Nick's Italian Cafe

07/13/2008 Posted by porque

Nick's has to be one of the best kept secrets in the Willamette Valley, and we were quite happy to discover it. I was a little shocked to read some of the negative reviews. I think if you go in knowing what to expect from the price fixe menu, then you will be very pleased. The restaurant itelf is very understated, but comfortable. Our waitress was not only very knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, but she was fun and funny, and also very attentive. We had exemplarary service. We had the five course price fixe meal for $49 which may seem pricey, but you get quite a lot (five courses!!) for your money. The portion sizes might seem small, but when you have five courses, you want smaller. It also takes at least two hours to eat this type of meal. There was not one ill prepared or poor tasting dish all night. (Four diners in our party, five courses, plus desserts for all -- that's a lot of different foods.) The food was simply, yet beautifully presented. The ingredients were fresh. The salad tasted as if they walked out the back, picked the lettuce, and prepared the salad. It was topped with a simple vinegarette, but it was so flavorful. All of the pastas are handmade there at the restaurant, and my pasta nearly melted in my mouth it was so fresh. I could have stopped with the pasta, and been completely satisfied. At the end of our very enjoyable evening, our party all agreed that we will be visiting Nick's again soon.

Pros: Excellent food & wine selections, great service

04/02/2008 Posted by nancylewey

This establishment has alway"s had a good food,but nothing oustanding.It's also very pricy for what you get. If you plan to eat here, you should plan to spend at least 2 hours.Service is at a snail"s pace, if your lucky.

Pros: No Much

Cons: Average Italian Food

10/15/2007 Posted by marklehmann

I've traveled through the beautiful Oregon Wine Country for many years and feel blessed to have come across Nick's. I've gone several times and my latest visit was exceptional. The rumors are true that Nick's daughter Carmen (and fiance Eric) have taken over the operations and are delivering mouthwatering food in cleverly designed dishes. The appetizers of "frito" vegetabels were a delightful surprise, and my girlfriends plate of homemade meats were truly fun. The minetrone soup, my all-time favorite, made me feel at home again. Next up, the pastas, were fantastic. They simply melted in my mouth. The main course of 'lamb three ways' was a pleasant surprise--i've never had anything like that before in a dish. I'm planning on returning to the area next spring to climb Mt. Hood and another trip to Nick's as a reward is definately in the works.

Pros: Food, laid-back atmosphere, the clever ideas for the plates

10/07/2007 Posted by btm9661

If you want to spend an exhorbitant amount on dinner, this is the place. The quantity of food is at best lunch size. The service was disappointing, ordering and getting the bill took over 30 minutes, way too long. The wine glasses were 1/2 filled, so if you want to spend $9-14 on a glass of wine, you're better off buying a bottle. Roast lamb was $26 for a small lunch size plate with a few pieces, very disappointing. I would highly recommend the Olive Garden or Romano's before I would ever send people I know to this restaurant.

Pros: You can buy a la carte

Cons: Not your typical Italian restaurant, not much pasta, too expensive for what you get

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07/05/2007 Posted by jahdee

I have heard rumors for years about Nick’s but was only recently able to make it in for dinner on my last trip to the Oregon wine country. All I can say is wow, the food was truly something special. Generally speaking I am often times disappointed with what is considered to be great food in the Portland area, just a bit spoiled from living in San Francisco for the past 10 years and working in the wine industry. But Nick’s lives up to the hype. The new Chefs, Carmen and Eric, have recently come up from SF’s Quince, one of the best restaurants the bay area has to offer, and it really shows in the food. We sampled some truly great house made charcuteries, and brilliant fresh pastas, the house made garganelli with pancetta cream and fresh fava beans was the table’s favorite along with a masterfully made hazelnut lasagna. The final savory courses from the five course tasting menu were superb, a perfectly cooked local wild salmon with fresh porcinis and the lamb loin wrapped in caul fat being some of our favorites. Michael Tusk’s tutelage shined throughout the meal, with subtle seasoning and expert attention to the food. It is well worth the drive out from Portland and if you are in the wine country it should be at the top of your list for dinner. I should also note that the wine list is awesome. I would also recommend making a reservation as it seemed to fill up quick.

