Hank's Haute Dogs

We got quite a bit of work done in the office this morning, so I convinced my mom that it would be worthwhile to take a 30 minute drive down to the recently opened Hank's Haute Dogs . Her exact words were, "all that car gas for a hot dog?" But it feels good to know that my mom has some sort of faith in me as she agreed to go with only a slight, barely audible sigh.

Opened by Henry Adaniya of Chicago's Trio, plenty of views to be found here, here, and here on Hank's, coupled with a positive recommendation from my friend was enough to convince me that I had to go see for myself.

With the promise of 'haute' dogs, the menu delivers a promising range of dogs. Think kim chee, chorizo, chicken, seafood sausage, and even a duck & foie gras dog! After minor debating, my mom and I settled on the current special, a Rabbit & Veal dog ($6.95), and the No Dog ($3.50). We also ordered a side of Maui onion rings ($3.75) and hibiscus lemonade ($1.75).

Why the No Dog? Well don't get angry at me, I'm not a vegetarian, but I really, really wanted avocado. The avocado smoothie I had at Thang's in Chinatown yesterday set off this avocado binge, and now all I want to do is make to eat avocado in various forms all day long. Don't worry, I'll get over avocado in a few days or so. Back to the No Dog. It's a vegetarian hot dog consisting of chopped avocado, sliced tomatoes, onions, cucumber, Chinese parsley, cheddar and a smear of chipotle mayo. I opened the cute little box and instantly thought, "whoa, this looks like a banh mi!" And I picked it up and bit in. I bit and bit and 30 seconds later, half the dog was gone. A minute later, all the dog was gone. And I thought, "hmmm, I'm totally not full." It was a boring dog, easily concocted at home. The chipotle mayo wasn't spicy or distinct at all. And they didn't put very much mayo. I'm not a mayo fiend...but...a little more please? At $3.50, money is better allocated to a banh mi from Bale.

And then because I was so not full, I ate some of mom's rabbit & veal dog, which was exceptionally juicy, plump with a good snap. A smatter of sauerkraut was a perfect complement, and the hot dog needed nothing else. I would have never guessed it was rabbit & veal, but that just goes to show you how sharp my tastebuds were. Next time I'll make sure to order an actual dog, and not veggies stuffed in a bun. I'm willing to pay $12 for bread pudding...but not sure if I'm as gung ho for a $7 hot dog...

I believe they used an entire onion for each order of the Maui onion rings, which makes me very happy because I love the ends of onions. You get the big rings, some medium rings, and then the small flat ends similar to the size and shape of a deep fried quarter. They come out super hot, thinly battered and beyond crispy - all positive elements in my dictionary. They were my favorite part of the meal.

We washed it all down with the happy pink hibiscus lemonade, not too tart, not too sweet, just good and simple. But seriously. The hot dog. It was kind of small. Or maybe I'm just a glutton.

Final word? I conclude with KaimukiMan on Chowhound when he said, "I certainly won't avoid the place, but it is not likely to be somewhere I drag all my friends to. I just want MORE for $11. More flavor, more food, more something."

Hank's Haute Dogs
324 Coral Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 86813
(808) 532-4265