Sam's Grille Now Open!

I am thinking about going by tonight.  Would you recommend the chicken fingers or would you suggest trying something else?   Also, did you happen to notice the draft beer selection?

I can't help you out about the beer selection and I'm sure I'm responding after you made your decision whether to go tonight but I would absolutely recommend the Chicken Tenders to anyone and that goes as well for the Ribs.  Thankfully they have a Chicken & Rib's combo item which we ordered for our lunch.  I also highly recommend the baked potato which comes loaded with real bacon, not the bacon bits or pieces that are packaged store items  like a lot of other places. 

As for me I'm waiting to see post that critique their pizzas and the Hamburgers as they are hand formed and cooked fresh so I'm sure they will also be great.

Thanks GBRK for a good review. 

 

Obviously these guys know how to run  a restaurant, since Sam's has been voted #1 Sports Bar in Nashville 7 years in a row.

 

We'll see if they have the fine beer selection (as in Nashville) in this rather conservative beer town.

 

Well I did end up going.   It was somewhat what I expected for a first opening.   Well actually better than I expected.   It ran more smoothly than most initial openings I have attended.   But there were some kinks to be worked out.

 

Service:   Service was excellent.  They weren't slammed but they were busy and our waitress was very attentive.   Not only that, but on two different ocassions we had wait staff not assigned to our area check on us to see if we needed anything.  

 

Atmosphere:   I know they have it divided into a "dinner area" and a "martini area."   My wife arrived before myself and chose the dinner area.   I would have chose the other area because that's where I like to be.   But the dinner area was nice.   The booths were large and made you feel isolated.   I am sure a lot of people would like that, but I again enjoy the aesthetics and community feel of a bar.   I did think it was odd that all the booths were facing north/south and the tvs were on the peripheral.   Next time I will check out the martini area.

 

Food:  We started with the spinach dip.   It arrived quickly and I must say, best I have ever had.  I am not a huge spinach dip fan, but this was just wonderful.   I could have eaten it all day.   It also came with a small side of salsa too.    I tried the salsa, it was ok but I am not a big salsa fan.   On the entree I went with the buffalo chicken wrap with fries.    The wrap was pretty disappointing IMO.   The buffalo sauce was a bit sweeter than I like, but the fries were really good.   My wife got the flat iron steak and baked potato.   She said she liked it a lot and the steak (which she requested medium rare) appeared to be cooked as closely to properly as I have seen at any establishment in the Shoals.  

 

Beer:   Beer selection was decent.   Only thing on tap was Bud Light as they still did not have their tap system fully up and running.   They had a good bit of bottles, but nothing spectacular.   They did have a few decent ones, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Yuengling and Magic Hat #9 were a few I find to be rather tasty.   I was assured that when their tap system was up and running they would offer more interesting choices.   Not sure what that means?   Seeing how their TN establishments offer Sierra Nevada on tap along with a  lot of Yazoo stuff (local nashville brew), I am hoping we see a good Huntsville influence in our establishment.   Would love to see some Straight to Ale, Old Black Bear & Blue Pants. 

 

All in all I was happy with the experience and will be back.   But, I will probably wait til they get their tap system hooked up and running. 

Two days in a row and yet another FANTASTIC meal.  Can't say how happy and thrilled I am to have Sam's Grille a part of the Shoals Dining as once again those fantastic and wonderful Princeton's/Court Street Cafe Chicken tenders and Ribs are back and available.  

Tonight we had the Chicken Tender platter and once again had a Baked Potato fixed to perfection.  This will definitely be a routine each week if not more frequently.  This time around I will post a few photos from inside the restaurant.  Sorry but due to having to hold the camera up high, one handed, for the dining room shot it is a bit fuzzy but you can get an idea of how they have it arranged and with all the Televisions on the wall.  They also have a game channel that you can participate in by using your iPhone/Smartphone. 

What's the catch of the day?

i don't think i will be going anywhere else anytime soon.

Do they have anything besides snack type/sandwich foods?

they do.  They have steak and some grilled chicken plates.. maybe some others.   They also have soups -- had the chicken noodle Saturday, was the best I have ever had and I am not a big soup fan.  They also have salads and pizza.  

The wings are great. Some of the better in the Florence area.

The wife and I enjoyed another great meal there on Monday and was discussing just whom Sam's Grille would hurt the most.  General consensus was that it would most likely hurt Buffalo Wild Wings the most and since MonkeysUncleByMarriage states their wings are great that only seems to confirm that notion.  I know for my families part we haven't been back to BWW since Sam's opened.  Maybe it's just having to catch upon on those old Princeton's/Court Street Ribs and Chicken Tenders but hopefully sometime soon I'll try their Hamburgers and Wings but for now I can't seem to avoid the Ribs and Tenders.  

