Visited Aug. 21, 2010
Written by Tyler
It hurt to head to Buffalo Road and not stop by General Hoock’s. Alas, it had to be done. There are a ton of good restaurants in Gates and we had to cross another one off our list.
We were heading to a Rhinos game and felt like going to a sports bar on the way from Hilton, so we chose Rookies, which opened in 2007 right near Gates Center.
The lighting was a little darker than other sports bars we've been to, but otherwise it was everything you would expect from a typical sports bar; the walls covered with TVs (with sports on, of course), beer memorabilia everywhere and a lot of barstools. The menu was pretty standard as well: wings, burgers, the usual fryer items and sides, chicken, sandwiches, a few pizzas, wraps, quesadillas and salads, among others.
Drew ordered a dozen Country Sweet wings ($7.95) and said they were pretty average; not too dry and a decent temperature and size, with a price just about right for a sports bar. They weren’t much different from the same type of wings anywhere else, but Country Sweet is always good.
I ordered a Cajun chicken sandwich (also $7.95), topped with jalapenos and lettuce on French bread (Martusciello’s, if I’m not mistaken). I was actually pleased with the size, and the Martusciello’s bread (best in town) helped make the sandwich. The jalapenos seemed to add more of a Cajun kick than the seasoning did, but all around it was a solid grilled chicken sandwich. I got macaroni salad as a side but didn’t eat because I’m not a fan of any macaroni salad. Drew was too full to eat it, but said it looked very generic. There weren’t a ton of sides to choose from, which was kind of disappointing, and most of them cost a little extra.
We also enjoyed some complimentary popcorn, which is always a plus. It had a balanced flavor, so it wasn’t overly buttery, which is good. It was kind of salty and made me thirsty, but isn’t that the point?
Overall, this is a pretty typical sports bar with food fitting the same description, for the most part. There’s not a whole lot that stands out, but there’s not much to complain about either. It definitely seems like a nice place to gather to watch some games with friends, which we’re always kind of partial to, but it’s not at the level of Tully’s food or Bathtub Billy’s atmosphere, in my opinion.
Ratings:
Service/Atmosphere: The service wasn’t remarkably fast, but friendly and nothing to complain about, really. Felt just like a typical sports bar, but smaller than others I’ve been to.
Food: Pretty average, but a lot of tasty things to choose from and a lot of local favorites on the menu.
Value: Not bad; the portion sizes are proportional to the price. If you’re not completely satisfied, grab some free popcorn and grab another pop.
Overall: Another decent place to grab some food and watch a game with the guys, but nothing that stands out too much.
Grade: B-
Visit online: www.therookiesbar.com
