Tuesday is the day for filet

Split Alaskan King Crab Legs ($95)

Every Aug. 13 is National Filet Mignon Day. The origins of the day are shrouded in mystery. The name of the elegant steak dish, however, is not. In French, filet mignon means “small” filet. American short story writer O. Henry is often credited with coining the term in his 1906 collection The Four Million.

If this obscure holiday puts you in the mood for a bit of filet mignon, there’s no better place to satisfy your craving than Hy’s Steak House in Waikiki.

The Filet and Foie Gras ($75) is one of the signature dishes. A 7-ounce Prime Filet mignon and pan seared foie gras are served on a bed of sauteed exotic mushrooms and asparagus, then finished with Hy’s black truffle demi-glace.

Filet and Foie Gras ($75)

“We use nothing but the freshest local produce (such as Hamakua shimeji mushrooms) and America’s topof-the-line Prime Beef that is wet aged to perfection then finished on our kiawe grill,” says executive chef Justin Inagaki. “It shows our past as well as our future in this dish.”

The beef at Hy’s is some of the best available. “Hy’s Steak House is proud to serve 100 percent USDA Prime Grade beef,” Inagaki continues.

Escargot A La Hy’s ($22)

“Hy’s Steak House is also proud to offer USDA Prime Never-Ever Grade beef to our customers. Never-Ever beef describes meat absent of antibiotics, hormones, and growth promoters. This high quality beef resides in the top 2 percent of all USDA Prime Grade Beef in the United States,” Inagaki explains.

An ideal appetizer is Escargot A La Hy’s ($22). This take on the traditional French dish features six pieces of succulent escargot with traditional herb butter.

A Hy’s employee prepares Cherries Jubilee Flambe ($17)

For a taste of the sea, Hy’s offers Split Alaskan King Crab Legs ($95). A whopping pound and a half of sweet king crab is split and served in its shell, then served with lemon and drawn butter.

Top off your meal with Cherries Jubilee Flambe ($17) a dessert that doubles as tableside entertainment. Said to have originated during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations in 1897, the classic dish consists of cherries, lemon, liqueur, vanilla ice cream and just a bit of fire.