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Thursday, February 5, 2009

UPDATED: N9NE Steakhouse in Dallas’ Victory Park appears to have closed Wednesday night

Updated 11:40 a.m., February 5, 2009

by Teresa Gubbins

DALLAS — N9NE Steakhouse in Dallas' Victory Park appears to have closed, as hinted at on Backtalk and confirmed by two other mysterious related sources -- neither of which was infamous publicist Wade Hampton (whose approach to bad news seems to be to stop answering his phone).

Employees were informed at the end of the dinner shift on Wednesday night, and reportedly went to other restaurants and bars in the area to drown their sorrows.

UPDATE: The closure has been confirmed further by an unnamed employee.

Publicist Wade Hampton speaks: "I'll be putting out a release in a couple of hours, but I'm not sure there's much to add," he says. "This is not a complicated thing: The response to our concept in the neighborhood was not working. But I feel like we were probably more ambitious about sticking around than most people would have been. I think this is sad for Dallas."

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Another Victory Park casualty....they need to bring in some businesses that appeal to people all the time, not just when there is an event at VP. Try some casual dining too, as I see many families going to hockey and basketball games - why not a Chilis or Apple Bee's to cater to this crowd - they need to eat to and money is money for a business.

mmuszynski Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Agreed mmuszy, however, for Chilis to afford rent, it would have to charge about $15 for each burger I would think. Plus, they wouldn't survive on nights without games I would think. Didn't the AAC open a Chilis or something? I could do without Crapplebees.

I guess the whole Modano endorsement didn't do much.

FYI t - the link to N9NE in this story is not quite correct.

James Scott Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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thank you james! you sharp-eyed dog. fixed

Teresa Gubbins Staff

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Timming an the fashion statement, another Neman Marcus style death in the facade of J.R Ewing luxuary....time to get hip and reinvent the hip culture again....can they do such in time.

Victory bought a mold now set in their ways and they are loosing compassion to just be a normal Dallas, whats that?....A/T, I Love New York, indiffrence to Dallas, is the stance.

alexander troup Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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WOW - I thought N9NE would make it here in Dallas. I hope people don't think that the point of my post last week was to take an easy free shot at Victory. I think most of us want Victory to succeed.

James: Yes, AAC does have a Chili's. They do pretty well.

Michael Davis Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Another corporate factory food establishment closes.

I wish food people would embrace the locally owned, independent operated, mom + pop establishements that we have.

These places tend to stick around thru the tough economic times and become the real texture of our neighborhood food scene.

CitizenKane Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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More importantly, why is it that the 16Bit Lolitas are making an appearance in EL PASO but not Dallas? I mean the Pete Tong / DeadMau5 at Lizard should be pretty sweet, well, not BBC Radio 1 WMC Pool Party sweet - hey Sam S.P.A.doubleR.O. - but still pretty sweet!

In conclusion, who cares about this overpriced crotch steak joint where the only interesting thing that ever happened to me there was meeting Devon Aoki?

DC Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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It's sad as we watch place after place closing, places that employ people whose living and dreams are vested there. I'm very sorry each time, whether it's a neighborhood diner or a big buck establishment. My condolences to all concerned.

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Ok, Somber Man!

DC Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Confirmed from an N9NE Steakhouse employee. We did close. They failed us. Thanks for nothing WADE!!! Ya. I said it.

xxxx Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Victory Park never built the 4,000 units of housing they promised to get public financing. They never created the neighborhood. The final 6-7 retailers will be closed before the Summer.

Had Perot honored his promise to create the "critical mass" of residential - Victory Park probably would have been successful.

Broken promises have a price. Does anyone else think it's time to give the "Victory" part of the name back? Failure Park seems more appropriate.

SkyHigh Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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"They never created the neighborhood."

Only the people who believed this lie are surprised at the epic failure. Just another stop on the Dallas short bus...

Travis Bush Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Thank you CitizenKane - I sure wish our city council had your wisdom. But they're probably already pursuing that next shiny bauble....

Tracy Yost Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Sad for Dallas? Sad for the employees but I don't know that it is really a great loss to Dallas.

johnmckee Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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SkyHigh, I think it'd be more entertaining to keep the name in the ironic sense. Kind of like "Mission Accomplished".

David Gouldin Staff

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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FYI n9ne sucked. it's not "sad for dallas" as in dallas doesn't know fine dining. Bobs, Al's and even relatively newbies like Hibiscus prove that every day.

shannarie Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Another steak house closes in Dallas. Gee, that never happens.

John McClelland Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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The reason I come across so critical about Victory Park and its venue...

