Close, but 4,000 miles apart

Some people think a hot dog is just a hot dog. Those people aren't from Chicago. Actually, I'm not even from Chicago. However, I do have ties to the city and recognize that Chicago hot dogs, particularly those made by Vienna Sausage (absolutely no relation to the canned stuff so popular in Hawaii), stand head and [broad] shoulders above the rest.

The modern "twist" to the classic hot dog stand formula can be found both in Chicago at Hot Doug's and in Hawaii at Hank's Haute Dogs. 

After standing in line outside of Hot Doug's for about 45 minutes, made much more bearable by the beautiful weather on that particular Saturday afternoon, my family and I ordered up a few different dogs to try. 

Hot Doug's proprietor Doug Sohn made headlines during Chicago's absurd ban on foie gras by continuing to serve this...

Duck & Foie Gras Sausage, Truffled goat cheese ~ Hot Doug's

Lamb Merguez Sausage ~ Hot Doug's

Thuringer Bratwurst ~ Hot Doug's

Duck.....fat......fries ~ Hot Doug's

Henry Adaniya of Trio fame recently fulfilled his life long dream of opening up a hot dog stand here on Oahu. Borrowing a bit from Hot Doug's successful formula, Hank has put his own twist on the Chicago hot dog stand out here in Hawaii. He spares no expense to ensure that the Chicago dog he delivers is the real deal, going as far as importing the dogs, green relish, sport peppers, and even the steamed poppy seed buns directly from Chicago and always finishing the dog with a sprinkle of celery salt.

First the classic polish dragged through the garden...

All-beef polish sausage ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Onto the the twist....

"The Fat Boy" ~ Deep fried bacon wrapped sausage ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Classic sides...

Best fries in town ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

I'm going to have to return to try Hank's version of duck fat fries (served only on Saturdays and Sundays)

Maui Onion Rings ~ Hank's Haute Dogs

Hank's is enough of a draw that my father (probably the only individual that ever had a personal account with Vienna Sausage, importer of 1,000+ hot dogs and polish sausage every year and a guy who boasts the direct line to the VP of Vienna on his cell phone contact list) still makes his way down to Coral Street to get his fix. The draw is undoubtedly the nostalgia brought on by Hank's flawless reproduction of the classic (my dad, forever the purist, won't go near any of the "haute" sausages). I, on the other hand, usually love to try whatever crazy concoctions Hank can come up with.

There is probably one thing that Doug Sohn, Henry Adaniya, my dad, and I can all agree on though....NEVER PUT KETCHUP ON A HOT DOG!