I also will comment that I've never seen a restaurant with more Customer conscience employees as they are always going out of their way to make sure that everyone is happy.  Given Sam's example I can only say expectations are or will be high for Dale's re-opening.

Stopped at Sam's for a couple of drinks and fried mozzarella sticks.  Great atmosphere, the mozzarella sticks were very (among the best I've had) and some cute waitresses.  I'll be back and look forward to Dale's re-opening.

I'm hoping to give the place a try soon, I'm looking forward to trying the chicken tenders. Last week I was going to buy lunch for our office from there but when I called I was informed that they only accept take out orders for pizza.  

One more comment about Sam's Grille.  I did try their Potato Soup but was disappointed with it for it was not as good as many other places here in town.  I still believe that Outback has the best Potato Soup but as far as Chili is concerned Sam's Grille has great Chili, in fact, possibly the best in the area although I also like Chili's Chili.

Great!  Love chili, don't like potatoes in any form, except salad.

Would love to hear some feedback when you do try it or from anyone else as I think it's great Chili and it's good to know when someone agrees with you.

 

Had the Campfire Chili today.  Good mix of meat and beans, topped with two different grated cheeses.  Good flavor, not too spicy.  I'm not so old my taste buds only respond to really hot spices. I haven't eaten chili at other local places to compare, but will definitely order it here again.

 

Tried the pastrami Reuben sandwich, as well.  Very good, one of the best I've had.  The Sputnik, a Jewish deli run by a Soviet refusenik, no longer refused obviously, in Atlanta during the late 70's spoiled me on Reubens. That lunch blew my one non-heart healthy lunch I allow per week -- it was worth it.

 

Oh, still several very attractive waitresses, as well. I'm not so old I don't notice that either.

Just ate at Sam's Grille for the first time.  I did not even have to look at the menu.  It was chicken fingers for me.  The minute I bit into the first one, I knew they were the real thing!  Brings back memories of Princeton's and Court Street Cafe, alright.  It's great to have them back.  Good eats, good service, reasonable prices.  Go.  You'll be glad you did!!

My wife and I ate at Sam’s Grill for the first time tonight. Wait time about 15-20 minutes when we arrived, however we were seated prior to that time passing, as the turnover by guest were promptly attended to by the staff. The staff was great, very pleasant atmosphere.

 

My wife elected to order the chicken finger and fries appetizer; I elected to order the Santa Fe chicken which came with black beans and rice. I also ordered a starter salad with 1000 Island dressing. She enjoyed her meal as did I. My portions were plentiful, flavors good. We will probably add this to our list of “date night” dining locations, however, I would like to see some expansion to their menu options.  

"however, I would like to see some expansion to their menu options.  "

 

If they're really good at only a few things, maybe it's best that they stick with those things. I haven't been there so I can't say. But I've noticed when a restaurant expands their menu, it's usually because the business is doing poorly and they're trying to bring in people that eat other kinds of food.

Very pleased with our dining experience last night.  

Tried the chicken tenders. Great.! Even ate a few of the seasoned fries, which were OK.  And, I hate potatoes. 

What's the noise level like? I've heard the food was okay, but that it was far too noisy.

 

My wife and I went last week and weren't impressed. It took quite a long time to get our food and when we did it was not right. We ordered burgers and when they finally brought them to our table neither of them were the burgers we ordered. They took them back and we waited for a while longer. When they brought us back our correct burgers they forgot my wifes fries. We decided to share mine and eat our burgers and get out of there. Also they were having an employee meeting in the dining room right next to where we were sitting. I thought that was inappropriate and it was also probably the reason for our food delays. It seemed that every employee was crowded out there in the dining room and not doing their jobs.

 

It is good to read so many good reviews. Makes me think we should give it another try. Every place can have a bad day.

I finally got around to trying the place and it will be one of my regular stops when eating out in Florence. There were several of us so we were all sampling different items and the chicken tenders did not disappoint, they were great! We also had the chicken nachos which were awesome (really awesome). We also tried the cheesesticks which were very good and a little different flavor than most, the fries were just so-so but not bad. The pizza is one of the better ones I've had in the area, it sort of reminded me of Pasquale's.
   The service was great and I would have left a good tip even if it had not been added to the ticket, normally I frown on that practice but as long as the service is close to that good then I'm ok with it. Most places when seating a larger than normal party will crowd everyone in but the way they arranged the tables gave us plenty of room and little details like that are very important to me.