The West End was bought out to close down half of its area, no movie house showed up, the Room Of Blues is nice but feels empty, souless, I would attend several events at W and then look at the screens which are awsome..

while I felt the urge to never go back, and when I did somthing would feel indiffrent.... while the West End feeling was a better effect, despite its 20s years as a theme, formula placement, as for food ...still it is the West End...A/T, A Real Westender...

alexander troup Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Now if only we could get rid of all these tacky basement 'ultra lounges' and send the wannabe eurotrash packing.

Clay213 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Good point CLAY..... wannabe Texas Euro trash...A/T, Human language is trumps or trash.

alexander troup Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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I went to N9NE once during their soft opening and I remember thinking, "this place is not for me and my <$50k salary." You know which restaurants are for me? Hattie's, Hector's, The Porch, Fireside, or any other restaurant where I can have a good meal and a cocktail for under $50.

lakewoodhobo Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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I asked them to offer layaway on their entrees but they wouldn't listen.

Postscript Moral: It's getting hard to sell pricy cows when it's canned-ham time in America.

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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I never like to hear of a business failing...makes me nervous.

Dallas folk, like most of big-city America, love to act like 007 with snake-skin boots. For so long high-priced has been equated with high-quality by those with more money than sense. This is of course in part the reason the economy is so mucked up at the moment.

Being broke most of my life, I've never felt the need to impress or be impressed by money.
The best meal I've ever had was prepared by my wife in our own kitchen.
The second best meal I've ever had was from a little mom & pop Italian restaurant.

Isn't America sick of expensive pretentious corporate franchises yet? Chuck the bling! Search out the small, mom & pop restaurants in your neighborhoods. Look to find good people, offering quality meals, and you'll probably find much better prices than the Victory Park fare.
Quality comes from people who care about what they do.

Rick Yost Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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This isn't an American problem.

This is the shallow pretentious Dallas attitude.

'For so long high-priced has been equated with high-quality by those with more money than sense. '

Most people in this city have little to no sense, to match their empty wallets after they get done at their bottle service club with their trophy plastic girlfriend.

Clay213 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Once it all craters, can we put The Smokestacks back up there?

Woody Rosen Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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What clay213 said!

There is no way in hell I ever thought that "Three dressed up as a N9NE" woule ever make it long term and I said it when it first opened, in more than one place to more than one person.

RE: "Dallas folk, like most of big-city America, love to act like 007 with snake-skin boots."
Actually, it's not like most of big-city America. It's totally unique to Texas and Dallas. Anywhere else that you may think that you observe said means you must have been drunk, high or blind at the time.

Ta, ta, Waderama!

Billusa99 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Oh please. Try spending some time in Los Angeles. Or worse, Calabasas or other cities just north of LA where people have to rent out rooms to keep up their million dollar façade and carbon copy has become a fine art. At least in Dallas there is some escape, some varied existence. It’s not like we invented pretense.

jtmbls Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Oh please... that relates exactly HOW to 007 and snake skin boots in Dallas, pray tell?! And nobody here needs to do what you talk about re: rooms.

Not related at all.

JR out.

Billusa99 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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jtmbls said "It’s not like we invented pretense."

No, but Dallas has taken pretense and hubris to a higher level. Just like the arts district, the Calatrava bridges, and the Trinity River park project, Dallas wants all the trappings of an oh-so-sophisticated city, but really doesn't know what to do with it. Dallas wants everything to be "WORLD CLASS" when it (government, developers, promoters) should just be putting together a fine city for it's citizens. Make this city viable for the residents, that's what a real world class city does.

powerpedaler Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Thread synposis:

Restaurant closes. Snark. Symptoms of malaise. Snippy.

DC Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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"Most people in this city have little to no sense, to match their empty wallets after they get done at their bottle service club with their trophy plastic girlfriend."

Does not describe a single person I spend any time with. Certainly none of the musicians, club owners, gallery owners, artists, photographers.

Art Conspiracy was a great example of what the Dallas I know is, and that's just one project.

There are people who fit that stereotype you describe, but there are many many more genuine and substantive people around.

Bill Holston Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Dallas is a medieval trailer park masquerading as a modern city.

Clay213 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Then why do you live here?

Michael Anderson Verified

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Pillaging what I can and then moving on!

Clay213 Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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Power - I won't argue with that. I think you are dead on. My point was that it's not exclusive to Dallas as mrbillusa would lead you to believe.

jtmbls Anonymous

9 months, 2 weeks ago
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And then yesterday, while the earth stood still, in Victroy Park, they moved in a very exspensive Ero Trash Add Agency, to fill one building for 3 months....lets face it, the Titantic and Hinderberg both sunk and crashed and burned......get over it you lost, now learn some new human tricks...A/T, Retards running V/P, Bad taste.