Brenner Slams Nick & Sam's, & More Reviews

Leslie Brenner awarded the new Nick & Sam's Grill location just one star: The second Park Cities outpost of the Uptown staple failed to impress, despite a more ambitious menu that includes dishes like calamari with grapes and cashews ("not better than it sounds"), and a kale and fennel salad in a "way-too-sweet dressing"; sides were equally disappointing, including a mac and cheese that tasted of "dirty dishwater". Steaks are tasty, if expensive, and desserts are perhaps the standout of the menu. [DMN]

Scott Reitz checked out Stampede 66: The hyper-Texan atmosphere lays it on pretty thick, but there's some "damn fine eatin'" to be had here, including sonofabitch stew (various offal meats in a creamy base), and solid tacos with housemade tortillas. Salads, including a caprese version and one with pig's ear, are not to be missed, but chicken-fried buffalo steak "falls flat". Service runs like a well-oiled machine, leading to an overall impression that "Stampede 66 may be the perfect restaurant to define the Dallas dining scene right now." [Observer]

DFW.com visited newcomer The Magnolia Cheese Co.: A combination cheese shop-slash-cafe serves a cheese-centric menu in an "artful", antique-laden setting; cheese plates are beautifully presented, and there's also soups served in Mason jars and sandwiches flanked by crispy kale chips; chevre cheesecake for dessert is "stunning". [DFW.com]

THE BLOGS: Almost Veggie reviewed Bolsa; Pegasus News checked out Epic Cones; Taco Trail tried the tacos at Spoon; Town Square Buzz surveyed the scene at Driftwood.

[Photo credit: Nick & Sam's Grill Park Cities/Facebook]