Nick & Sam's
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
12 Reviews for Nick & Sam's
This is by far my favorite restaurant in town! It's cozy and the food is incredible. You start off with an appetizer of caviar. It's perfect. I've been there a couple of times now and I try to pick something new on the menu each time, so I can sample it all. The creamed corn though is the most amazing thing on the menu. I HATE creamed corn and I seriously would go back to Nick and Sam's, sit at the bar and order creamed corn and nothing else. It's very sweet...I want some now actually. The service is bar none as well. Our waiter had us order the scallops which isn't on the menu. It was perfect. It's very pricey though - so go knowing you'll spend at least $150 pp on food and wine and then don't look at prices from there - just enjoy it. It's worth every penny. Oh, and you can order the sides in half portions - this is great so you can get more options to try. Creamed corn. Enough said.
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Never mind the cougars, hookers and old business men. C'mon, every place needs some atmosphere...
Let's talk about the food. Excellent. We had a large party and ordered a lot . It was all very good, well prepared and well presented. Crab cakes, calamari, caviar, tuna, every variation of steak on the menu, creamed spinach, garlic mashed potatoes (maybe the best i've ever had), lobster mac-n-cheese, three desserts with port, four bottles of wine, oh, the list goes on.
The service was outstanding, as it should have been.
Granted, dinner wasn't on my bill and I'm no connoisseur of steak houses, but I didn't have a single complaint.
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Excuse my while I wipe off drool off my laptop because just the thought of the steak I had last night and Nick & Sam's is making me salivate. A buddy was in town from L.A and as our usual we hunted down a good steak for him since apparently we're famous for that type of thing or something. A rather classy friend of mine suggested Nick & Sam's as a kind of man's place to get a steak. I think she was absoluetly spot on with that.
The minute you walk in you are grabbed by the dark wood colors. The lobby area was initially empty but the closer you got to the bar, the more bodies populated the space. When that tiny area is filled with numerous beautiful women in form-fitting cocktail dresses, the wait no longer seems like one. I guess that was a good thing because the 20 minutes quoted for a table eventually became 90 minutes but watching these amzingly attractive young women get practically devoured by the rich, overweight 50-something men in sportscoats provided enough entertainment to fill the void.
The main draws are the food and service really. Immediately upon being seated we were greeted by our waiter who brought us a cocktail, menus, explained some specials, and I think wrote an episode of Two And A Half Men within minutes. I was saddened by his explanation of various things on the menu but only because my stomach and checkbook would not allow me to enjoy them all.
I ordered the cheapest ribeye on the menu and it was so damn good, I would pit it against any cut of meat in a cage match any day. Perfectly cooked, charred and flavorful outside yet hot & juicy inside. A freakin masterpiece. We ordered the truffled steak fries, which is apparently Latin for yummy logs of potato sprinkled with garlick,y cheesy goodness. Great but totally unnecessary since the steaks will fill the best appetities
Kudos to you Nick & Sam's. Way to represent Dallas. My friend will get on his plane admitting that just because Dallas can't beat L.A in basketball (OK, the good team, not the Clippers, who everyone beats), it doesn't mean we are second best in everything because Big D just scored the highest marks on the steak front.
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Allow me to qualify this by saying that this is probably an isolated incident. That being said, it happened and I'm sorry that I missed the great experience that many of you have had.
It was early on a Sunday evening and my girl and I decided that we wanted a steak. We had never been so we stopped into Nick and Sam's. We were informed that there would be a slight wait so we were off to the bar for a drink.
Then we sat there for an hour. When I finally went to the front desk they seemed put off that I was upset over the delay, especially with a half-empty dining room. They proceeded to seat us at a bar table two steps from where we were sitting. Not a great start to the evening.
After looking at a menu promising delight after delight, my girlfriend ordered the surf and turf, while I opted for a mind-boggling 26-ounce bone-in ribeye with black truffle butter. We also had apps and sides and yada yada yada. Dinner arrives, and I have what looks to be their bone-in filet special on my plate. I mention it to my waitress, who says that it is indeed the ribeye. I don't think so. After I pressed the issue, she suggested that I should try it; I might actually like it better. ????????
Without making this too long, I finally got to a manager who got me the correct entree. My girlfriend's dinner was cold when mine finally arrived. My food was absolutely spectacular when it arrived, but good lord.
Then came the bill, absolutely devoid of comps. $400 for dinner with the wine that we had, without an apology of any sort. I didn't even want comps, I wanted someone to act like they cared the slightest bit. I'm sorry, but as good as that food was, they will never see me again.
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When Mrs. G came to town a few years ago while we were dating, she asked me to take her to a "steak place." With so many steak places to choose from in our city, I picked Nick & Sam's, not because it's the biggest or best of any one thing, but because it has that overall "Dallas Steak House" feel that is as good as any place in town.
We've been back a few times, and last week seemed like as good a time as any to try them again. It was a Monday night and, at 7PM, the place as about 20% full. Within 15 minutes all seats were filled. Mrs. G took a quick count of the females in the room. Of the 200 or so customers she counted 8 women. Yes, like other reviewers noted, this is a big place for white males who like to impress the same at business dinners. It's appointed with dark woods and the servers carry mag lights so we can read the menus. Given the age of the crowd, perhaps they should carry spare reading glasses, too.
