hot dog menu includes traditional favorites like the chili dog and the Chicago dog, but Hank's also dishes out innovative and interesting dogs, particularly as part of their daily specials. Those sausages include alligator andouille, rabbit and veal, buffalo, lobster, duck and foie gras, and kobe beef. YUM! Jarrod had last Friday off work for the Fourth of July, and he was thrilled to be able to try Friday's special, the lobster dog.
Topped with "very green relish," takuan (a type of pickled radish) and garlic aioli, it was every bit as delicious as he imagined. Even though I detest seafood (yes, even lobster), I tried a bite and had to admit that, despite the seafoody aftertaste, it was a winner. But it better be, at over $10 a dog!
The first time we ate at Hank's Jarrod got the andouille sausage and I got the chicken dog, a chicken sausage with mango relish and lime mustard. The taste was fantastic, but I was a little unsure how much I liked the texture of the sausage. This time, I set any notion of healthiness aside and ordered the Fat Boy, a dog wrapped in bacon and fried, then topped with mayo, lettuce and tomato. The calorie count of this puppy, plus my fries and soda, probably filled my calorie quota for the entire day, but it was so mouthwateringly good that I forgot about the fact that it was fried and slathered in mayonnaise.

Hank's also has really yummy fries. My fry philosophy is the crispier the better, so Hank's is perfect for me. And there's a wide array of dipping sauces to choose from. This time we got the curry ketchup and the furikake ranch. The ketchup was fantastic, but I was a bit unsure about the ranch. The only ingredient I could put my finger (or, rather, taste buds) on was seaweed. When I got home and Googled furikake, I learned that it does indeed contain seaweed but the main ingredient is dried fish. Blech!
Hank's has been featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and in Rachael Ray's magazine, and for good reason! If you live in Hawaii and you haven't been to Hank's yet, you're missing out. And if you come to Oahu on vacation, I strongly recommend treating yourself to Hank's. You can even get a Hawaiian dog with pineapple relish, passion fruit mustard and Maui onions at the Waikiki location, so you feel like you're eating Hawaiian style! (Just don't call it be like the touristy customer who came into the thrift shop a couple months ago and told me she'd just had lunch at Hank's "Hottie" Dogs.)