Second Nick & Sam's Grill Better Than the OG?

Nick & Sam's Grill, the more casual/less pricey offshoot of the ostentatious Maple Avenue steakhouse, has opened a second Park Cities location and it's "so much better than it's Uptown sibling, you might not know the two are related," according to Escape Hatch's Mike Hiller.

The interior is more modern glitz (they kept some of the decor from previous tenant Ristorante Nicola, including the chandeliers) than the Fairmount location, which is overloaded with rustic wood; but mainly, it's the menu that's a dramatic departure from the original. Chef Richard Blankenship did a few years at Charlie Palmer at the Joule, and it shows: Where the original location's menu offers pedestrian items like kung pao calamari and pulled pork quesadillas, Blankenship's fare appears more refined and adventurous (his calamari is adorned with grapes, cashews, coconut and chayote).

According to a SideDish tweet, the new spot is already slammed, with waits reaching an hour for a table of two last night. Will the original Nick & Sam's Grill follow suit and see some changes, too, or is the son destined to outshine the father?

· Scratch 'n Sniff: New Nick & Sam's Grill Park Cities [Escape Hatch Dallas]
· @DSideDish [Twitter]
· All Nick & Sam's Grill coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]

[Photo credit: Escape Hatch]