Hy’s Steak House

Photo: Nathalie Walker

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite restaurant? Well, much credit goes to the many chefs, owners and managers who work diligently day in and day out to make sure Hawaii’s diners have a top-notch dining experience.

This week, Dining Out gets the inside scoops from Hy’s Steak House executive chef Erwin Manzano, who gives us a little taste of Hy’s Steak House and shares just what fuels his culinary drive.

Name: Erwin Manzano
Title: Executive Chef at Hy’s Steak House

Who or what inspires you as a chef? I started as a dishwasher at a Waikiki restaurant back in the day and my chef then believed that I had the potential to be a leader. Under his wing he taught me to butcher and how to make sauces. After many years of training, I was promoted to sous chef, and sous chef was a stepping stone to executive chef. I worked many more years with other chefs and learned as much as I could from them. Now that I’m an executive chef, I feel it is now my turn to pass on the knowledge that I have learned along the way to the next person.

If you could serve to a celebrity, who would it be and why? What dish would you serve? Wow! I would have to say Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. Why? Kobe Bryant is very dedicated to what he does, and when he sets a goal he will do his best to get there. That’s my philosophy — never stop trying. As for Magic Johnson, he’s very humble and has a great smile, like me — plus, I’m a huge Laker fan. I would serve both of them our 34-ounce Prime Porterhouse Steak — a very huge steak.

What is your favorite dish on the menu? Why? My favorite dish on the menu is our Rack of Lamb because we prepare it differently from other restaurants. Other restaurants usually serve their lamb rack crusted, but at Hy’s, we dry-marinate ours with herbs and spices and we cook it over kiawe wood. Our waiters carve your Rack of Lamb table side.

Is there a dish that you create that’s not on your menu, but available upon request? I would have to say one of the specials that I ran a couple of weeks ago. It was a Steak with Shrimp and Scallops, 7-ounce Filet Mignon glazed with a port wine reduction, and Shrimp and Scallop glazed with Ponzu Beurre Monte. But if a customer requests something, we will accommodate them as much as we can. I always tell my cooks, if we have the product we can do it. There is no such thing as “No can.”

Hy’s Steak House

2440 Kuhio Ave., Honolulu
922.5555
Open daily
Monday-Friday, 6-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 5:30-10 p.m.