After my recent disgust with Rainforest Café, it was with some minor trepidation that I stepped into Pub 99 in Wallingford. Here again was one of the many "Themed Steakhouses" that seem to be popping up EVERYWHERE of late. I had been there once before and had a perfectly fine meal, but I had been to Rainforest Café before too. Was I in for another disappointment? God, I hope not...
The early signs were favorable. When we arrived, the parking lot looked fairly empty and there were no patrons lounging about in the foyer. There was a small line at the hostess' kiosk, but as soon as we reached the head of the line we were seated. Upon opening the menu, it was clear that a good many of the menu items had changed since my last visit. That always bothers me. Was it because the old selections were that BAD?? And who's to say if the new ones will be any better?? Inquiring minds wanna know!
We ordered our drinks and read down through the bill of fare. Made up of mostly standard pub selections, buffalo wings (boneless) and potato skins were the big appetizers. The entrees were mostly beef and chicken dishes, with some pasta thrown in for the calorie conscious, along with about a half- dozen or so different burgers. I wasn't feeling terribly hungry due to my lunch of Steamed Cheeseburgers with Avery and Molly, so I was just going to get an appetizer and maybe a dessert. I was leaning toward the Gold Fever Wings (boneless chicken strips, battered and fried, then coated with Honey-Mustard barbecue sauce.) My wife thought they sounded good and talked me into a large order so she could share. She chose the chicken, broccoli, and pasta combo with 4-cheese sauce and we settled in to wait for our dinners to arrive.
A quick note on the décor. As much as they'd like you to believe otherwise, it looks pretty much like every other Chili's, On The Border, TGI Friday's Outback, etc. you've ever been to. Lots of signs from olde New England attractions and souvenirs from 19th century England. The TV was showing ESPN's profile of Babe Didrickson (if it hadn't been for that old movie with Susan Clark and Alax Karras I'd have NO idea who she was) and my son was happily coloring his kid's menu. And after a few minutes our server was back with our meals.
Teresa's was a big heaping bowl of rotini, topped with breaded chicken strips, steamed broccoli, and wide strips of Parmesan cheese. My order of boneless wings didn't APPEAR very large, but they smelled great and were served with a side of Bleu Cheese dressing and celery sticks. I speared a chunk with my fork and dabbed a corner into the dressing. WOW! This was some pretty damned good stuff! Teresa seemed equally pleased with her pasta, but was eying my chicken hungrily. Well, I DID say I'd share so I placed a large strip on her plate. Watching her face as she bit into it, I knew I was in trouble. "Those are GOOD" she exclaimed and immediately laid claim to another meaty strip. By this time I was on my third and had realized that this plate alone would be more than enough for me, so I really didn't mind. Jeff was happily sampling all that his mom had on her plate (after it had cooled off sufficiently) and that's pretty much how things went 'till we were all full.
Bottom line: I finished mine with help from my wife, she didn't finish hers but was happy to take it for lunch the next day, and Jeff ate a lot more than I would have expected. All this satisfaction and it cost us just a bit over $25.00 including tip! It all adds up to a dining experience head and shoulders above my recent encounters. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling so much better I may even give the Rainforest Café another shot... when Hell freezes over that is.