Hana Restaurant

NOTE:  The Hana's renovation is complete - so complete that the Hana no longer exists!

Boooo!  I was just back home for the holidays and thought it would be a good idea to visit Hana.  I was inspired by the new (relatively) exit sign along the freeway that listed Hana as a place to eat, and stoked when I saw 4 cars in the parking lot and lights on - a huge improvement since the last time I was in town.  As I walked through the frozen Japanese garden and opened the door - memories of great meals gashed through my mind.  And then suddenly, the cognitive construct came crashing down all around me.  To my shock - and ultimately my disappointment -  the Hana is history!

In it's place is a new restaurant, the name of which is so generic it escapes me...I'm pretty sure the word 'park' is incorporated somehow.  At first, I thought maybe it was only a name change - and thumbed through a takeout menu.  The words "Bacon Cheese Burger" jumped out at me - and the damage was done.  It didn't matter to me that there were still some Japanese/Korean inspired menu items in place of their authentic predecessors (i.e. Korean Beef-something in place of Bulgogi).  

I have no idea if the restaurant has switched owners/managers.  I can sort of understand that perhaps there never was a market for a Japanese/Korean restaurant in otherwise culinary boring Sullivan County...but somehow the Hana managed to have a good run.  Why anyone would abandon that concept and instead Americanize the place is lost upon me.  That area has plenty of restaurants that serve burgers, steaks, and similar fare.  That Hana was special - and now it's gone.