An upscale casual dining restaurant opened Sept. 10 in Rogers.
Houlihan’s is a stylish American restaurant known for its indie spirit, social bar scene and adaptable menu for modern lifestyles, says Josh Butterfield, general manager at the Rogers location. Therestaurant has multiple locations across the nation, with the first one opening in 1972 in Kansas City, Mo., in the former location of a men’s clothing store named Houlihan’s.
Butterfield says the menu is expansive, with items ranging from pot roast to meat loaf to spicy chicken and avocado egg rolls, all made from scratch.
One of the signature items is the almond-crusted tilapia,which is made with almond bread crumbs and an amaretto beurre blanc sauce and is served with fresh berries and grilled asparagus. This dish is $14.95 for a small plate and $16.95 for a “not small plate” on the dinner menu.
The Atlantic salmon is a popular item with a lot of flavor, Butterfield says. It features a caper dill sauceand comes with “honest gold” mashers and the vegetable of the day. A 5-ounce salmon entree is available for $9.95 at lunch. A small plate of the salmon on the dinner menu is $13.95, and the 9-ounce salmon is $18.95.
Other popular items include the wild mushroom and arugula flatbread ($8.25-$9.25), seared rare tuna wontons ($9.75) and stuffed chicken breast, which features garlic herb cream cheese and comes with a vegetable and honest gold mashers ($16.95). Another signature item is the goat cheese and artichoke poppers ($5.75).
Houlihan’s also offers a menu of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Among desserts offered are apple pie with vanilla ice cream, brownie sundae, carrot cake in a jar, creme brulee and s’mores fondue crock, which features warm chocolate ganache, marshmallows with crystallized graham cracker sticks and strawberries.
Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Monday through Friday, the restaurant offers a 15-minute guarantee for food for parties of up to six people. Butterfield says the restaurant serves many business-oriented lunches, and his staff knows people need to be in and out within an hour, so they guarantee that if it takes longer than 15 minutes to getan order, the restaurant will buy it for you. If people order a soup or salad, the guarantee will apply to their second course, but if they order an appetizer, the 15-minute guarantee only applies to its delivery in the allotted time.
Butterfield says people love it and it’s “win-win for them” because they either get their food in a timely manner or don’t have to pay for it if the restaurant doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Whats Up, Pages 17 on 12/14/2012