by Steven Doyle
Mere weeks ago the gem of what is Nick & Sam’s Grill in Park Cities performed a transformation not too unlike a beautiful butterfly. Making its way out of the cocoon in its beautiful digs on Preston Rd, the restaurant now is a defining representation of all its sister restaurants, including the eponymous steak house, Coal Vines the pizza Mecca, and more closely related, Nick and Sam’s Grill – all located in Dallas’ Uptown. It is like the owners allowed corporate chef (and now two years later to the day, partner) Taylor Kearney to extract various individual parts into one building for a massive taste of Dallas. The winners of this grand scheme is undoubtedly the neighborhood who now flocks into the restaurant knowing that individuals in the family can get whatever they desire, because this Nick and Sam’s knows no limits.
The menu is vast, with a large and capable staff in plain view knocking out sushi, wood burning oven pizzas, pastas, seafood selections, beautifully aged beef and so much more. The bar is also a main event with a huge following for happy hour, and late evening night caps. It also lingers through out the night as a sexy spot to see and be seen. This is the ultimate powerhouse restaurant for Park Cities be it for business or pleasure.
Along with a menu well executed, they also have an amazingly well trained staff, just as if you stepped into the steakhouse. You know that service. They never say no, the entire staff knows your name the moment you walk through their portal, and they have each menu item, both bar and kitchen, memorized on the molecular level. It is scary good. The service might be more memorable than the meal itself. Maybe.
We took flight with the menu starting with some pretty terrific cocktails like the Smoked Apple Old Fashioned made with Knob Creek Maple, apple bitters and an orange twist for old fashioned good measure. The wine program is spectacular, with some super stars on the menu at a palatable mark up, but the by-the-glass selections are perfectly palatable. We enjoyed several glasses of their California bubbles for only $11 a glass. Bargain of the night.
First to hit the table was a selection of sushi. All a delicious over abundance of rolls and sashimi, plus a little something special from the steakhouse. A play on the kung pao lobster that was divine. This is a Samir Dhurandhar specialty, and not to be missed. Also nodding to the steakhouse, the flight of deviled eggs, including more lobster topped with caviar. Nothing screams Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse than this eggs.
More in the style of the Grill, we tasted the steak egg rolls made with prime sesame beef, napa cabbage and sweet chili. From Coal Vines we tasted the pizza. This pizza made it to our top selections of pizza for the year, and this outpost did a fine job. The dough actually comes from Coal Vines, so there is zero chance of a consistency problem.
The prime bone-in ribeye is an undisputed champion of the house, but there are some fine selections available. Just as the steakhouse, the cuts are brought raw tableside and explained in great detail. As a special Kearney was offering a cut of Miyazaki A5 beef. This is the mother of all kobe, and not to be missed. Insanely marbled, it is known for its intense flavor. Expect to pay by the ounce, but much less than the steakhouse at $40 per. A few ounces is acceptable, and perfectly comforting. It might seem shameful to pair this up with a sharable portion of gooey lobster mac and cheese, but what the hell. This is Texas, my friend.
Miyazaki by the ounce
We also spotted up and coming Dallas chef Scott Townend in the kitchen. The talented chef has an excellent resume, working in the past with one of our favorite chefs, Andre Natera.
It might be easy to construe the newest version of Nick & Sam’s Grill as a full-on steakhouse, and you might be correct in offering this description. But there is so much more offered, including the masterful service. This is a perfect destination restaurant without the fuss. I felt perfectly comfortable in jeans, where as I would definitely want to wear a jacket at the steakhouse. I am getting the same chefs, the same service, and many of the same menu items in a beautiful surrounding at a better price. Yes, there is also some stellar artwork on display, including works by talented owner Phil Romano.
You may want to make reservations, especially during peak service. This secret is not all that well guarded.
