This afternoon we stopped in for an early dinner at Houlihan’s at the new iHotel (hate that name) and conference center on the U of I campus in Champaign, IL. Last night I went by about 7PM and the parking lot was packed. The waitress told us you could barely move inside the restaurant. Today it was quite empty when we got there around 5PM and starting to fill when we left 40 minutes later. Still, there were plenty of tables available. Not the usual “packed-all-the-time” honeymoon most new restaurants enjoy for a few weeks. The decor was modern and comfortable and there were plenty of waitstaff milling around at that early hour.

The menu is typical clone restaurant, like Chili’s, Cheddar’s, TGIF, etc. Nothing special here, except for maybe the lethally sharp metal folders the menu is contained within. One salad choice which caught our attention was the Tuscan Salad. It’s tomatoes, greens, white beans, and goat cheese formed in the shape of a tuna can (or cat food can, but let’s not go there). We both ordered that with our meal. It was good, but a bit “wet” and somewhat bland. It could have used more of the vinegar which was sparsely dripped around the edge of the plate.

I ordered a Margarita to start with. Let’s face it, if your bar can’t get a ‘Rita right, there’s no hope. Houlihan’s ‘Ritas are pretty good, although small for the price. For entrees Sarah ordered the Chicken Enchilada and I went with a NY Strip Steak. I also had a glass of merlot with dinner. It was a fair pour for the money.

Sarah’s meal was so-so. The enchiladas were good, but the rice was very plain. Sarah called it Uncle Ben’s. And the beans and slaw were pedestrian, at best.  My steak came with fries and green beans. The steak, which I ordered medium rare, was just that on one half and rare on the other. It must have been partially over the flames of the grill. Still, it was quite tasty. The fries and green beans were also good. My steak was a decent sized piece of meat for the money. Not a bad meal for $50 before the tip, but nothing special that would entice us to go back anytime soon.

Today we had an early dinner at Escobar’s on E. Columbia Ave. in Champaign, IL. We’d been there once before and had a great meal, so we were hoping for a repeat performance. We were not disappointed. As before, we got there early and had no problem getting a table. We even were able to park right in front of the restaurant, although there is plenty of parking right across the street.

One of the specials tonight was Great Lakes Whitefish in a cilantro-lime beurre blanc sauce with cilantro-lime rice and vegetables. That sounded perfect to me. Sarah went with the Crab cake stuffed chiles rellenos with guajillo cream sauce. A commenter on my original Escobar’s review told me that the house White Sangria was very good, so I ordered that for dinner. It was indeed good and went well with the meal. (Thanks, Keri.) 

Sarah’s stuffed chiles were excellent. I even liked them and I’m not a big fan of chiles rellenos. They weren’t overpoweringly spicy, but they did have a nice, slow burn. My fish was nothing short of spectacular. Easily the best meal I’ve had in a long time. The fish was sweet and the sauce was very rich. The rice was also quite tasty and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. I ended up with a second glass of Sangria, which finished off the meal perfectly. The biggest surprise was that we got out of there for just about $60 with the tip. Fanatastic food at a reasonable price.

Broadway Grill in Mattoon, IL is where the Broadway Beef House used to be. We weren’t at all impressed with the Broadway Beef House and things haven’t improved a bit with the name change. We went there for lunch today since we were in downtown Mattoon and needed a quick bite to eat. The lunch menu is limited to burgers, a few sandwiches, and salads. There was also a spaghetti special.

Sarah ordered a Beef Brisket Sandwich with fries and I got a Prime Rib Sandwich with wedges. The only difference between wedges and fries is the shape. Sarah’s brisket was sad, to say the least. It was one thick strip of brisket that looked more like bacon with all the fat. Once she trimmed off the excess fat, she was left with a tiny strip of beef and maybe a thimbleful of BBQ sauce. The bun it was served on was soggy and falling apart, so there was no way to eat it as a sandwich. My prime rib was exactly that, a 6 or 7 ounce piece of uncut prime rib on a small hoagie bun. It was well done and 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick. There was no way to eat it as a sandwich, so I gave up on the bun and just ate it as I would a prime rib dinner. The meat was ok, but overcooked. And I wanted a sandwich, not a full piece of prime rib. The wedges, like the fries, were mediocre.  Neither $7 sandwich was worth the money.

Note to the owners: Go out for lunch at Roc’s Blackfront in Charleston Square and see how sandwiches like this are supposed to be made.