Last week, I brought you fancy sushi, so the clear choice for today’s discussion was . . . hot dogs?!

Ahh, yes. But not just any hot dogs. Henry Adaniya, proprietor of Hank’s Haute Dogs in Kaka‘ako, is a Chicagoland restaurateur, and that means two things:

1. If you’re even going to ASK for ketchup, it better be for your fries.
2. A hot dog ain’t just a hot dog.

Oh, sure, the box is plenty unassuming . . .

But as soon as you open it, you remember why you stood there in the deli-like setting, staring at the menu board for so long as you pondered whether you wanted the chicken dog with sweet mango relish and lime mustard . . .

. . . or the grilled andouille with onions and spicy mustard . . .

. . . or was it the exotic special of the day, like rabbit with veal, or duck with foie gras? Don’t gag, the rabbit is actually really good — it just wasn’t photogenic the day I got it.

I’ll admit, the sides (fries and onion rings — both super greasy) at Hank’s aren’t the greatest, and I haven’t tried the desserts yet, but the hot dogs really are haute, and they really are worth the extra bucks once in a while. (Hey, you shouldn’t be having sausage that often anyway, right?)

While a place like Hank’s might be commonplace in Chicago, it certainly isn’t in Honolulu, so you never know who might be stopping in to check it out when you’re grabbing a quick lunch. A few weeks ago, for example, I came across the crew from the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” who were filming the filler interviews and pans that show when Guy Fieri isn’t actively partaking:

Too bad Guy had just left before I showed up (darned yoga session!). I ordered just before they started getting people to re-order on mic and was dining at one of the counters inside when they did the full pan of the restaurant, so I had to sign a waiver saying I was cool with being on TV. The episode, which will feature a number of other Oahu eateries, is supposed to air some time in Spring 2010, so keep your eyes peeled!