Why: 99 Saloon & Grill serves an early breakfast as well as lunch and dinner seven days a week. The establishment is family-friendly, though the focus is on the bar. Music and karaoke add appeal in the evenings and pool tables provide some game entertainment.
What I tried: I settled on the rib-eye steak, which comes with vegetables and Texas toast. I opted for soup instead of salad and a loaded baked potato instead of fries. My dining companions had the Reuben sandwich and the Rawhide burger with fries.
The soup on the evening of my visit was chicken tortilla, and the vegetable was broccoli. When the soup came to the table, I noted that it did not look like soup at all, but chili, and it came with a dollop of sour cream alongside. Upon further inspection, the soup was not souplike; it had the consistency and color of chili, though it was garnished with tortilla strips. I asked the server to confirm that it was indeed soup, and she confirmed it. It looked and tasted like chili. As far a chili goes, it was good. It was also the highlight of my steak dinner. I ordered my steak medium-well, and it was prepared well. The seasoning on it tasted like an herb seasoning mixture, something I would not choose to put on a steak. The baked potato was just what I expected, and the broccoli was steam-cooked until it was rendered mushy — definitely not appealing or tasty on any level. The Texas toast had that used-grill flavor of everything that went before it, which I am not fond of.
My dining companion enjoyed the Reuben sandwich. I noted it was a generously sized sandwich, traditionally made. My dining companion said the meat was mostly lean.
Dining out guide: 99 Saloon & Grill
Where: 7005 N.E. Highway 99, Vancouver.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Contact: 360-693-8125 or Facebook.com/99SaloonandGrill
Health score: 99 Saloon & Grill received a score of 0 on Nov. 14. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
The Rawhide burger is made with a heartily sized half-pound burger patty topped with American and Swiss cheese, a fried egg, bacon, tomato, lettuce and 99 special sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. The fries are standard crinkle cut.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: The breakfast menu offers traditional favorites such as chicken fried steak, pigs in a blanket and omelets. Salads include a taco salad and a saloon bay shrimp salad. Codfish and chips, mac ‘n’ cheese and chicken pasta are listed among the entrees. Filet mignon and New York steaks are on the menu, and prime rib is served on Fridays and Saturdays.
Atmosphere: The saloon theme is carried throughout the restaurant and bar with faux brick surfaces combined with Old West-style wood trim. Seating is available at large booths and tall bistro-style arrangements in addition to bar-side seating. Overhead lighting comes from can lights and there are some pendant fixtures in the family dining area. A few ceiling fans lightly circulate the air above. The pool tables occupy the opposite end from the family dining and the live music stage is nearby.
Other observations: The waitstaff was friendly, though not very attentive. It took the food 40 minutes to arrive at the table after it was ordered. The Reuben was forgotten and was further delayed. One of my dining companions ordered a whiskey over a large cube, and we watched as the bartender struggled to extract it from the silicone mold, effectively putting his hands all over the cube. Live music is 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Jam band plays 7 to 11 p.m. Sundays. Karaoke is 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays.
Cost: Starters cost $6.99 to $20.99. Salads are $5.99 to $16.99. Soup is $3.99 for a cup and $5.99 for a bowl. Clam chowder is served on Friday for $7.99 and you may add half a deli sandwich to soup for $5. Burgers and sandwiches range from $10.99 to $13.99. Other lunch and dinner options are $10.99 to $18.99. Steaks cost $22.99 to $30.99. Breakfast options start at $4.99 and top out at $14.99. Breakfast sides are $1.75 to $4.99. Lighter breakfast fare for kids and those older than 60 is $3.99 to $7.99. Lighter dinner fare for kids and those older than 60 is $5.99 to $7.99. Desserts cost $5.99 — add ice cream for $1.50. Daily special prices vary. Non alcoholic beverages range from $1.99 to $5. For food to go, add $1.50.
