I’m happy to report that my anticipation has been rewarded as Hank’s is a fantastic addition to the steakhouse category in Las Vegas.

They have completely redone the dining room and you wouldn’t recognize it as being the same place. It somehow manages to be both darkly moody and sparkly upbeat at the same time with glistening waterfall chandeliers, lots of warm wood and stonework, and comfy low-slung booths lining the room. The result is definitely upscale but without falling into pretentiousness or intimidation.

Many of the items on the menu will look familiar if you’ve ever dined at Austins but they are not mere carbon copies. While Austins has a bit of a Texas flair to things, Hank’s has more of a big city appeal, with the presentation and preparation more dramatic and steakhouse traditional.

A variety of seafood dishes are offered for appetizers but regular readers will know I’m not much of a seafood fan so I wound up skipping those and headed straight for the “Traditional French Onion Soup.” Served piping hot in a tureen-like container, the mixture lived up to its “traditional” moniker, more cheesy-gooey-tangy than the sweeter Maui version served at Austins, so picking a winner between the two is a bit of an apples v. oranges debate. Let’s just say I love them both and move on with our lives, shall we?

Salads are substantial and served in portions big enough to share. The Hank’s Steakhouse Salad is almost exactly the same as the Austins Steakhouse salad, finely chopped lettuce with powerfully delectable chunks of bleu cheese to liven things up.

There’s a nice selection of seafood including wild salmon (as opposed to the domesticated kind? I don’t know), swordfish, scallops, king crab, and a fresh Australian lobster tail that was roughly the size of my head. And I have a big head. Ask anyone. If you’re a party of three and all want this, order two and split it – there will be more than enough to go around.

The entree selections run the gamut from bone-in rib eyes and filet mignon to filets without the bone, buttermilk fried or rotisserie chicken, pork and veal chops, rack of lamb, chateaubriand, and even a hamburger if you’re feeling the need for some comfort food.

My dining companions and I sampled various slabs of beef and while nothing stood out as being mind-blowing there were certainly no complaints and everything was devoured with gusto. Be sure to get as many of the accompanying sauces as you want to go along with your meat – they are free upon request and include bearnaise, peppercorn, red wine, bleu cheese, hollandaise, and more.

Everything is served ala carte but there is a long list of side dishes available including several different potato varieties (mashed, baked, hashed, au gratin, etc.) and other vegetables for all tastes.

A dessert menu looked tempting but I had to make a choice between chocolate and a visit to the hospital (that had absolutely nothing to do with the food at Hank’s) and for once in my life rationality won out. But it was a really hard decision and I fully intend to go back to finish my meal the way God intended it.

Service was awe-inspiring. Seriously. When the main courses are presented an entire group of people comes at you with plates and dishes like Visigoths invading some unfortunate village. Only instead of pillaging, they brought food and it arrives like a tidal wave in one fell swoop. It’s kind of intimidating and cool at the same time.

Prices are on the high side, no doubt. Appetizers are $10-15, salads around $10, seafood entrees start around $30, other entrees including the steaks start around $26 and average above $30, and sides are all $9. This means a full meal with wine, tax, and tip is going to very easily exceed $100 for two people. While it’s a few bucks more expensive than sister Austins it’s about on par with a steakhouse on The Strip and there aren’t any there that I can think of that I enjoyed as much as Hank’s.