Posted by Michael Stern on April 02, 2006
Hank's has been doing what it does for nearly sixty years – frying hamburgers. It is one of countless restaurants in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma where burgers are taken seriously by the cook and relished by customers. Not to say that they are gourmet fare. On the contrary. They are quintessential hash-house hamburgers, good and greasy and cooked through and through. Other than burgers, the menu includes Frito chili pie and corn dog on a stick as well as onion rings and French fries, malts and a special made-here chocolate-covered peanut butter bon bon.
You can get a single, a double, a triple, a "Big Okie" (four patties), or a Hank's Special, which is a single half-pound patty. Each normal patty is a quarter pound, and while I enjoyed the avoirdupois of a Hank's Special, I like the multiple-patty configurations better. The interleaved meat and cheese, especially on the one-pound Big Okie, provide a textural adventure that a large single patty cannot. Unless you say otherwise, each hamburger is dressed with mustard, pickle, grilled onion, raw onion, lettuce and tomatoes.
Hank's is a tiny place with just a few booths around the counter, which is high enough that no seat affords a good view of Mr. Felts, chef and owner, orchestrating events at the griddle. We recommend standing up, or going to the walk-up to-go window at the front because watching him create his burgers is a scene of beauty. As is the custom down in El Reno, onions are pressed hard onto the surface of each patty before it hits the hot surface so that as the burger cooks under a heavy iron, the onions caramelize and virtually become one with the hamburger itself. When the iron is lifted and the burger is flipped, Felts sprinkles on some of his secret seasoning, then cheese. If he is creating a double, triple, or quadruple, he applies the bun top on one patty, uses a spatula to lift it onto another, and so forth until the pile is ready to be placed onto the bottom half of the bun, which has been arrayed with all other condiments.
Even the largest creation is presented as a tidy package, but I found that by the time I was halfway through, onions and tomatoes were slithering out and patties had gone out of alignment, creating an extremely delicious mess.
Overall: Worth driving from anyplace
13 out of 13 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Reviewers "Must Eats" List
"Four quarter-pound patties, four slices of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, grilled onions, raw onions and mustard are all neatly arrayed in a bun to become Hank's masterpiece, the Big Okie burger."
Michael Stern
"It is frustrating to be a burger lover traveling through Oklahoma because there are so many good ones to try. But if you come to Tulsa, Hank's is a must."
Michael Stern
"Hank's Grill: note how patties are squished down with a press. This causes the onions that have been pressed into them to meld with the meat and fill the air inside the little restaurant with an enticing aroma."
Michael Stern
"Although you stand at the counter to place your order, it is delivered to you by a member of the staff."
Michael Stern
"Because it is so big, a half-pound Hank's Special takes a good fifteen minutes to cook -- much longer than the full-pound Big Okie, which is four separate quarter-pounders."
Michael Stern
"A sign above the jar where Hank's sells its chocolate-robed peanut butter candies says, 'We hate to brag, but these are the best thing you have ever tried.'"
Michael Stern
