By Sally Deering

Houlihan’s restaurant has always been a big attraction on the Weehawken waterfront. Located in Lincoln Harbor with stunning views of the New York Skyline, Houlihan’s offers customers a hearty lunch and dinner menu, divine drinks and delish desserts and even though it’s been a Weehawken staple, the restaurant’s standards are as high as the day it opened.

The décor is cool and the atmosphere cozy with overstuffed booths and tables that give patrons enough space to hold a private conversation. The three-sided bar is large enough for groups to gather to watch their favorite games on the big HD TVs and the lighting, warm and relaxing.

 “We’re very customer-oriented,” general manager Keith Miller says. “Our goal is to make every customer a repeat customer. Regulars and repeat customers are the pulse of the restaurant.”

If the customers are the pulse, the food is Houlihan’s heart and soul. The cuisine is Asian, Italian and American-inspired. Everything is cooked to order and only fresh ingredients are used.

“Everything we make is fresh every day,” Miller says. “A long time ago Houlihan’s slogan was ‘fresh not frozen’ and it still explains what we do. We’re one of the few chains that make our dishes from scratch every day.”

The lunch menu offers smaller-sized versions of the dishes served on the dinner menu. It features Appetizers, Small Plates, Entrees, Frites Bar, Salads and Sandwiches. Appetizers include Wings, Golden Fried Chicken Fingers, Crispy Calamari, Ultimate Nachos, Blackened Chicken and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla, Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and Stuffed “Shrooms”.                I sampled the Shrooms which were Panko crusted and crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Absolutely delicious!

Small Plates include Asian Style Ribs, Goat Cheese and Artichoke Poppers, Mac and Cheese, and Seared Sea Scallops served with mashed potatoes and veggies. The scallops were sweet with a yummy crunchy top and the mashed, buttery and divine. The broccoli was cooked just right. Entrees feature Down Home Pot Roast, Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Rosemary Chicken, and Chipotle-Smoked Chicken Enchiladas.

Entrée Salads include Classic Chicken Caesar, Heartland Chicken Salad, Buffalo Bleu Salad, Mandarin Grilled Chicken Salad, BBQ Salmon Salad and the House Salad, which was fresh, light and topped with a combination of mild white cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

The dinner menu features steaks, prime rib and seafood dishes like Scallops served over Lemon Risotto. Desserts are homemade and the Crunch Pie made with Snickers and vanilla ice cream in an Oreo cookie crust sounds absolutely divine.

The owners of Weehawken’s Houlihan’s also own Houlihan’s in Bayonne and Secaucus and they must be doing something right because the wait person who served my table, Heather Zahn has been with the company since 2003. Zahn, a North Bergen resident, first started at Houlihan’s while studying for a Bachelor’s Degree at New Jersey City University and after graduation, she stays on staff while embarking on a career in theater.

“The staff is like my second family,” Zahn says. “There’s camaraderie here and I wholly enjoy the people I work with. I like what I do and overall my employers have been very good to me.”

Delicious food and a happy staff that serves your freshly-prepared meals with a smile – sounds like the perfect recipe to make any Houlihan’s first-timer into a regular.

 

If you go:

Houlihan’s  1200 Harbor Boulevard Weehawken, NJ 201-863-4000

www.houlihans.com

(Houlihan’s in Bayonne) 151 LeFante Way Bayonne, NJ 07002 (201) 858-0400

(Houlihan’s in Secaucus) 700 Plaza Drive Secaucus, NJ 07094 (201) 330-8856