A Peek at Nick and Sam’s Grill New Menu

by Steven Doyle

Nick and Sam’s is one of our very favorite steakhouses in Dallas. In the city of big beef chef Samir Dhurandhar has a magical touch of quality and adherence to old world doting service. This is the land of where modern pharaohs dine.

On a different spectral plane resides Nick and Sam’s Grill, the steakhouse’s cute sister just up the road on Fairmount in its beautiful Uptown digs. This is the affordable concept by Phil Romano and Joseph Palladino. Romano is of course Fuddruckers, Eatzi’s, Macaroni Grill, and a few other popular dining spots.

The Grill is  meant for an every day dining experience with all entrees well under $20.  The menu was written by corporate executive chef Samir Dhurandhar. This is the same Samir that dotes and proffers caviar by the spoonful at the steakhouse.

Recently, Samir redesigned the menu and has a more playful sensibility at the Grill. We stopped in this past weekend to check out some of the better dishes offered and found pleasant renderings of old favorites, as well as some interesting crowd pleasers on the menu. This is a restaurant for anyone.

For an appetizer, the calamari is kung poa’d offering an interesting and tender take on what can be a very ordinary dish. The sweet and spiciness adds much needed flavor to the squid’s crunchiness.

On the entrée side of things, the baby back ribs also have a distinct Asian flare and are sauced with a Thai chili glaze served and with pineapple fried rice.

The roasted chicken has a crisp smokiness and is cooked ever-so-tender and to perfection. This dish is served with a chunky garlic mash potato cake.

The Pecan Crusted Trout was the table’s favorite, served succulent and with a crisp crust. On the side of the trout Samir offers wilted spinach with feta and green apples, a side that you can add to any dish ordered.

The Grill salad sounded truly fresh, but we were told we could play with any dish and chose to add goat cheese to the salad for more solid plate. The salad comes standard with a mesculin mix, fresh strawberries and a honey-champagne vinaigrette. We noticed later that were not charged extra for the additional cheese, making this very accommodating.

Also, each day the grill offers a luncheon bento box that we had to try out. The bento had in its coveys an Asian beef, a pasta, and a salad along with a crisp spring roll. This was a satisfying entrée and a great deal at $11.

For a happy ending we were shown their tray of desserts that included a do-it-yourself S’more station with marshmallow skewers, Godiva chocolate pot de crème and grahams. We liked the Kahlua Cheesecake served with blueberries and a caramel sauce.

We also noticed a Butterscotch Crème Brulee. After being banished for several years, it looks as if the crème brulee is making a comeback. And why not? It is a simple dessert to make and always pleases.

The new menu has invigorated the Nick and Sam’s Grill, and definitely worth a visit.