Stars: 4.4 out of 5.0
Pros: Plenty of Space, Quality Chicken Wings
Cons: Rough Seating, Weird Lighting
I will admit it, I have been to both Halligan's multiple times since my first review (Halligan's: Take One). My writing style has changed quite a bit over the year between posts, don't ya think? Anyway, I have been a bunch of times. I just never think to take photos all the time. So, when CB, LB, JK, MK and the boys invited me to meet them for lunch, I vowed this time I would remember. And remember I did as we all met up on a cold rainy day.
We all met at the Halligan Bar & Grill (Halligan Bar) in Short Pump. This one is located in the same plaza as Whole Foods, REI, The Childrens Museum and Chuy's. I'm sure that plaza has a name, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. It's a nice location with a TON of space. The restaurant has a front and back bar, an outdoor patio and a huge dining room. It's not a bad place to go if you have a large group. Unless that group contains 2 year old boys. There are so many tall bar tables that it was a bit of a struggle for the wait staff to pull enough regular tables together for us to sit at. Especially because there was another family with little kids there at the same time we were. It certainly couldn't hurt for Halligans to trade out some tall tables for low ones.
The menu at Halligan Bar is BBQ based and fairly vast. It allowed for LB, who is eating Paleo ( mostly just stuff cavemen would have had access to) to find something she could eat as well as MK was able to order food for the boys. The others took no time in choosing their meal. I worked out a deal with MK that involved trading half my burger for half her wings. I'm getting soft in my old age with all this sharing I do... The waitress brought out the boys fries way before anything else, which was a very smart move. That allowed them a few minutes to cool and kept them quiet. Now, before you judge, MK & JK had packed a whole lunch of chicken and edamame to accompany the fries. So, quiet conversation occurred until food arrived.
Once all the plates were set down, my friends all know it's my duty to be the annoying guy who takes pictures of all their food. Normally this is a quick, no hassle process. The problem with Halligan is that it's poor lighting (please see EVERY picture). Everything is dark with a deep red tinge to it. I was not pleased. Neither were they as I took several shots of each dish (sorry guys).
After photos I split my burger and made the trade of burgers for wings. Thankfully, MK doesn't like the house-made pickles at Halligans and gave hers to me. I LOVE them so I accepted the bonus. The burger was good. It was cooked to a medium-rare/medium as a compromise (I prefer still cold rare). It was juicy and the meat had good flavor. Toppings were fresh and still had good texture. The bun was a little big, but it wasn't overwhelming. I wasn't disappointed in my choice. The wings were outstanding. They were big and meaty sans a hint of a dinky one anywhere. They were nicely sauced without drowning. They retained a bit of crispness regardless of the sauce. The sauce itself had complex flavor. It was smoky, spicy and tangy. It sat gently on the tongue reminding you of it's spice without making you feel like you must scrape your taste buds off with sandpaper (I personally don't hate that feeling, but most people do). Just a good solid wing.
Lunch overall was wonderful. Any time I get to spend with this group (even though it was missing someone *cough SB cough cough*) is great. They are the best non-blood related family I could ask for. And Halligans provided a nice backdrop fr us to get together. Next time you find yourself shopping Short Pump and dealing with the horrors of traffic there, take a break at Halligans. You'll feel much better after.
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