Uptown Brunch Casualty
Uptown Dallas restaurant pioneer shutters after one last Sunday brunch
The once-happening Nick & Sam's Grill on the edge of Uptown has closed. Fittingly, its final meal was Sunday brunch on October 25.
According to a statement from the owner, the restaurant is being closed for renovations and will be re-concepted for re-opening, possibly by January 2016.
The Grill gave no indication of its impending closure on its Facebook page, with a post on Sunday morning of a Bloody Mary that read, "Sunday, bloody Sunday." But perhaps tellingly, the photo got only six likes. Sniff.
An employee confirmed that the closure. "That branch is no longer open," he said. "Saturday was the last night."
Nick & Sam's Grill opened in 2009 as a hip younger sibling of the more staid Nick & Sam's Steakhouse, with a casual American menu of sandwiches and trendy appetizers such as deviled eggs. It not only broke the spell in a location that had seen mixed results for prior tenants such as The Standard and Strong's Everyday Tavern, but it also became the of-the-moment Uptown haunt.
It had all the essential Uptown hallmarks, including a patio and a massively popular brunch with a Bloody Mary bar where diners could add their own garnishes.
Founders were Joseph Palladino, founder of the Coal Vines pizza chain and co-owner of Nick & Sam's with Phil Romano, of Eatzi's, Romano's Macaroni Grill, Fuddrucker's, and Trinity Groves fame.
A second Nick & Sam's Grill at 8111 Preston Rd. is still open, with a broader menu that includes some of the steaks from the original steakhouse. A third branch that opened at the Look Cinemas in 2013, along with a Coal Vines, closed in 2014.
In Uptown, the competition for brunch has gotten stiff. And a Groupon-type deal for Nick & Sam's Grill, selling a $40 "three-course meal deal for two any day," is never a good sign.
Palladino's attentions are currently fixed on the new concepts he's opening at the Omni Dallas hotel, including the German-style Biergarten on Lamar, and another Coal Vines pizzeria. Both were originally forecast to open in August, but are now slated to open by the beginning of November.