As soon as you walk into the place, a welcome revelation slaps the botox from your brow – this isn’t your normal Dallas steakhouse.  Even though it was brought to us by concept king Phil Romano, this place seems anything but chain-able.  Rather, Nick & Sam’s confidently saunters along with a charismatic sex appeal and a restrained bravado that likens them more to a comfortable restaurant institution that’s been plating up food for discerning diners for three or four generations instead of the 8 years it’s been dishing to Dallas. 

Most of our nights begin - and some even end - without ever leaving the bar area.  I don’t mean to say we drink our dinner but we love the lower key pace of dining in the Flight Bar.  And while many restaurant bars are tiny and offer a scaled down menu, this isn’t a deal where you have the courtesy four tops and have to ask the table next to you if you can borrow a chair while you spend all evening flagging down a bartender that’s doubling as your waiter.  It’s really an extension of the dining room with a full service menu and dedicated wait staff.  The wine steward will even come over and go through the whole bottle presentation, uncork, swirl and sip routine should you be so inclined.   All this and there’s a couple of plasmas in the corners if you’re in the mood to catch the game while dining.  Need we say more?

Whether in the bar or main dining room, a complimentary platter of caviar – lumpfish roe, close enough - with all the accompaniments starts your dinner service.  Hey, it’s not Sevruga or Osetera (although they offer both on the menu) but it’s also not that fishy mush they sell on the soup aisle at Tom Thumb.  And what a nice touch?  I mean, I don’t know of any other steakhouse in town serving complimentary caviar to start your meal, do you?  This is the first of many things that recur throughout the evening that hammer home the notion that this is the most un-Dallas, Dallas steakhouse in Dallas.

A shrimp cocktail is a shrimp cocktail, right?  Well, let’s see.  Have you ever been lured in by that oh so tempting description of a Giant Gulf Shrimp cocktail only to have a wine glass with 4 popcorn size shrimp drooped over the rim delivered to your table?  I think we all have.  Well, Nick & Sam’s Colossal Shrimp Cocktail is a quartet of monster – no way you can eat ‘em in 1 bite - shrimps tangled together to form an impressive little shrimp tower.  Although we’ll concede size does indeed matter in most every endeavor, size doesn’t always equal better flavor when it comes to the world of shrimpys.  Some even claim the best flavor comes from the 50 count size.  I have certainly had waterlogged, flavorless jumbo shrimp but these are flavorful and firm without the faintest hint of fishiness.  Served with homemade cocktail and remoulade sauces, these guys get our vote for the best shrimp cocktail anywhere (see it on Dishes to Die For). 

SF note:  Always ask the restaurant if they are serving true Gulf shrimp.  Don’t fall for that farm raised shit from Thailand.  Buy America first people!!

Another app item that, at one time, I’m guessing was probably thought of as the fried calamari of its day due to its popularity is the Oysters Rockefeller.  Move over Ahi Tuna!  This popular old school starter is musseling its way back on to menus and we couldn’t be happier.  Prepared mostly in the traditional way with a perfectly broiled oyster, crunchy chopped spinach, sliced shallots, butter and breadcrumbs, Nick & Sam’s rendition adds a more modern twist with smoked sea salt and bacon bits.  Their version may not sway diehard fans of Antoine’s in the French Quarter but we think it’s pretty fabulous and you will too.  We’ve also enjoyed the simple Crab Cakes and the aforementioned calamari but the Foie Gras and Quail are the standouts that continue to play with our emotions and seriously demand your love and appreciation as well.

Now you’ve seen us talk about foie gras all over our site.  We know many of you aren’t, but we’re fans - plain and simple.  And speaking of plain and simple, when it comes to foie gras it is so easy for a chef to get suckered into weighting down the simplistic greatness of a lobe with fruit or greens or truffle oil.  No doubt some of those compilations can be very special, but there’s a whole lot to like about the uncomplicated preparation here.  Chef Dhurandhar seasons it simply and pan sears it to a lovingly musty cream cheese like consistency.  Pour some sweet wine and let the lovefest begin!

Can we agree that the quail should be the unofficial state bird of Texas?  The mockingbird is sooooo overrated and there is so much to love about the subtly gamey dark meat of a farm raised Texas quail.  Glaze it with something like molasses and our affection grows exponentially.  Jazz it up with a little spice and this little guy has totally maximized his flavor profile.  And for all you Emily Post advocates out there, our rule is that it is perfectly acceptable to pick up the little drumsticks and gnaw your way to oblivion.

Now, it’s rare enough to find a Dallas steakhouse with a bona fide chef in the kitchen.  It’s even rarer still to find one that has a CIA grad overseeing culinary operations.  Chef Samir Dhurandhar does an amazing job of balancing the mucho machismo world of hardcore beef-dom with serious foodie cuisine that puts a stamp on N&S as a swift departure from the swanky beef barn norm. 

