Brothers Houligan

A community fixture for more than 20 years on 15th street, the Brothers opened a new place a couple of years ago at 61st and Mingo in an old Git-n-Go building. Inexplicably, the "decor" of the new place (and that's a generous use of the term) duplicates the atmosphere of the old place. Oh well.

For those who like down-home comfort food, Houligan's is your kind of place. I'm not a fan of fried chicken. Given a choice, I just don't eat it. Except at Houligan's. They serve their well-seasoned, boneless chicken fingers with fries, green beans and delicious country cream gravy. The gravy is used as a dip for both the chicken and the fries. Oh my, they are really tasty that way! If you are the least bit interested in your health or keeping your weight down, this is, obviously, the wrong place to be. I haven't tried it, but I'll bet their chicken-fried steak is a winner too.

The sides are served "family style" and they will bring you refills as long as you can eat them. If you like your green beans overcooked, salty and loaded with grease, then Houligan's beans are perfect!

Phoebe, on the other hand, got a healthy meal: grilled salmon. It was a generous portion, perfectly grilled, tasty, flaky and satisfying. (With fries and green beans, however, it wasn't completely healthy!). We did both have side salads as a tip of the hat to better health. They were pretty typical diner style -- iceberg lettuce, grated carrots, croutons and dressing on the side. Phoebe has also had their grilled trout in the past and it is very tasty, too.

The place holds more people than it looks like, but it can get pretty busy at times. The wait staff serves everyone, interchangeably, and they do a good job of it. Prices are moderate.