Pros: Expertly cooked northern Italian food and a great winelist

07/04/2007 Posted by hkilber

We made the trek out to McMinnville and what a surprise. Nick recently retired and his daughter Carmen and her fiance Eric have taken over. They're fresh from cooking at Quince in San Francisco - we tried to go there when we were in San Francisco but couldn't get reservations. And they also recently spent 6 months cooking in Italy, to prepare them for taking over Nick's. Nick's still has the 5 course $45 set price menu, but Carmen and Eric have changed it up a lot. We had a gorgonzola sformata with fried parsley (kind of a eggy mousse, apparently often served as bar food in Italy), house-made charcuterie including an excellent mortadella, and a baby beet salad with goat cheese. We decided to be brave and give the tripe a la milanese a go and it was the star of the evening. The tripe was braised in a tomato sauce which tenderised the tripe and gave the sauce a rich but subtle flavor. And in the middle was a poached egg. The pasta was also great. How can you go wrong with housemade pasta bathed in a creamy prosciutto sauce with shelled fava beans? For entrees, I had the scallops with prosecco and they were perfect. The scallops had a yummy golden crust but were still juicy. We didn't have much room for dessert, but squeezed in the profiteroles which came with vanilla ice cream and chunks of toasted hazelnuts. Carmen also recommended a glass of slightly spritzy rose Italian dessert wine which went perfectly with the chocolate. I wish I'd written down the name. We talked a bit with Carmen and Eric and they told us they're loving it here. They've formed a close relationship with a local farmer and Eric is even making his own balsamic vinegar. Definitely worth the drive to McMinnville.

Pros: Outstanding food at a bargain price

Cons: Driving out to McMinnville

08/11/2006 Posted by vestelle

The value of five courses for 42.00 is incredible, and you will not go home hungry. Try the Avocado with Bay Shrimp and Sauce Louis; it will blend a symphony in your mouth. In addition, don't pass on the pasta, its three layers of house made noodles, married with dungeness crab, mushrooms and béchamel is the perfect way to prepare for your entree. With several pages of local wines to choose from, you will be able to pair the perfect Pinot Noir or Import with your meal. Dont plan to rush your evening, plan to enjoy it. Nick's Italian Cafe is this Willamette Valley wine enthusiasts restaurant of choice!

02/26/2006 Posted by danhughes

Do not patronize this establishment. This may seem quite hard, but I witnessed a young couple being treated quite unfairly over the weekend. This disgusted myself and the members at my table. We couldn't eat fast enough to leave the premises. Did not enjoy this situation and EXTREMELY disappointed in what was suppose to be a well established dining restaurant. I don't care how "good" the food is, poor service constitutes a great percentage of a positive dining experience.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Poor Serive, Rude Service, Bad Attitude

04/27/2005 Posted by karasuzanne

After having grown up in McMinnville, lived in San Francisco and having lived in NYC for the past 5 years, Nick's is one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. Through my travels and the many different restaurants I've eaten at, some of extraordinary price and distinction, I've always compared them to Nick's and they've failed miserably. On a recent trip home I was lucky enough to get to realize the new chef's genius, which has only strengthened my opinion. There is a feeling about Nick's that you can't duplicate, it's unpretentious and graceful. It holds the essense of metropolitan that I thought I would go out in the world and find but it turns out that the heart of it was just out my backdoor.

11/10/2004 Posted by daweston

I've had the pleasure of dining at Nick's a number of times since their new chef, Jeremy Buck, took over in June. On my last visit, I had finger-licking-good lamb chops, perfectly cooked med-rare, with a lovely celery root puree. I also enjoyed the stuffed fried olives - one of the most unique and tasty appetizers I've ever had. My wife had the tenderloin and said it was one of the best steaks she's ever had. I'm not quite sure why another reviewer is referring to Chef Buck's age - I've spoken with him twice and he is obviously quite experienced, more knowledgeable about food and wine matches than most people I know, and although youthful-looking, is well into his 30s and married.

Pros: great staff, interesting wines, intimate