Hy’s Steak House is renowned for its fine dining experience — complete with high-quality steaks, tableside presentations and flambé desserts — but the culinary landmark recently started a new offering: its monthly brunch buffet.
The steakhouse has offered brunch buffets during special occasions, like the holidays, but recently decided to feature them monthly as a way of giving back to kamaʻāina and its regular customers, according to assistant general manager Tony Hernandez.
“We had a really strong reception from the seasonal ones (buffets),” he says. “Because of that, we wanted to continue providing the experience for a lot of our local guests. It’s the locals — our kamaʻāina — that have been helping all of our seasonal brunch buffets.”
We went to the first brunch buffet on Aug. 24. The next brunch buffets will be on Sept. 21 and Oct. 19; brunch is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (last seating is at 1 p.m.).
The buffet costs $130 per adult ($65 for children ages 6 to 12 years, $100 per kūpuna ages 65 years and older). Children ages 5 years and under have free admission.
There is a 90-minute time limit for all guests. While the steakhouse has a dinner dress code (collared shirts and closed-toed shoes for men, business casual or evening attire for women), the dress code during brunch is “resort formal.”
Customers can expect to see Hy’s Steak House’s specialties during the brunch buffet. The action station featuring Hy’s slow-roasted prime rib with au jus and horseradish, corned beef, and leg of lamb with mint jelly is a highlight of the experience.
“Those are some of our popular dishes on our regular dinner menu as well,” Hernandez says.
Take your pick from a selection of cold seafood, including ‘ahi sashimi, spicy ‘ahi poke and shoyu ‘ahi poke, oysters on the half shell and shrimp cocktail. Hot seafood dishes include steamed snow crab legs and oriental-style fish.
Crab legs are always customer favorite, and we personally enjoyed the fresh sashimi and poke.
If you’re in the mood for more breakfasty dishes, choose from assorted meats like bacon, link sausage and Portuguese sausage; scrambled eggs; and crab cake eggs Benedicts. The latter is one of my favorite options on the brunch menu — the crab cake itself is a generous portion and features a good amount of lump crab. When paired with the sultry, indulgent hollandaise, it’s hard to only eat one.
The seafood line-up also includes the chef’s soup du jour. This isn’t part of the buffet line; if you want it, simply ask your server, and they will bring it out from the back. Clam chowder was featured during our brunch, which was a creamy, hearty option.
Other cold appetizers include Hy’s signature Caesar salad; waldorf salad; roasted beet salad; assorted charcuterie, cheeses and local jams; and a seasonal fruit platter.
The eatery’s waldorf salad comprises celery ribbons, Fuji apples and candied walnuts. Hy’s signature Caesar salad, comprising hearts of Romaine topped with herb roasted croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano, never disappoints.
Of course, no Hy’s Steak House experience is complete without one of the eatery’s famous flambés, so be sure to save room for dessert. The dessert action station features the signature banana fosters flambé and chocolate lovers flambé. Both are served with Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.
The bananas fosters flambé, which is more popular of the two, includes banana, orange, cinnamon, crème de banana, orange curacao and dark rum.
Meanwhile, the chocolate lovers flambé is like a glorified sundae. It includes Burgundy chocolate, pineapples, bananas, strawberries, amaretto, coffee liqueur and brandy.
During dinner, both of these flambés are part of the steakhouse’s tableside preparations.
Customers can also choose from assorted desserts like housemade cookies, signature cheesecake bites, Chocolate Decadence — which is an indulgent, brownie-like dessert — and assorted muffins.
While beverages were available a la carte during this brunch buffet, customers can look forward to bar specials like Bloody Marys and mimosas during future brunches, according to Hernandez.
Reservations are accepted online. For groups of eight or more, call the restaurant for reservations.
CONTACT
Hy’s Steak House
2440 Kūhiō Ave., Honolulu
808-922-5555
Hyswaikiki.com
Instagram: @hyshawaii
Monthly brunch is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on select Sundays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
