The Wife and I landed here in Chambana in May, and the first place we stopped for a bite was Houlihan’s in the iHotel at 1900 S. First St. in Champaign.
Food was good, music was good, people were nice.
Went back a month or so later after we had finally, completely unpacked. After we ordered beverages, our server suggested we try something new on their menu, the Goat Cheese and artichoke Poppers.
Now, I’m not a big fan of anything called “Poppers;” It makes me feel like I’m at a T.J. McFudruckers, and that my server will be judged by the amount of “flair” on her security lanyard.
We ordered a round anyway.
Let’s just say that The Wife and I were mere months away from our 15th wedding anniversary, and we nearly didn’t make it. The poppers showed up like this:
Before we knew it, there was only one of the deepfried crunchy-gooey-sweetish-sourish-delectable little nubbins left on their little bed of oil & vinagrette, and we had completely lost count as to who had already eaten how many, and who had rightful claim to the last one.
When the police arrived she had me backed into a booth with a broken beer bottle and was rubbing the debris from the narrow plate across her face.
I dropped the charges.
The only other time I saw that look on her face was a month later when we walked past a deep frier in Target. I told her my pants didn’t fit anymore, so we kept on walking.
Goat Cheese and Artichoke Poppers at Houlihan’s: Order at your own risk!