Honestly didn't know this was a chain when it came up in yelp as a bar that was close by, however after pulling into the parking lot, i had a bad feeling. Â walking inside confirmed it, ninty nine is no different than applebees, chilis, name your brass and wood restaunrant/bar. Â very dry atmosphere.
Bar is in the center, really in its own separate room. Â The other rooms include lower eating tables. Â Servers, in black or course, are everywhere. Â Food could not be any different from Applebee's. Â
Bar room itself isn't horrible is it was a free standing building. Â Walls are brick with windows & entry ways on three sides. Â Except for the formica bar top (really looks horrible), otherwise good steel rail, comfy chairs, tiled ceiling (over the bar), 4 hdtvs (though not the place to watch the game). Â Decorated for Christmas which was nice. Â Older crowd in the bar and families in the restaurant. Â Mike the bartender was a good guy, on top of things. Â Free popcorn. Â Other problem is the bar is next to kitchen, which really sucks. Â Creates too much noise and activity.
Basically it's an Applebee's, enough said.
I LOVE THIS PLACE! My girlfriend and I go here at least 2 times a week. We have never had a bad meal here. We always sit at the bar and the bartenders Mike and Brook know us by name. They are always attentive and nice. Do yourself a favor and sit at the bar and have one of them serve you!
Review Source:I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of service and food. The staff didn't treat us as a 'table' that anyone can serve. Our server took care of our needs and was pleasant and attentive.
In fact, my steak wasn't quite as rare as it should have been and I commented and shrugged my shoulders indicating it was ok and I didn't want another. However, the manager suddenly appeared to address my concern...I didn't expect that kind of attention to detail. I assured him I was satisfied with the steak 'as is'.
It really seems like they care whether or not I want to return. Â I will return.
The only reason it's not 5 stars is that there can be a wait...not their fault since I understand why people come here. Good food and the acoustics are such that it isn't loud and noisy.
99 House, as we call it, has so many pros that I'll start with the cons. Cons: only one I can think of and that's the comfort of the non-bar restaurant seating. The backs of the booths are straight, 90 degrees to the cushioned seat and are plain wood. Not comfortable. The bar seats are a better deal, though if you've brought the kids with you, forget about it. Now on to the pros. The food is above par, sometimes excellent if the right staff is in the kitchen that night. The service is generally excellent. The drinks are cold, the food is hot. The staff are generally pretty nice. At the bar, you get a complimentary bottomless bowl of popcorn to enjoy while you have your drink and wait for your food. If you're here to do shots, then forget about it. 99 is serious about their responsibility when it comes to alcohol. If you want a margerita, you're in luck. If you want to knock back a shot of JD and chase it with a beer, you'll be waiting an awful long time. 99 does not serve shots, period!!! This policy is non-negotiable. If you're there just to drink beer, they'll cut you off at the first sign of drunkeness. 99 is a restaurant and that's how they wish to be known. I recommend 99, but the limited menu, which rarely changes, gets old after awhile. Give it a shot or three, then find somewhere else for a change of menu.
Review Source:It's a chain. Let's get that out of the way. It can serve my food  with the waitstaff doing handstands and cartwheels while carrying my food but it's still a chain. So no five star status for them.
HOWEVER.
For a chain? I've never had a bad meal here. It's good on nights when I don't want to cook but don't want to do take out. I recommend eating in the bar, that way you avoid the families with kids.
(as an aside, is parenting no longer in vogue? Is it acceptable to let your kids jump up and down, yell, scream and whine in a public place? Let me know.)
The food is pretty straightforward. The french onion soup is recommended as is any of the burgers and sandwiches on the menu. Â Decent beer selection.
One thing I will say: From Maine to Rhode Island to Connecticut, the food is consistent as is the atmosphere and service.
If your choice is Ruby Tuesday's or the 99, go for the 99.
The food is OK maybe a little better than expected but the staff and restaurant are not interested in groups of more than 6 or so. The tables are all anchored in place so if you come with a herd you will not be sitting together and the staff will not be happy.
I have avoided 99's since writing that review. In addition to my comments above I found the place to be to much like the Ground Round or Chuckie Cheese. It's not that I don't like kids, it's just that their energy feeds off each other until the dining experience for the rest of us is less than we desire. Â So it was with a great deal of reluctance that I accompanied my Son and Daughter in Law to the 99 in Rutland, VT. This time we sat in the bar and had a great time. Sometime later I found myself in Torrington Connecticut looking for food. We ended up in the 99 bar. Again the experience was very pleasant and the food pretty typical for that type restaurant.
When we're in need of a sit-down meal, no surprises, and no messing around, we prefer the 99 to the more well-known chain restaurants such as Chilis. It's a good default when we're just tired and hungry, and they serve late enough in the evening to accommodate our needs.
It has all of the same amenities, such as soft drinks with unlimited refills (which they bring without asking); but they always bring out a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn while you're waiting for food to arrive. I think wine represents a huge profit center for them, as even house wines are about $6 a glass and the glass is small. But they're better with beer, and usually have a good selection of drafts (the usual suspects here in New England, like Sam Adams in several varieties).
The main reason we prefer it to the big-name chains is that the food in general does not taste like it has been excessively processed and thrown into a freezer bag. Steaks are good; so is chicken. "Boneless Buffalo wings" (tenderloin strips) are freshly sauced the way nature intended. They char-grill most meats and seafood.
This is one of their older locations, but they renovated it last year--removing most of the local memorabilia and replacing it with marketing messages ("99 reasons" to eat there). [Guys: SPOILER ALERT] This includes a sign over the urinals in the men's room extolling the virtues of the "magic" towel dispenser: "Look, Dad! No hands!" Cute, but maybe a little overdone.
I have mixed emotions about this place.  I have had both  good and bad experiences in this place. I guess that makes this place real, like any kitchen it has good days and bad.
The only rememberable bad experience I had was with the grilled turkey tips. Â The staff was real responsive to my concerns (if you had them, you know), so service wise I have no complaints.
My personal favorite is the steak tips. Â When you are uber hungry, a nice plate of those with some mashed potatoes, and sweet corn hit the spot.
I tried the baby back ribs, kind of lame, even for chain ribs. Â Just slab babybacks with sauces as an afterthrought. Â Decently done, not bad in a pinch. Â I've had similar experiences with their salads.
This place is steak house, pub style place. I recommend the Fried Chicken, or anything steak. Â The seafood, when available pretty good as well.
A real, kinda comfy, place. Â A feeling you don't get at a lot of chain places. Decent for a quick night out.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
