The way to my heart is through my stomach - figuratively, metaphorically, and literally.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Hoolihans - Weehawken, NJ

1200 Harbor Blvd
Weehawken, NJ 07086
201-863-4000
www.houlihans.com

Hoolihan's is a pretty decent chain restaurant that has excellent service and surprisingly good food.  Their menu is about a quarter tapas based, which allows for pretty good family style sharing of food, allowing everyone to try a large number of dishes.  The rest of their menu is most typically American, but of decently high quality and with some flair.

The service--that we received, at least--was superb, and was that rivaling individual restaurants.  At the time, I actually didn't know that Hoolihan's was a chain, I had not paid attention to the planning until afterwards.  Chains usually get some a bad rap, for good reason, usually, but this one broke free of the stereotype and provided well above average service and food quality.  I was happily surprised.

We ended up essentially getting a bunch of tapas for the four of us.  From (in order of the pictures) seared salmon to pickle fries, ahi tuna salad to disco fries, eggrolls to mini burgers to Aztec shrimp--it was quite a feast.  This particular chef had a liking to a mild horseradish mayonnaise sauce - it was on a number of the dishes, and on the side of another.  It was good - a little too mild for my wild tongue, but just far enough away that I didn't dive into the bay craving for some raw oysters.  All the dishes were fantastic, except for the burgers, I'd say.  But restaurant burgers have a particularly strong handicap with me - I like my burgers rare, I can grill a pretty mean burger myself, and the burger is one of those foods that restaurants don't often focus on. Like chicken fingers.  A cop out food for the non foodies.


Before I go any further, yes, I have stereotypes, can't you tell?  But that's what makes me who I am, and what my tastes are looking for.  Eccentricities of personality, if I may say, and some foods just have certain priorities and handicaps over others.  However, I am always willing to try everything twice, and am liberal with second chances.  Iterum eundem ad lapidem offendere.  Which, unfortunately, sometimes has led me to stumble over the same stone twice, or thrice.  But all's part of being a good foodie.  Eat, or be eaten.

Where was I?  Oh yes, the mini burgers.  The burgers had promise, but were essentially ruined by the dryness of the meat.  It was definitely well done, if not a bit past that, and had lost a good amount of the moisture and juiciness that a burger is supposed to have.  The bread seemed a bit dry as well, but it seemed purposefully done.  I almost wonder if it was missing a thin brown or white gravy dip.  Now that would turn the entire thing around.

Of the entire meal, my most favorite was the ahi tuna.  Seared ever so lightly, and seasoned with drops of the horseradish mayonnaise and a sort of light bbq honey cocktail sauce, it was simple, yet brought out that what makes ahi tuna what it is.  The shrimp was similarly done and had the same affect on me.

Tastegasm achieved.  I'll be back, Hoolihan's.  To you or one of your sisters.

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