Nick’s in the Sticks

9 Reviews on “Nick’s in the Sticks”

• Cady Weldon

  I almost always give a restaurant two tries before I completely write them off. Off nights happen, and I completely understand that. I visited here once several years back when I first moved to Tuscaloosa and was not impressed. I decided on a whim last night to give them a second try. Unfortunately, the second time was not the charm. They estimated about a 30 to 45-minute wait when we arrived, but we were sat closer to 20 minutes from the time we arrived, which wasnt bad at all. But then nearly ten minutes passed after wed been sat before a server came around to give us our menus and take our drink orders. I tried to cut them some slack, assuming they were busy. When our salads finally arrived, I was disappointed to see that it was just an unappealing, cheap iceberg mix with no other toppings, and their only dressing options were either very heavy or just DIY oil and vinegar. No vinaigrette options? Odd. But whatever, I was starving, so I rolled with it. But then our steaks arrived. I ordered mine medium-rare. I cut into it hungrily and was devastated to find that it was not only not medium-rare, it was totally 100% well done. There wasnt the slightest hint of pink. I flagged down the server and he apologized and put in a new order for me. In the meantime, I tried a bite of my boyfriends steak, which did seem to be cooked properly. Please believe that Im not exaggerating or being dramatic or inflammatory when I say that it tasted exactly like a hamburger from Huddle House. The flavor was bad. Like, really, really bad. Just cheap, sawdust-y, griddle taste. And that was the parts that were edible. The steak was about 40% fat and gristle. I also tried my boyfriends baked potato, which was either over or undercooked and flavorless. Baked potatoes should definitely not be chewy. :/ They also brought out small dinner rolls with our meal, which I devoured in the absence of my meal, but those were nothing special either; they just tasted like plain white bread. Sadly, the only things that I remotely enjoyed were my onion rings and the drink I ordered a Hurricane clone thats their specialty, dubbed The Nicodemus.When my replacement steak arrived, I cut into it, desperately hoping that this one might taste better, but this one was so rare that it only had a light sear on it and the inside was deep red and raw. Id even go so far as to classify it as Blue (the rarest of rare). They were nice enough to remove it from our bill without me having to ask, but the damage had already been done. We walked out still hungry and feeling guilty for even spending what we did for such a horrible experience.I genuinely dont understand how this place is such a popular Tuscaloosa institution. I know its in the sticks, but surely these people who claim to love it have had at least one good steak before, because there is just no comparison. Its just really, really bad. Please trust me and dont waste your money.

  July 27, 2020, 3:32 am

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• Jay Benefield

  Nick’s Original Filet House, a.k.a. Nick’s in then Stick, is an established institution located on the western edge of the city of Tuscaloosa.The restaurant building is nothing flashy. It’s a small single level, brick building. The dining area is small, seating for maybe 40 people. That said, expect a wait (unless you arrive when they open).The food is consistently excellent. My go to meal is the large filet (6 oz) with a side of onion rings. A small salad is also severed with the meal along with rolls.

  May 23, 2020, 7:24 am

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