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.