A steak house server is a special breed. He (or she) must be efficient and helpful to a fault, but also jovial, almost comical, with a plan to give everyone, himself included, a great time. Our server played this part perfectly.
We started with a couple of stiff drinks, along with their quail and mushroom appetizer. Fantastic. Our server held our main order to see if we could eat more, and we could, so we tried the portobello appetizer. Another success. For wines he aptly suggested a Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc blend, which worked well since Mrs. G isn't always a fan of big Cabs.
Given the relative size of the steak slabs in steak houses these days, I wouldn't be surprised if some steak house will begin naming their cuts after SUV's. "Here, my friends, is the Escalade." "Buddy, you look like you could eat a Hummer." We normally pare down our portions but this time we went with the bone-in Chautebriand, which was plenty and then some for both of us.
We ordered our meat medium-rare but it came out mighty cool in the center so we sent it back. As you might guess, it came back again more medium-and-then-some than medium-rare. Still, it was an exceptional cut of meat. We ordered bok choi with ginger as a side item, and we received an extra serving when our meat got sent back to the kitchen. Their sauces are notable as well, best being the creamy hollondaise in our opinion.
I suppose this place should be avoided if you like to eat healthy and wear flip flops. However, if you're looking for a great steak house in town, I'd comfortably recommend Nick & Sam's. Gone are the days when you could retire after dinner to the piano bar for a single malt and a nice cigar, so we finished the evening that way at home.
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I came with a large group of co-workers from out of town. We stood out because we were not old and white. Even though we had reservations, it took forever for us to get seated. As we were waiting to be seated, we would see other groups that came in after us get seated before us. Of course, we got upset and harassed the hosts about it. We were starting to think that it was because we didn't look like old money. We were finally seated after 45 minutes and we were HUNGRY. The food was fantastic so I had to give an extra star despite the long wait to be seated. Our waiter was great too. If I find myself coming back here, I think I'll need to put on a blonde wig and carry a Chanel bag.
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Now THIS is a steak place. I've been on several occasions and the food and service have never disappointed. The crab cakes are the best I've ever had. Completely loaded with lump crab, very little breading...to die for.
The steak is always prepared perfectly, and the sides are excellent. Try the mac and cheese, good stuff.
The wine list is nice and we were even given complimentary caviar and port on 2 separate occasions. Definitely recommend it for a special occasion, business dinner or just for a special treat.
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If you're above the age of 30, rich, white, and snobby, you will love Nick & Sam's. Everyone else will feel slightly out of place and as though everyone else is looking at them, which they are. The food was good, but not great, and the atmosphere kind of makes me feel like I'm in a funeral home. It's probably good for business folks trying to impress out of town clients, but it seems horrible for dates with its sterilized atmosphere. I won't go here again unless someone else is treating.
I went to Nick and Sam's twice in a week around Christmas time last year for business dinners. Both of the servers were very very good. It was very loud and dark there though. I had a steak with foie gras. It was fabulous. Great wine list too! Nick and Sam's is a great place for birthdays, anniversary, or even Valentine's day!
The atmosphere of Nick and Sam's is suitable for a romantic dinner, a power business dinner, or a night out with friends. It is, however, very dark but the waitstaff will be happy to provide little flashlights so you can see the menu. My favorite thing is that they bring out the cut of meat to show you what you are ordering. And, my steak was delicious. I struggle with this rating because I want to give it 4 1/2 stars because the meal was memorable and the service was extremely attentive.
However, the service was a bit overbearing at times and the atmosphere, a bit stuffy. The decor is beautiful and so were the people dining at this establishment. If you are one of the lucky beautiful people, they will give you passes to get in their "exclusive" club down the street, Medici. I loved dining here and would most definitely go back. It just feels like they are trying a little too hard to be THE trendy steakhouse and it would be much better if they just let the restaurant stand on its own.
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The sleek decor, passle of valets parking big SUVs and pricey luxury vehicles, and room full of beautiful, tanned (and often, nipped and tucked) patrons made me feel like I was right back in LA. We were seated in the bar area - which, while not as glam as the main dining area, did afford the luxury of a little lighting and less noise. Reminiscent of Gibson's in Chicago, a platter of raw meat is brought out to the table at the start of the meal for customers to admire before dining - I don't really get that whole touch although I'm sure my dog could explain the appeal of it. The food was definitely five stars - we shared a bone-in ribeye which was perfectly cooked and accompanied by a delicious sauce, perfectly prepared creamed spinach, and an outstanding shiraz. The service was a bit amateurish - for example, when we asked for a wine recommendation the server admitted she's a teetotaler and apparently they don't employ sommeliers - but friendly and attentive. As others have mentioned, the atmosphere is appropriate for romance or business, and this place definitely feels like a special treat. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially if you're craving a great piece of beef in a cool, hip atmosphere, but it loses a star on the value front - better to go on an expense account or with a generous friend.
Eating here makes you feel special.
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