Hot dogs, getcher hot dogs here!

August 7th, 2007

If you’re visiting the Garden Island of Kauai and find yourself in the Poipu area, you should take the detour to Poipu Shopping Center for a Puka Dog. What’s a Puka Dog? Well, puka means hole in Hawaiian and their fresh solid buns are toasted on a…er…very phallic looking metal contraption to create the puka for the dog. They use a very tasty polish sausage or you can get a veggie dog. Well, instead of me trying to explain it all, take a gander at their online menu:

Now I’m not big on the exotic before I’ve tried the basic. I figure if a place can’t do simple well, I don’t want their fancy schmancy stuff to cover up inadequacy. So I got the polish sausage and I just wanted mustard on it. Boring, yes but I gave you my theory. They kept asking what kind of lemon garlic sauce I wanted and I really didn’t think that sounded good but they wouldn’t stop hounding me on it so I finally gave in and got the jalapeno and yellow mustard. Then they couldn’t accept that I didn’t want their enticing Lilikoi (passion fruit) mustard. We told them we’d take a little on the side but give me the yellow mustard please. (I was beginning to get real irritated fighting for what I wanted.) So I got that and a lemonade. (aka-sugar water with barely a hint of lemon to it) Now I’ll admit that the combo of the lemon garlic jalapeno with yellow mustard, somehow seemed to work however, there was entirely too much of both inside this puka. It was oozing out the top and overpowered the really tasty dog until I scooped half of it out. The hubby got a polish sausage with mango relish and ketchup. He said he liked his and he’s not even the culinary daredevil of the two of us.

We went back a few days later and I just wanted straight up mustard and ketchup (NO sauces of any kind) and he got the pineapple relish on his. Again, it was a fight to get what we wanted. They put so much mustard and ketchup in mine that it soaked the bottom of the bun out and it broke. Thank God I was sitting down and it was wrapped. He liked his pineapple relish too.

Now despite all of this, would I recommend Puka Dogs to others. Yes. The dog itself is very high quality and the bun is really good. My only tip would be to be prepared to tell them you do NOT want half the puka filled up with condiments unless you’d like to risk wearing them. I do encourage you to try all of the exotic flavors they have to offer. I was just in the mood to be a traditionalist there.

If you want to see the Puka Dogs up close, tune into The Travel Channel’s “Hot Dog Heavens” tonight at 8 and 11pm. (Check local listings) Open Monday-Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM

Also at:
Waikiki Town Center
2301 Kuhio Avenue # 2
Phone: 808 979-2405

Monday – Sunday
10 AM to 10 PM