Houlihan's

Meh. I've experienced better

Houlihan's is a restaurant that aims to serve both a drinking crowd and families and tourists who want a casual meal.  Based on my recent experience, I would say that it is successful at accomplishing both missions.

The place seems to have been recently-refurbished and is clean.  However, the dining room seemed to be a little dark and gloomy.  Both the bartenders and servers I encountered were friendly and welcoming.

My pitcher of fruity white sangria was generous and tasty.  Moving to the dining room, I ordered an appetizer of chicken nachos, a cheeseburger and a dessert, and was generally pleased with the food throughout.

The nachos were a good portion, and I appreciated the generous amount of cheese on them.  The amount of guacamole and sour cream on it was a little small, however, especially for the price.  The guacamole was too salty, unfortunately.

My medium-well burger was cooked completely through, but wasn't dry.  With the slices of cheese, shredded lettuce and "special sauce," it tasted something like an upgraded Big Mac.  The side dish of mashed potatoes was simply a scraped-out baked potato, and so was too dry.  It obviously needed to be cooked with some milk or cream in it.

The dessert was a round chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it.  I do not understand why it was called a "Cappuccino Cake," as there was no coffee flavor in it, and the cake was a touch dry.  Otherwise, it was a pleasant dessert and a good deal.

I've enjoyed their brunch in the past and now I am suitably impressed with their dinner menu and service to give it a shot in the future as an alternative to say, Silver Diner.

A great little happy hour place.  My husband and I have quick, 1-hour dates every week and this place is on our go-to list.  Check it out!