That said; make no mistake that they do steak and they do steak well.  They’ve got all the cuts you’ve become accustomed to at nicer chop houses across the country.  But, upon closer inspection, they have taken some of the same old staid cuts of meat and taken the presentation for these dishes to another level. 

Dubbed Nick & Sam’s Classics on the menu, both the Bone-In Filet and the Dry-Aged ‘Long-Bone’ Cowboy are nothing short of stellar.  They were the first to put a bone-in filet on their regular menu and though many other restaurants have since followed suit or offer this cut as a special, we still say Nick & Sam’s is the best we’ve had.  It is basically 16 ounces of love, flavor, and affection cooked perfectly and put on a plate.  The bone really does give the otherwise less savory cut a jolt of flavor.  Wow, this is a good piece of beef! 

Don’t let the presentation on the Long-Bone fool you into thinking this is a gimmick dish that belongs on an episode of the Flinstones rather than in a high end Dallas eatery.  We actually love the playful presentation, complete with a foot and a half long bone jutting from the meat.  More importantly, the dry aged ribeye on the other end of the bone is marbled and delicious.  Night not going well?  Your date giving you some grief?  No problem.  Just grab this sucker, swing it sling blade style and knock some sense into them.  There’s no room for a bad attitude when the food is this good!

All of the steaks at Nick & Sam’s come with a side of their homemade steak sauce.  Now, if you’re a prime beef purist you certainly shudder at the mere mention of applying a foreign substance to your beef.  We feel your pain baby.  Have you ever taken a group of people to a high end steak joint and there’s that one guy in the group that asks for Lea & Perrins or A1?  Don’t you want to just scream “This isn’t Western Sizzlin!” and crawl under the table?  Believe me, we’ve been there.  We certainly can get our mouths around the notion that a little olive oil or butter, kosher salt, and a shake of cracked pepper is all you need for prime beef but this sauce is very tasty.  Think of the previously mentioned A1 except much thicker, no kerosene smell or taste, no foreign preservatives or fake flavors, more aromatically pleasing, and much, much more flavorsome.  Other than that, they’re identical.

The sautéed scallops topped with caviar are also very high on our list, with the delicate sweetness of the scallops balancing famously with the salty, toothsome pop of the caviar.  They also do a great job with their lobster tails.  I agree it should be pretty easy to brush butter over the flesh and broil a tail until golden but I’m always amazed at how many restaurants screw this up.  And, again, if size matters, you’re set with your choice of a 1 or 2 pound tail.

A side that really jumps off the page is another Nick & Sam’s Classic – the Maine Lobster Mac and Cheese.  We all know that souped up mac and cheese is a mainstay on every decent menu.  Too often the word lobster is added to a side simply so the restaurant can charge you $15 instead of $7 and what you end up getting are a few measly bits of lobster mixed in.  Nick & Sam’s version stands out with more than a few hunks of true Maine lobster melding in with the combination of luxurious cheeses.  We also love the ‘damn good fries’ that come out crispy and salty – as they should be.

Yet another example of their foodie-centric approach to the world of prime beef is the wine program at Nick & Sam’s that’s one of Dallas’ most flexible and oenophile friendly.  Long before wine bars became the rage, Nick & Sam’s pioneered the flight tasting concept in Dallas and is still the only high end steakhouse that offers it.  They have pre-selected flights, typically three 2 ounce pours, by region, grape, etc and you can also put your own flight together.  On any given night there are also as many as 30 wines offered by the glass.  Again, such a nice change from the joints that offer you a couple of $15 mediocre house reds as your non-bottle options.  Of course, if you are more of a bottle buyer they’ve got your covered there as well.  Wine expert Michael Roundy will be happy to pop open any of the 500 or so labels proudly displayed in the glass encased cellar.  On their list you will find all of the powerhouse Napa Cabs and blends as well as a solid contingency of French wines. 

Shrouded in all the bling is a chain like precision and efficiency in their service model and overall attention to detail.  Perhaps this is a derivative of the many successful chains Mr. Romano has launched but the staff is comprised of quality wait staff that are knowledgeable and serious but also hip enough to professionally embrace the liveliness that is a cornerstone of the Nick & Sam’s experience. 

And speaking of focusing on their customer, perhaps our favorite story about superior customer service stems from a report widely circulated last year.  Apparently, OJ Simpson (you know, ‘The Juice’, NFL great, Hertz spokesman, Naked Gun star, murderer) had his people call Nick & Sam’s to reserve a table for dinner the next time he was coming into town.  Co-owner and ex-NY cop Joe Palladino offered a declarative, he’s not welcome here.  I certainly hope some colorful metaphors were used to emphatically make the point but, either way, that’s a proprietor who ‘gets it’ running a restaurant that we can all be proud of.