nick's ristorante

nick will fix it. thought i would share this with others who wirte reviews on various sites. as a periodic diner atnick'swe visited recently and had another fine dining experience. everything was prepared as desired however my steak had a bit of gristle in it so i wrote on the comment card that is provided in the final bill folder. about two days later i received a personal call from nick himself asking for more details about the steak. he told me that he reads every comment card submitted and responds to many, especially if he finds an area of concern. he also said that he appreciates diners who provide him immediate feedback directly or via the comment card so he can fix any issues that may come up on the spot. he says he reads the review sites periodically but that he believes if a diner can't talk with him directly through his own process (direct communication or comment card) he can't really respond or fix the issue on a personal basis. i know he reads them because i noticed that he has arranged for a separate entry for non smokers and that appears to have been the biggest item raised by submitters. i will use the comment card from now on.......i know it works and he personally called me...........nick is obvisouly an owner who cares about his guests and we will go back often because that is a breath of fresh air.


-----28 oct, 2013-----

what a great ristorante. if you haven’t been to nick’s ristorante in a while you are really missing out. of course they have the best steaks in town as always and now they have a new chef trained in classical italian fare and he is creating magic in the kitchen. nick has also brought back the 20th diner program on weekdays so if you are the 20th ticket name to go through the kitchen you receive you entrée at 1⁄2 off.......this is a great way to get out on the weekdays and what a surprise when i found out i was # 20 tuesday night! they have also just about completed the direct access entry into the dining room so non-smokers won’t have to go through the lounge to get to the dining room. nick’s ristorante is a service disabled veteran owned small business(sdvosb) nick being a service disable vet he does all he can to accommodate folks from all walks of life.....still my favorite spot in huntsville and now they also have live entertainment on occasion as background dining music!!!!

disappointed. heardnick'swas pricey but good so decided to try it. ordered the "house" sirloin medium rare. looked good but steak was only medium rare on the top. the bottom half of the steak was almost raw. to make things worse it was the toughest piece of meat i have had in a long time. got so tired of chewing i only ate half of the steak. additional cooking wouldn't have helped. my date ordered the $48 jumbo prawn and we expected something exceptional. wrong. the prawns were soft, mealy and lacked distinctive taste. my guess is they were frozen several times. definitely not fresh. on the positive side the crab cake appetizer was very good. won't go back. bn

lungo vive nick!!!. we've enjoyednick'son ~ 6 different visits, including new year's eve and several anniversary dinners. i'm noticing that others have issue with the smoking section in the bar area. i've only dined in this area, so cannot confirm, but i've noticed there are plenty of ceiling vents that do a good job of "sucking" the smoke from the bar area, within that area. nick told me that the least smoky area is in the back corner of the dining room (again, i've never been back there, so i can't say.) maybe those of you who are bothered by the smoke, could mention it to nick or sherry, or i think his brother's name is dave, and perhaps suggest that they add a separate entrance to the non-smoking dining. anyway, on to my opion of our experiences:

this is my new fav. restaurant in hsv!!!!nick'shas a wonderful local/neighborhood "feel" to it. nick and sherry mikus are exceptional owners who act as hosts, whom you are visiting at their home. we enjoyed not only the friendliness of everyone there, the server's attention to detail (no glass left empty, offering suggestions, quick pick up of used dishes, etc.) but also the atmosphere, (casual, yet slightly upscale), and then the **food**.

we started off with the crab cake app which was wonderful, no remoulade (sp?) needed, a squeeze of the (provided) fresh lemon encased in cheese cloth (nice touch that you don't often see), was all it needed. cakes were not heavy on the breading like so many others and were huge in comparison to most restaurants. then, we each had the blue cheese wedge, which could be a meal in itself (your choice of dressing, didn't have to be bleu cheese, with olive garnish). i had the 6 oz filet, cooked to perfection - could have cut it with a butter knife, but was (surprisingly) provided with a steak knife with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. my husb. had the salmon, which i tasted and found it perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection! no complaints at all! nick mentioned that they may be adding more northern italian fare to their menu, which looked good on the menu (veal piccata, etc), but their steaks cannot be beat. i was disappointed that they were out of port wine, which i would have enjoyed as an after dinner drink. however, i was so impressed by the extensive and very reasonably priced wine ( a glass that would cost, easily 9.00 elsewhere is 7.00 here and bottle prices are even better!!!) .

cigar donations (which is the cost of their cigars for sale) support the u.s. army! nick is a u.s. army veteran (40 yrs?) and my only regret is not thanking him for serving our country.

you should try nicks, you won't be disappointed. i wish there were a "nick's west" that is closer to our house...maybe in the future nick and sherry???

looking forward to your special events (scotch tastings, etc) and look forward to being on your mailing list.

they have live entertainment on new years eve, streamers, and a photographer, and they accommodate your special event (e.g., wedding anniversary) with (i think) comp'ed prosecco. nice touches!
thanks for the great ristorante!!!!!!!!!! ringraziarla per una sera meravigliosa! buono ciao e la buona salute!

a special place for appreciative patrons.nick'sis a unique dining experience unlike any other i know of in huntsville. the atmosphere, cuisine, and personal touch makes this a very special restaurant for relaxing and winding down. the negative comments regarding cigar smoke are unwarranted. i detected zero smoke in the dining room, and was glad to see people enjoying cigars and relaxing. for those that turn around at the door, i say good riddance. have you been to europe? like 95% of everyone smokes!

ok. not outstanding. after reading reviews and recommendation from daughter and husband we decided to try nick's. the atmosphere and decor are very nice but other than the fried green tomatoes we were not impressed. one reviewer on this site that a pleasant surprise was receiving individual bowls of olive oil for bread dipping. we received one meager plate. during the one or two visits by our waiter he never offered to refill our wine glasses. based on the "bragging" onnick'sweb site my wife decided to try the pork chop. if there was anything stuffed in it, she could not find it. in fact, it was not until talking with our daughter that we found out it was to have been stuffed. i tried the ny strip. it was a very good size and prepared mostly as i requested. it was ok but not outstanding. in my visits to steak houses out west i have eaten better. in our 20+ years of travel in the army my wife and i have eaten in some of the best restaurants in europe and the far east. if nick is trying to emulate these, he has a way to go.

after hearing aboutnick'sristorante, a new fine-dining restaurant on bailey cove, i called and reserved a table for two. nick is a retired military man who decided to open a restaurant with his wife where she could

amazing. triednick'sfor the first time thanks to invite from dear friends and this will be a reoccurring outing for us for sure. from the moment we walked in until we departed we couldn't have been more pleased. the atmosphere, the staff and the food were well above our expectations. appetizers, cocktails, and main course kept us enlighted for hours.......the 10 oz. filet melted in your mouth and the double boned stuffed pork chop brought out a thumbs up from me for sure. thanks to the entire staff atnick'sfor a truly fine dining experience. we will be back for sure.