Since it was my birthday the other day, I decided to go out to eat with family at a local restaurant. This was the first time I had been to a restaurant since the Covid-19 pandemic, so I was eager to go out to eat and have a delicious and fulfilling meal. The place I went to was Nik’s Italian Kitchen and Bar, located in Austin, Texas. I had never been to the place but there were some good reviews about it online, and I was in the mood for some Italian food because it had been a while since I had a good Italian food meal.
The restaurant was not hard to find, just off 620 road in Austin. The restaurant is located near a shopping center, in a more residential area type shopping center rather than a downtown style location. The restaurant is not big but has a dining section and a section for the bar. When entering the front door of the restaurant, it is visible that the dining section is to the left and the bar section is to the right, but it is all one room. The restaurant was dimly lit for the most part, with a little more lighting in the dining section than over by the bar. We got served quickly at a table in the dining area. The restaurant seemed a little short staffed, but it was not a big deal because the restaurant was not near full capacity, probably not even at half capacity. It also helped that along with the staff being quick all night, they made us feel welcome and taken care of. There were no problems with the orders the entire night.
I imagine the place was popping, especially on the weekends before the pandemic, but for now they are starting to see more business, but it is a slow process as people are gradually starting to eat out at restaurants again.
The menu featured a widespread of Italian cuisines, such as lasagna, linguini, chicken breast, alfredo, and other traditional pasta dishes, along with a few off the grill dishes, but what stood out on their menu and considered their signature dish is there “Texas sized” chicken parmesan. The chicken parmesan could be prepared three ways: traditional marinara, vodka sauce, and jalapeno lime. I decided to go with the vodka sauce chicken parmesan, and let me tell you, this thing really was the size of Texas. It was most certainly the largest chicken parmesan I had ever seen! There was some pasta beneath the chicken in an orange-y sauce that I am not sure what it was, but it was not marinara.
The chicken parmesan was delicious, and I really liked the vodka sauce that was on it as the flavors went together nicely. One of my family members got the marinara chicken parmesan, which I tried a small bite of. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty, but I was glad I chose the vodka sauce. What made the vodka sauce stand out was that it had a creamier texture, instead of a chunkier marinara sauce, and brought out more flavor from the chicken, whereas the chicken parmesan with the marinara sauce felt like I had more of the taste of marinara in my mouth. If I wanted that much marinara flavoring, I would have just ordered a plate of spaghetti! What else was great about the vodka sauce bringing together all the flavors was that I could taste more of the cheese. The vodka sauce, it is difficult for me to say the exact flavor because I hadn’t tried anything like it before, but it was sweet, not bitter at all. And with a little less overwhelming flavor than the marinara, I could really taste the parmesan cheese with the chicken, which both seemed to melt in my mouth and go down with ease, whereas with the bite of the marinara chicken parmesan I had, it felt like I needed to chew more, along with a chunk of marinara getting in my teeth, which was slightly annoying.
Another family member got chicken alfredo, which they said they enjoyed. I tried a bite of the alfredo. It wasn’t bad, but the taste of the alfredo sauce didn’t taste as authentic as alfredo sauces I have had in the past, and the noodles felt almost like I was eating strings of play-doh! If I return to Nik’s, I would like to say I would switch my order up to try something new, but definitely wouldn’t order the chicken alfredo, which is a bummer due to that I really like alfredo sauce! But in all honesty, I probably wouldn’t be able to resist another vodka sauce chicken parm.
Overall, I enjoyed dining at Nik’s. The service was good, and the food was terrific as well. The lighting was dim, which some might like it brighter, but I didn’t mind it and didn’t even notice it after about a minute of being there. I would recommend someone to go to Nik’s, and would certainly recommend ordering the chicken parmesan with vodka sauce. It’s a sweet tasting dish, and a near-perfect balance of the lightness of the sauce, with the chicken and cheese layered over it beautifully. You’ll enjoy it trust me, even if you have never tried a vodka sauce before on any type of dish. Plus, with the size of the dish, not a chance you’re going home hungry. It’s a lot of food but you’ll enjoy it!
Baker Bytes 